Europe Here I Come!

Sometimes I feel like a migratory bird. Summer has ended in Sydney and the chilly autumn breezes are starting to blow, so it is time to wing my way to the northern hemisphere to follow the sun and warmth.

I feel myself being lured again to Italy, so on Sunday I am flying via Abu Dhabi and Rome to Brindisi in Puglia (the heel of Italy’s “boot”) to start the first of my solo cycle tours for the year. The route I have designed (see planned route) is based on the Puglia Grand Tour except it will commence at Brindisi instead of Lecce and will continue beyond Rodi Garganico to Foggia, where I will catch a train to Naples and then a ferry to Palermo in Sicily.

What makes Italy so irresistible … Food? Scenery? People? Lifestyle? Vibrant cities? Quaint villages? White-washed hill towns? Architecture? Cobblestones? Gently rolling fields? Conical Pines? Silvery olive trees? Colourful oleander trees? History? Mediterranean climate? Reciprocal health agreement with Australia? For me it is all of the above! This will be my third solo bicycle tour there, having toured the stunning Tuscany & Umbria districts in 2014 then Lombardy & Veneto (the spectacular lakes districts in the north of Italy) in 2016. This time I will be exploring the southern-most areas of Italy, first Puglia (pronounced Poolia) and then the island of Sicily.

Why Puglia? First and foremost, cycling creates an appetite, and perhaps nowhere in Italy is the produce as fresh and the food as good as in Puglia. Known as the poor man’s Italy, the locals are proud of their “cucina povera“, a style of simple, paddock-to-table, peasant cooking that makes do with whatever is at hand and in season. With plenty of sun, fertile soil, and a flat landscape Puglia is ideal for growing fruit and vegetables … not to mention the 50 million olive trees grown in the region. Secondly, Puglia is less touristy than other better known parts of Italy and is said to be Italy’s best kept secret. After slumbering for so long, Puglia is now waking up. Move over Amalfi Coast! And I haven’t even mentioned the fascinating towns of Alberobello (famous for its iconic, conical-roofed, stone houses) and Matera (once a troglodyte city).

After cycling 882 Km in Puglia (spread over 16 stages at an average of 55 Km per day) I will be looking forward to a couple of days R&R in Naples before catching the ferry to Sicily, just off the “toe” of Italy’s “boot”. Wishing to avoid hills as much as possible, I will be hugging the coast in an anti-clockwise direction from Palermo (where the mafia originated) around to Syracusa on the east coast (see planned route). With all its rich history and natural splendour, I can’t wait to explore all that the beautiful island of Sicily has to offer.

From Syracusa I take a train to Catania before catching another overnight ferry, back to Naples. To recover from riding 670 Km in Sicily (spread over 12 stages at an average of 55 Km per day), my original plan was to relax while travelling in trains from Naples to Paris via Rome and Turin. However, after hearing about the rolling train strikes planned in France over the next few months (see France Rail Strike) I have decided instead to fly to Paris.

My planned route in France will take me from Paris to the delightful port of Roscoff where I will catch a Brittany Ferry to Plymouth. Having completed my cycle tour of 1,010 Km in France (spread over 16 stages at an average of 63 Km per day), I am sure I will rest well on the 4 hour train trip from Plymouth to London Paddington.

A 2,570 Km solo cycle tour in 8 weeks might seem a bit daunting for a crazy septuagenarian, but there is nothing else I would rather be doing and my wings have not yet been clipped. Bring it on!