Porto Cesareo to Gallipoli

November 21, 2023

Where is everybody?

There were grey skies this morning with a bit of blue peaking through, and light winds.

For the crazy low price of 41 euros, the B&B Isola in Porto Cesareo provided a nice room with a sea view and an amazing breakfast that made up for the last few days. There was juice, yogurt, hard boiled eggs, cereal, milk, toast, muffins, and a chocolate-filled cornetto hot from the oven. No, I didn’t eat all of it. They set out 4 different kinds of yogurt, even though I’m the only one saying in the multi-room property. So nice. The hostess ate too, and a friend of hers came in for a cappuccino.

I was in no rush today, I was only going about 30 km. It was harder than it sounds thanks to a fresh breeze in my face that got stronger as the day progressed.

The route was partly along the beautiful shoreline, and partly on very quiet roads. Komoot suggested a few sections that were more appropriate for mountain biking than bike touring. I accepted one of the suggestions on a nice bit of hard packed trail. But I turned around near Santa Caterina on a bit of trail that seemed to have been decommissioned. I didn’t like the looks of the cobble-y single track.

Santa Caterina has loads of very nice looking homes, with no cheap-looking rental blocks that are so common along this coast. But like the cheap-looking vacation rentals buildings, the fancy houses were all shuttered up for the winter. I heard lots of off-season renovation work underway. There was a really nice café open though, where I finally paid North American prices for a cappuccino and treat. I think it was 4.80 euros, which is outrageous around these parts. It’s funny that Santa Caterina is the upscale spot, because it has a rocky shoreline with just two tiny beaches. Not like the long expanse of sand in Porto Cesareo.

I saw three cycle tourers going northbound, which was the right direction today. One of them was a fully loaded young Swiss guy who seemed to be camping. I did see one open campground with a few vans inside. European campgrounds aren’t much better than parking lots, are they?

The view from my accommodation in Porto Cesareo.

The skies weren’t usually as threatening as they look in this photo.

Komoot selected a few trails today. I had to dodge a some puddles on this one.

Santa Caterina has a nice bike path along the sea wall

Another bit of coastal defense from WW2.

Too bad that I wasn’t tempted to swim on this blustery day. The water looks really nice.

I arrived to my excellent accommodation in Gallipoli before 2 pm. No, not the famous Gallipoli from WW1, that’s in Turkey. Or I think it’s Turkiye now? We’ll have to ask the ancient Greeks why they used the Gallipoli name twice (meaning ‘a fine city’). Speeding of Greek, the dialect in these parts is called Griko; it’s related to modern Greek. The old town of this Gallipoli is on a limestone island connected to the mainland by a 17th century bridge. It seems like it would have been quite well-defended. My bike is stored in the walled garden. And I spent the afternoon happily lounging while also fretting about the upcoming weather, which looks wet.

The best news of the day was finding an open gelateria. I also wandered the narrow streets and bought myself a beer from a vending machine while I waited for the restaurants to open. There were quite a few options today because Gallipoli has a lot of restaurants, although I’d say that 80% of them are closed. Fewer choices makes it easier for me. I went with an eggplant and pork pasta dish for dinner and a much needed green salad. Plus a local white beer that was quite tasty, but won’t be winning awards over Belgian or German beers.

My street in Gallipoli, complete with laundry hanging out the windows. I must build myself a proper clothesline.

I haven’t seen too many little Italian ladies dressed in black. But this woman was. It reminded me of my youth in heavily Italian Sault Ste. Marie.

The well-protected old bit of Gallipoli contrasts with the high rise (!) on the other side of the bridge.

Observation of the day: The theatrics of waiters using a giant pepper grinder in Italian restaurants at home definitely isn’t something you see here. In fact, I have yet to see pepper on a table in Sardinia or Puglia. Just salt.

Today's ride: 34 km (21 miles)
Total: 948 km (589 miles)

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