Matera to Taranto

May 26, 2023

The ride to Taranto today looks like a treat. The profile on Komoot shows it to be downhill all the way except for three small blips. Not only that but the wind is blowing from the northwest so it will be at our back most of the time.

We were not serenaded by seven year olds at breakfast this morning so maybe they had moved on to printing or reading lessons. All we had was the sound of renovations going on in the building next to us. In any event, it was nice to have a full breakfast again. We stashed a few lunch treats in our panniers and by 9:30 am, we were packed up and ready to hit the road. We are sad to leave this B&B. They set the bar high!

We had read Scott Anderson’s journal for his take on the ride to Taranto from Marera and heeded his advice to take a different route than the one he and Rachel followed. They encountered small dirt roads with flooded sections and dead ends so we rode further north and avoided the un-pleasantries.

Our route dropped us at the bottom of the hill outside Matera and then we veered off and headed for greener pastures. Quite literally, we were cycling through the green fields and the occasional small forest. Raptors and other birds were cruising above us enjoying the currents in search if their own morning meals.

See that electric wire? That’s how we like to see cows.

There were wind turbines smattered in the fields in every direction.

As we cycled along, we came across two young cycle tourists who we noticed were both wearing Canada jerseys. We learned they were from Vancouver and this was their third tour. We chatted for a few minutes and found out they started in Rome and had ridden a number of the routes and roads that we had also ridden. Today they were heading to Alberobello, to the east of here.

What gave us both a jolt was their story of encountering the big boulder on the road just outside the tunnel on the ride to Maratea. They arrived at the scene after us (not sure if it was the same day) and were told by a police officer that they could not continue. They had to turn around. It was not what they wanted to hear. Just moments later, another slide fell down on the road in front of them and covered them with dust. Their hearts jumped into their mouths and they retreated. It ended up being a 110km day to get to their destination, but they were both were thankful to the police officer for potentially saving their lives.

The fields were demarked by drystone walls, lined with grasses and wildflowers. The poppies are out in full force. It was classic cycle touring.

The fico d’india are just beginning to flower.

We stopped in a park in Castellaneta to eat our lunch snacks. This town, like many others, is preparing for a celebration by erecting these fancy light standards. It’s a low tech installation, but oh-so effective.

We saw this giant mural on the side of a building. It brought back memories of Sicily. The two judges were assassinated months apart after charging and jailing a string of highly sought mafia members. It’s quite a story for anyone who is interested in reading about the Sicilian mafia. The Mafia remains an intractable problem in Italy today.

The two judges who charged and jailed the high profile mafia in Sicily and for whom the airport is named.

The day continued to deliver a great cycle touring experience while the northwest wind gently nudged us along. As we starred nearing Taranto, it was decision time. Tatanto is a base for the Italian navy, a major port city, and it’s an industrial centre some knew to expect lots of traffic. We made a deal that we would stay on the main highway only if the traffic was light enough. We had ridden a few sections of it earlier in the day and found it tolerable. But, we expected the traffic in and out of Taranto to be hot and heavy. We had an alterrnate route mapped out just in case.

We were pleasantly surprised when the traffic did not take a turn for the worse. It was pleasant enough and we decided to stick to the make road all the way into Taranro. Before long, we were crossing the bridge onto the island where the old city is located. We made a stab at finding our B&B and lucked out.

This B&B is on the second floor and the elevator is so small that we bailed and carried the bikes up the stairs. After resting and getting cleaned up, we strolled the perimeter of the old town. It reminded us so much of Trapani in Sicily. Both ‘old’ cities look very run down, yet they are vibrant. You really do need to look past the facade, because it is the people that make the place. And, just know that the inside of the homes are often chic modern apartments. We expected much worse of Taranto’s old city and ended up really enjoying our brief stay.

We seated ourselves at a local restaurant for an early dinner. Early here is 7:30pm. We are almost always the first customers. This alley turned out to have a cat colony, which explained all the kitties milling around. These are the lucky cats because they get fed and looked after. Lots of others are on their own.

We had great service from a young server and thoroughly enjoyed having beef for dinner after first polishing off a meat and cheese platter. Wine tonight was a Primativo.

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Today's ride: 75 km (47 miles)
Total: 408 km (253 miles)

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Rachael AndersonI’m sure glad you missed the slide!
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1 year ago

Anne AnastasiouGlad it was such a great riding day! Looks wonderful.
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1 year ago