Thanks! I had lots of great Puglia advice from other people on this site.

Thanks for the Garmin tip! I've already made the change.

It'd be great to see you here in Revelstoke in February :-)

A great journal! Thanks for writing it - I’m pilfering ideas for a tour in Puglia next spring!

So much fun following along your tour. Now I want to go back to Sardinia and see more of the interior. Cycling islands are the best in my books but Puglia has also been on our radar. I also have to agree that Italian drivers are not nearly as courteous as we just experienced the drivers to be in northern Spain. We did find our ride in Tuscany to be quite good but that may have been because we could often find the roads less travelled. A Garmin suggestion - turn auto reroute off. I find it unnecessary and even annoying when you want make a slight variation off the planned route. Garmin will advise that you are off route but your original planned route will stay visible so you can always see how you can reconnect further along the ride. Garmin does not try to do this re-calculation for you. Will send you a note in February to possibly join us for a lap or two through Greely!

I got behind on your journal but enjoyed catching up on it this morning! What a great journal and you have such a great attitude about the issues that come up. I agree with you about your observations about traffic, garbage and being in places to late in the season when you can’t find open restaurants.

Thanks for the comment about Italian drivers. You're right that it's not fair to peg the fast/close driving on all of Italy, because it was fine in Sardinia and also fine on a past trip to the Dolomites and Veneto, where I was more annoyed with the legions German motor bikers. It's also true that I've had bad experiences in Canada, mostly in Alberta where a few rednecks don't believe in sharing the road. In Alberta, it feels like they're honking in anger, while in Puglia it seemed to be more of a friendly warning that they were about to pass. It still made me jump every time. I've edited my last journal entry. And shouldn't have put it to the top of the page. Oops.

Thanks for following along. Your trips to Sardinia and Puglia were inspirations!

I really enjoyed following along! In my two (so far) cycle trips in Italy, I didn't experience much tooting of horns and fewer close/fast passes than I would have here in the Vancouver area.

Much easier riding on this side. I entered Matera from the other side of the road.

Thanks! I'm quite happy to stay put in the wintertime and enjoy the skiing in Revelstoke. I'm going cycling in Morocco for a couple of weeks in April. It will be a fun trip with high school pals, but it won't be terribly adventurous because it's a guided group.

Interesting and well written tour. You are so right about the disaster that is Charles de Gaulle Airport. We have decided that rather than try to transfer there we will book 2 separate flights at least 3 to 4 hours apart to ensure enough time to navigate the airport. What a mess. Any thoughts on your next adventure?

I thoroughly enjoyed your journal, thanks for posting. I was in Sardinia many many years ago, in 1960. I still recognized the nuraghi, not much else.

Thanks for taking us along in your tour, Betsy. We followed you every inch of the way and totally agree with the highlights you mentioned. Those rides hold special memories. The Italian garbage situation is a quagmire that they have wallowed in for so long, it seems it’s not going away any time soon, against the wishes of many.

Great journal and wrap-up. Thanks for sharing your story!

Wonderful tour and journal. Rome’s a special place to start and finish from!
Safe travels home, time to get the skis tuned now ⛷️!