6/1/19-6/3/19 Puglia: Gallipoli and San Pietro in Bevagna

Saturday, 1 June 2019

Biked 30 miles to Gallipoli
Accommodations: Dimora Garibaldi #4. Host Luigi Guido. Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 21. Booked through Airbnb. Large old apartment in good location within old town. Tall ceilings, small kitchenette and bathroom, small balcony. Very poor WiFi--the first location we have really not been able to connect well. Very loud concerts in the nearby piazza both nights we were there--but quiet during the day.

Biking from Santa Maria di Leuca to Gallipoli, we finally found white sand beaches with a few people enjoying the sun--but no one in the water. It continues to be cool, and it rains in the afternoon. Nice for biking, though not for the seaside experiences we had imagined.

We stayed in Castello di Gallipoli, the old town on a peninsula within castle walls. We spent two days exploring the fortifications and churches, eating, resting, and planning the next week of our journey.

On the way to Gallipoli, we took off our shoes and went wading during a stop for gelato and cold drinks.

The old center of Gallipoli has a beautiful marina. We walked along the wall surrounding the peninsula in the afternoon, and ate spumoni while it rained. 

Sunday, 2 June 2019

No biking
Accommodations: Dimora Garibaldi #4. Night 2 of 2.
Restaurants: Da Clara Trattoria (excellent linguini with sardines and saffron), Osteria Sant'Angelo (next door to our apartment; good seafood antipasto and roasted potatoes)

It rained off and on the whole weekend we were in Castello di Gallipoli. We walked around the old town and had wonderful meals with local food. It was a good place to rest and relax.

Extensive seawalls allow small boats safe access to the old town area.

Monday, 3 June 2019

Biked 33 miles to San Pietro in Bevagna, 394 feet of climb
Accommodations: B&B Vento del Mare, Via Specchiarica. Host Luciano Giao. Booked through Airbnb. Luciano's parents met us and were extremely gracious hosts. We were their first guests--they have just taken over the B&B, which consists of three small rooms that share a courtyard. Though Luciano's parents spoke almost no English and we speak almost no Italian, we had a great conversation. Luciano's dad was proud to tell us Luciano is a professor of English in Turino. Luciano's mother returned in the morning with a lovely breakfast, served on the patio.
Restaurant: Miramare B&B. Our host was a nice young man who helps his parents run the restaurant and B&B. The food was great and we enjoyed our conversation.

We think we have discovered why we are seeing bikers going the opposite direction: headwinds! That is, the dominant winds are blowing north to south along the coast, and we are traveling south to north. It is not a big deal, but one of those things a tour operator would know and we didn't think of.

We were happy to discover stretches of small private beaches and homes as we approached San Pietro. Our B&B was a couple miles outside of the town. We biked back to another B&B that had a small restaurant on the beach, and enjoyed a wood-fired pizza and tiramisu for dinner. We were glad to have our headlamps and blinky rear lights on the way back to our B&B at dusk. We are rarely out at night on these trips; usually by 8 or 8:30 we are in bed with books and glasses of water, happy to be resting up for the next day's adventure.

We biked from small seaside town to small seaside town. This was a nice stretch of coastal highway, not too busy.

It's getting to be a habit: cappuccino at a cafe overlooking the harbor in a small town.

Lunch stop near a tower fortification in a small town. Torres line the coast. Many are in ruins, and many others, like this one, are in good shape.