Puglia Gravel Bike Tour

Day 1: Ruvo di Puglia – Castel del Monte (45 km; +550 m)
Please note: Day 1 is already a riding day. There is no arrival night before the first stage, so plan to reach Ruvo di Puglia in the morning.
You will arrive in the morning and leave from Ruvo di Puglia station on Cycleway 01 of the Alta Murgia. A gentle, steady climb on farm tracks and dirt roads passes the shepherds' settlement of Jazzo Rosso and the open land of San Magno, until the octagonal silhouette of Castel del Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage site, appears. Overnight in the Castel del Monte / Andria area.

Day 2: Castel del Monte – Cassano delle Murge (60 km; +480 m)
A wild, scenic stage on the gravel service track of the Apulian Aqueduct cycleway, past the ventilation chimneys of the water pipeline and through the oak woods near Quasano, to Cassano delle Murge.

Day 3: Cassano delle Murge – Alberobello (55 km; +520 m)
You will cross the shade of the Mercadante Forest and head south-east as the rocky Murgia gives way to the land of the trulli. Quiet lanes between dry-stone walls lead to Alberobello. An aperitivo with Capocollo di Martina Franca, taralli and a glass of Locorotondo wine is included.

Day 4: Alberobello – Ceglie Messapica (40 km; +350 m)
The most celebrated stretch of the Apulian Aqueduct cycleway: from Figazzano, near Locorotondo, to Ceglie Messapica on a protected path closed to motor traffic, crossing aqueduct bridges suspended over the Valle d'Itria. An easy day.

Day 5: Ceglie Messapica – Manduria (55 km; +220 m)
Past Villa Castelli, where the main canal of the aqueduct ends, the road descends and flattens on red earth and rural asphalt among ancient olive trees and the vineyards of Primitivo di Manduria. A guided tasting in a winery with Primitivo di Manduria, Salento pecorino and crostini is included. Overnight in Manduria.

Day 6: Manduria – Santa Maria di Leuca (85 km; +310 m)
A long but fast final stage along the Ionian coast of Salento, on compact sandy single tracks by beaches and dunes, past Porto Cesareo and Gallipoli, to the Monumental Waterfall of the Apulian Aqueduct at Santa Maria di Leuca. The stage is challenging for its length.

Day 7: Departure
After breakfast, check-out and end of services.