May 18, 2024
Day 9 - Otranto to Lecce
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Breakfast at the Palazzo di Mori was good - lots of sweet things and enough savory things to get some protein into us. We hung out for a while in the room because we still had wet clothes :( and we had a shorter ride today. But we left pretty close to our usual time - 1023.
We walked out of the old city and started riding with an immediate small climb up away from the sea. A few turns and we were out of town. A much simpler process than getting out of Altamura a week ago.
We were immediately in some of the nicest riding I can remember. Some major roads but mostly small winding lanes through olive groves. And almost no traffic anywhere. And a tailwind!
Along the road, we started passing little stone huts that must have served as shelter for people, animals, or tools. One good example was right along the road.
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During the creation of the route for today, Rich noticed that we were going to pass by what was alleged to be the “oldest olive tree in Italy”. I don’t know how accurate that is, but after some careful searching we did find a really ancient tree. A comment on Google maps claimed the tree was 1000 years old. We’re ready to believe that…
The roads continued to be beautiful and empty as we got closer to Lecce. We saw more of the stone huts, but most of them had concrete flattish roofs instead of being rounded rock roofs. Not sure what they’re used for.
Did I mention how nice the riding was?
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Approaching Lecce, we stumbled into the small town of Acaya, which presented a stunning gate/fort/piazza combination. Quite a few cyclists were eating lunch here, but we wanted to maximize our time in Lecce so after some pictures, we rolled onward.
We probably should have stopped, too. The day was warming up - it was hot and muggy during our 10k time trial into Lecce. By the time we got into the heart of the city, it was clear we needed food and drink. Cold drink.
Despite our fatigued state, we made a great choice with “Vesuvio - La Bufala by Napoli 44”. A couple of spritzes, a bottle of cold water, some appetizers and a Caesar salad fixed us right up.
Our hotel, the “Palazzo di Tolomei”, was just a few blocks away, so we walked. They sent us a link that allowed us to check in and unlock the doors via the internet. We got inside and were wondering what to do with the bike when the manager appeared. He helped us get the bike into a basement storeroom. The room is great - large and comfortable with air conditioning. Important on this muggy, 29 degree afternoon.
After getting cleaned up, we went out to explore Lecce. Evidently Lecce is known for its baroque architecture. We bought tickets and explored the “Lecce Baroque Itinerary” of 5 pretty cool churches.
Lecce also has some Roman vestiges, which are open to look at but not enter.
At around 1730 the heat broke as a light rain began to fall. We were tired from riding and walking, so took it as encouragement to return to our comfy room. We ventured out around 1930 for dinner at “Tacqueria Mexicana Lecca”, which was just a few blocks from where we’re staying. It was great! Wish we had a restaurant like that closer to where we live. We’d be regular customers.
Today's ride: 48 km (30 miles)
Total: 460 km (286 miles)
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