Lecce to Otranto

October 30, 2024

from one beautiful town to the next

We were rolling a bit earlier than normal - at 09:30 today. We were not in a rush for any reason but with a self serve breakfast prepared by our host, we were out the door much more quickly than usual. It was a slightly overcast morning but warm. Perfect for the day`s ride to Otranto on the coast.

Lecce is a larger town so our route out was to take several busy streets to the outskirts of town and then connect to a major arterial road, the SP1 highway. The Sp1 was nicely paved with a wide shoulder and not busy at all. This road can take you right out to the coast but it is not nearly as interesting as the nearby rural roads. So after only a couple of kilometres we were able to leave the highway route.

The elevator at our BnB was too small for our bikes. Fortunately we were just on the second floor and the stairs were convenient.

Heading out of Lecce through the gates of Torre del Parco that was built in 1419.

A garden beside our ride with pomegranate trees. The road here goes into private property. Our road is single lane paved.

Quite amazing the buildings that you will pass in the middle of nowhere. This is the castle of Acaya.

From the small settlement of Acaya our route angled in a north easterly direction so that we could pick up a road that winds through The Cesine Nature Reserve. It is an important wetlands and bird migratory route covering 600 acres of land along 6 KM of the coast.

A trail head gathering and information spot in the Cesine reserve. We were surprised at the wolves warning sign. Happily and sadly, we didn`t see any!

Very quiet riding except for the bird calls.

Leaving the nature reserve, we began riding along the coast with the wind to our backs, past the summer resorts of San Foca, Roca and Torre Dell`Orso. They are all quiet now. We stopped just past Roca and walked out on a peninsula and explored an archeological site at Roca Vecchia.

Great day to kite surf. It was a good wind to have at our backs!

The rugged coastline does provide the odd sandy swimming hole that look tricky to get to.

Coastal watch tower built in 1568 was used for two centuries.

It is a long way down to the water here.

Some of the archeological sites had built in stairs.

We reached our destination over an hour before we were to meet our host who would provide the keys for our room. But Otranto has a great waterfront harbour and a historic center contained behind defensive walls, so we had some time to look around.

Looking around the promenade and the harbour.

Beautiful beach right in the centre of town.

And not a bad place to have a beer either.

Turned the Garmin on a bit late today so the route did not really start until we were on the coast.

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Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 323 km (201 miles)

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Rachael AndersonI’ve gotten behind on your posts. What a great day!
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