Walking, cycling southern Italy

A Walker’s World’s 12-day Apulia and Basilicata walk/ cycle combo tour explores the best of Italy’s ‘heel in the boot’ during six days of semi-guided walking and six days self-guided cycling.

‘Having a local expert guide to interpret the fascinating UNESCO World Heritage sites of the Sassi of Matera, Valle d’Itria and Alberobello, is a huge advantage and highlight of the tour,’ says A Walker’s World director, Jill Grant.

Clients are guided through the maze of rock-cut churches and dwellings of the rock civilization in Matera and the countryside around Alberobello to its ‘trulli’ packed streets. The rest is self-guided, discovering on foot the wine town of Locorotondo and the ‘white city’ of Ostuni.

Then clients are back on their bike to cycle via historic towns such as Gallipoli and Otranto, and beaches along the coast where the Adriatic and Ionian Seas meet, to reach the Baroque and Roman city of Lecce. The grade for both walking and cycling is easy and e-bikes are available. The cost is $2,785 share twin plus bike hire. For trip notes email: info@walkworld.co.nz

Above: Trulli architecture lines the streets of UNESCO World Heritage Alberobello in Italy’s Apulia