RIding day 6, Matera - Napoli

The last ride of this tour was also the longest, but we used the highway approaching Naples, so it was not too bad! Leaving Matera, we headed westward and our first stop was in Tricarico, a quiet little village of Basilicata. After that, the road became a little bit rough but soon we could enjoy the curves that took us to Atena Lucana, where we had a quick lunch. Passing by the Cilento National Park, we finally entered the highway that easily took us to Napoli, but before reaching the hotel there was time for another picture break... see Naples and then die!

Goodbye everybody, great tour, great weather... and great people first of all!

Ciao!

Riding day 5, reaching the Adriatic coast

Today everybody wanted to reach the ocean, so we completed our "Coast to Coast"! We first reached Alberobello, famous for its "Trulli" houses, and then had lunch in the enchanting Polignano a Mare. Not a very long ride, and not too curvy, so we came back to Matera by 3pm and we could enjoy some free time in this unique place before meeting again for dinner. Another good day!

Riding day 4, Melfi - Matera

This morning, we left the hotel and rode to the centre of Melfi for the first photo stop, then we went around the extinct Vulture volcano and even entered its crater to see the beautiful and peaceful Monticchio lakes. After that, we reached Venosa and then entered Apulia to see the imposing medieval Castel del Monte. Reaching the hotel in Matera was not the easiest task, being located inside the ancient "Sassi" district, but it was definitely worth the extra effort!

Riding day 3, Pescasseroli - Melfi

What a beautiful morning today as we started riding! Sun, blue sky and great landscapes as we left the Abruzzo National Park, this time heading southward. We rode through five different regions: leaving Abruzzo we entered Molise, then Campania, Puglia and finally Basilicata, where we will spend the following three nights.It was quite a long day, around 300km, and we passed through some remote areas in the Matese mountains, where a "scary" surprise was awaiting us after a corner!

Riding day 2, the Abruzzi National Park & more...

Today the group split into three! Joe and RIchard decided to reach Agnone, where the Marinelli family comes from, while Ken and Iain went to a big shopping mall (close to Napoli!). So just Jean Pierre and Mark went for the "official" rest day ride in the Abruzzi National Park. The weather today was spectacular and everybody enjoied it, so we had a lot of stories to share when we met again at dinner! Enjoy the pictures and stay tuned!

Riding day 1, Napoli - Pescasseroli

Welcome to Naples, one of the "Capitals" of the Mediterranean sea, where another great tour is about to begin! Everybody was keen to get on their bikes to start the tour this morning. We first headed northward to Sperlonga, a beautiful medieval village nested on a cliff, where we said goodbye to the sea and then rode to the Appennines. As soon as we left the coast, traffic disappeared and the fun began! We reached Pescasseroli, the heart of the Abruzzo National park and went out for a very plentiful dinner. Tomorrow we will explore this beautiful region, stay tuned!