Matera to Locorotondo

November 19, 2023

Street festivals and Trulli

I woke up to a cool morning - it’ll be a day to wear tights. But there was blue sky and yesterday’s winds were gone.

For the first time on this trip, the breakfast included with my accommodation was coupon for a nearby cafe for a cappuccino and cornetto. I supplemented with fruit and yogurt.

Repeating my story from Gravina, it was a quick and easy exit from town via the scenic route. There was even a bike path for a short while. I haven’t seen many of those in Italy.

Traffic was light on this Sunday morning as I made my way through farmland. I was delighted to realize that I was clipping along with a gentle tailwind. I think I was briefly on the EV5 bike route, but don’t recall seeing any signs. The only trucks I saw were a couple of milk tankers. There are no rest days for dairy farmers.

I made a coffee stop with the post church at a busy bar in Gioia del Colle (‘Joy of the Hill’’). There were no hills to be seen, so I’m not sure of the reason for the town’s name.

There were olives harvests underway today at multiple locations, all pretty small scale. One fellow was using what looked to be a powered plastic garden rake that waved back and forth. Another had what I’ve previously described as looking like a (very slow speed) weed whacker.

I saw a few small groups of road bikers today, plus two fully loaded tourers, my first sighting in Puglia.

As I approached the town of Noci (‘Nuts’ - great name for a town!), it was clear that there was a big street festival in going on, with the centre of town shut down to cars. There were dozens of with food and drink stalls, plus artisans selling stuff. It was the biggest crowd I’d seen since Rome. It was a bit earlier than I’d planned to eat lunch, but I couldn’t resist the opportunity for grilled sausage with porcini mushroom sauce on a bun. Beer, wine, and spritzs were available too. No gelato though.

This vendor offered cheese and grilled cheese kebabs. No bread, just a skewer of grilled cheese.

These three little girls joined me on my bench just as I was finishing lunch. They had been to the same vendor

Starting near Noci and continuing for the rest of the day, there were loads of trulli, which according to UNESCO are typical limestone dwellings of dry-stone construction. They date from as early as the mid-14th century, and characteristically feature a domed or conical roof built up of limestone slabs.

After another quick bit of riding, I stopped in the town of Alberobello for another walk around. It’s a world heritage site with trulli everywhere, 1500 of them, apparently. There were lots of people out enjoying the day. It’s a tourist centre, with loads of typical little trinket shops. And yet once again, I saw no open gelato shops.

I had a great ride to Locorotondo on a marked cycle route, IT02. It was terrific and the rural trulli seemed more interesting to me than in kitschy Alberobello. As far as I know, the latest James Bond movie does not feature Alberobello. But if there is ever a live action Smurfs movie, it’d be perfect.

I’m staying in a great little apartment and had a very warm greeting by the adult son of the owner - it is well-appointed with a washing machine and other modern conveniences. I spent the late afternoon doing real laundry, catching up with people at home, and doing some route planning. I had hoped to make a salad tonight for my dinner, but there were no open grocery stores nearby.

By the time I walked out to find a restaurant, I was starving. And expecting to find a quiet little town. Boy, was I wrong. The centre of Locorotondo is a delightful pedestrian-only zone where the streets are far too narrow for cars. The Christmas lights were on (maybe for the first night?) and hundreds of people young and old were out on the streets. It was fun to see. I lucked into a table at a busy pizza place. Tomorrow, I will be in search of vegetables.

Alberobello is a whole town full of these trulli.

It wasn’t overly busy, but there were people out enjoying the day. The sunny spots were the busiest.

The terrific route between Alberobello and Locorotondo.

What an interesting day I had - two street festivals and yet another world heritage site.

I’ve planned the longest ride of the trip for tomorrow, but it’s downhill to the coast. I hope the winds are light, because they won’t be in my favour. Then afterwards I’ll have a short and easy day.

Question of the day: did you have a K-Way windbreaker jacket in the 1970’s? I don’t see them in Canada anymore. But they are everywhere here, still with the same colourful zipper and corporate logo.

Today's ride: 74 km (46 miles)
Total: 827 km (514 miles)

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Rachael AndersonWhat a great day!
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5 months ago

Jacquie GaudetI never owned a K-Way abd was surprised to see them again in the last few years, though I can’t remember where. I jumped onto the Goretex bandwagon as soon as it came along.
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5 months ago