Leuca to Gallipoli

November 20, 2024

¡On the move again today from Leuca to Gallipoli. It was another beautiful day but the wind did come up in the afternoon. There were many historical sights alone the way plus another tasting of great Italian cuisine. We probably had the best roads of the whole tour today with very little gravel and only a few hills but we did hit one of 17%. The coastal part of the trip today was beautiful but completely deserted and boarded up for the winter. This made for very quiet roads. We are now in Gallipoli for 2 nights in an amazing hotel in the old town. It was a challenge to find the hotel but well worth the trouble. Again there are only two rooms in use tonight and we are alone tomorrow. Old town Gallipoli is actually an island connected by a bridge to the mainland where the rest of the city of 95,000 live.

A map to show where we are and where we are going today. We are at the very bottom of the heel of the boot and working our way to Galliopli on the east coast of the Salento peninsula. You see our relationship to Albania and Greece.

Santa Maria di Leuca Belvedere built between 1685-1709. It was used as a rest stop for people on a pilgrimage, I even saw the shell of the Camino in the wall.

Look how thick the walls are to hold up the whole structure. It looks like a stone igloo to me.

Me on top since heights don’t bother me.

An underground olive mill that dates to the early 1700s. They were built underground because it was easier to work Hera and cooler so better for the oil.

We passed several sandstone quarries. They don’t dig it out but rather carve it into blocks and truck it away.

A war memorial in Gemini a suburb of Ugento. It commemorated WWI and WWII but I suspect the latter were on the wrong side.

Our stop for a sampling of local products.

Our tasting with the same dried bread, olive tapenade with red peppers, artichoke tapenade and egg plant, a piece of artichoke and pickled onions.

On the coast where the winds had freshened

There are 14 churches on the island alone, here is one.

Today's ride: 65 km (40 miles)
Total: 172 km (107 miles)

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