Taranto: on to Puglia

May 17, 2019

We’re at a transition point today. We’re leaving Basilicata and entering Puglia, our home for the coming two weeks. We’re also starting the final month of the tour - we fly out from Palermo a week from today. On the one hand, this gives us the feeling that we’re nearing the end; but on the other hand, what’s left is about as long as most of our tours were until just last year.

We’re entering Puglia with something lost and something gained. On the plus side, our package from Amantea was waiting for us when we arrived in Matera! I’m happy to be reunited with my best bike shorts, especially as the saggy-butted ones are starting to unravel; also with my fifteen year old bike jersey from Tasmania, that I realized a few days ago that I must have also left behind; and also a pair of Rachael’s bike socks, which she wasn’t even aware she was missing.

On a bittersweet note though, we leave Matera without our old traveling pal the Gumby Bottle Opener. We’re not sure when GBO jumped ship exactly, but I suspect it was back in Rocca Imperiale. I was a bit worried when I saw that hot corkscrew flash a bright smile his way. He’s pretty unsophisticated, so I’m not surprised that he thought life with a sexy Italian tool looked better than the inside of my toolbag. Buon viaggio, little buddy!

The first dozen miles of today’s ride follow SS7 east of Matera. It’s not a bad or dangerous ride exactly, but with a minimal shoulder and the occasional large truck to share the road with you can’t really focus on the views so much. If we came again, we’d add some miles to the day and find a different route out of town. Once we come to the turnoff to Laterza though we leave the traffic behind and begin a lovely ride through the Puglianese upland.

We’re in Puglia! Open spaces, wheat fields, stone walls, and a profusion of wildflowers.

We have an easy ride ahead of us the rest of the way to Taranto - after rolling along at about a thousand feet for several miles we drop quickly to near sea level and enter the broad, flat apron that borders the Gulf of Taranto here. There are surprisingly few roads crossing this expanse, unless you want to just drop all the way to the sea and hop on our old ‘friend’ SS106/E90 again.

We know better by now than to do that of course, so I’ve found us a nice, ultra-quiet route that zigzags east through very minor roads. Too minor, as we discover at one point when our road ends in a wheat field and we have to backtrack a few miles.

After that though, we’re on a really beautiful, empty road. Too empty, we eventually discover as gradually gets narrower and narrower and finally turns to dirt. We’re brought up short when we come to a large puddle that completely covers the road.

Laterza, another town built on the lip of a deep limestone gorge.

We enjoy some flattish, quiet miles on the plateau east of Laertza.

The Ionian Sea lies ahead of us. Far off in the haze to the left (off frame), we can make out the bend in the Gulf and the smokestacks of Taranto.

We’re on a lovely, quiet road as we drop to sea level.

Mottola, I believe. It has a typically Puglianese look - whitewashed, almost Greek in appearance.

Now what? Not a lot of good options here. If we backtrack it’s a very long way around.

Not the best news. We’re still 20 miles from Taranto, if our road even goes through. If we have to backtrack again we’re facing a serious detour and probably some unpleasant miles on a major highway. I hike through the weeds to the other side to peek around a corner, and see inconclusive results. The road is bikeable but we can’t see for how far; and we know that there’s a creek at the bottom to be crossed.

We aren’t sure what to do, but the idea of turning back is just too painful to swallow. We portage the lake by the obvious method, and while my feet dry off we sit by the side of the road and enjoy our lunch. I’m not optimistic that we can get a connection, but as long as we’re just sitting around anyway I bring up the map on our phone and am surprised to see the satellite view slowly come into focus.

Good news - we can see that the pavement returns not far from here, and on this side of the creek! Polishing off lunch, we weave our way between the remaining puddles until we’re back on terra firma again, and then enjoy a fast, nonstop ride for the last twenty miles to Taranto. For a refreshing change, I’ve gotten this part of our routing right and we enjoy a quiet ride on service roads that parallel the highway until we enter the outskirts of busy, industrial Taranto.

The obvious solution is often the best solution.

Over lunch, we chewed on the odds that this road will remain viable when it reaches the creek. Hope so! Otherwise, we’ll be wading through that puddle again and adding about fifteen miles to our day.

Yippee! The pavement returns, just in time as we reach the broad creek bed.

Looks like clear sailing ahead. On to Taranto!

Passing through Palagiano, which looks to be decked out for a festival. Laterza also looked this way.

Taranto isn’t really a tourist destination, but the area right around our B&B is attractive. It’s on the island in the heart of the old city, next to the university and a few blocks from the castle. After resting up a bit we enjoy a walk along the waterfront, scoping out restaurants and looking for the best spots to appreciate the sunset and an absolutely full moon.

Taranto bills itself as the city between two seas. At its heart is a small artificial island, bracketed by two canals. Here, we’re looking west at Mare Grande (a Bay of the Gulf of Taranto).

And here we’re looking east across Mare Piccolo, the small inland sea.

The Aragonese Castle, built in the late fifteenth century, guards the entrance to the navigable canal. It is built on the foundation of the earlier Norman fortress, which itself superseded the original Byzantine one built to protect the coast from the Saracens.

The Aragonese Castle is one of Taranto’s principal tourist attractions.

On the waterfront, waiting for the sunset to develop behind the castle.

Taranto is largely a military town now, with a significant naval base.

Gulls swarm above the castle as piped military music accompanies the lowering of the flag.

It’s always nice to see a friendly face when you’re far from home.

Heart

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Ride stats today: 52 miles, 1,500’ elevation gain; for the tour, 1,502 miles, 106,700’

Today's ride: 52 miles (84 km)
Total: 1,502 miles (2,417 km)

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Jen RahnDo you have any idea how many miles GBO traveled with you?

Thanks again for carrying him out of his sheltered life in a drawer into a life of adventure!
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4 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Jen RahnI’ve forgotten for sure, but at a minimum it’s about 8,000 miles, not counting day trips around Portland. I don’t recall for sure now now if he went to Greece and Albania too, which would put it close to 10,000 miles.

At a minimum, he made it to Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, France, Italy, Spain, Taiwan, Canada and of course the US of A.
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4 years ago