the heel of the boot we call italy

Having recouped in Lecce we decided on a plan for the last month and a bit of our trip. We had only a vague notion of hitting some warm weather on the Mediterranian after our trans Euro Danube route and now we were here we were forced to make some decisions. Being in Italy was lovely but it made us realise how much we enjoyed traveling in the Balkans. Going back to Western Europe didn't feel as exciting now as traveling in the East more extensively. In the end we planned to explore the southern heel of Italy and then Sicily before returning  north to get the ferry to Greece. From there we would do some more cycling and then ditch the bikes for the last month and take trains to explore the now colder Balkans and Turkey, finally flying for home from Istanbul on November 29th. It felt good to have a plan again.

route planning in the lovely Gallipoli. Not to be confused with the peninsula in Turkey. It means "beautiful city" in Greek.

Gallipoli's traditional fishing villiage

We headed first for the town of Gallipoli with the intention of heading towards the ferry to Sicilly.The road we chose was a lot busier than it appeared on the map however and although it had a service road along side it at the begining it dropped away and we had to continue on the main. The shoulder was a lot bigger than we had been used to throughout the Balkans but with cars zipping past at over 100km/h it made for unpleasant riding. I had a van come too close and break his mirror off on my back as he past which left us very shaken and sore. It was a real fright and we were so grateful it wasn't worse. We spent the next few hours plotting a tangled course of minor roads the last few kms to the coast trying to avoid traffic. Looking at the map we decided to change plans to take quieter roads around the southern heel and save Sicily for a trip without our bikes.
 Even though it caused us to cut our time in Italy short, we both felt that being clipped by the van was just bad luck. The driving in Italy didnt stand out as particularly bad compared to the Balkans but it can be a lot busier with its denser population. It is really worth planning a good route on minor roads because of this. We had a pretty average-to-poor map of Italy which was compounded by lots of roads being unnamed and signs always assuming you are a car itching to get on the motorway. Lots of Italians cycle for fun on the weekends so there are probably good routes to do if you're in the know. Perhaps internet cycle forums would be a good way to plan a safe route around Italy.

The ride around the heel of Italy's boot was very leisurely. We cappuccino and gelato hopped at a nice slow pace and stopped to swim in the sea. The icecream in Italy was really rich, dense and strong but also with lots of subtle flavours. I particularly liked the bitter choclate and tiramisu and Jenny the fruit sorbets. The riding dropped behind as we structured our day around fitting in as much gelato as possible.

The coast became a lot more interesting as we rounded the bend and headed back north. Steep jagged cliffs with olive groves behind and swimmable rock pool grottos. We camped a night in an olive grove and watched a violent thunder storm light up the sky out to sea. The next day the waves were up and crashing against the cliffs.

secret rock pool bath