Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

We encountered some heavy rain on day 2 of the tour. It really belted down during the last hour of the ride. When we arrived at our overnight stay I was having a bit of a grizzle about the wet weather to one of the other riders, Chris, from New Zealand. She said that when the rain was at its heaviest she was having a laugh! She was participating doing something she enjoyed, and yes, the conditions weren't ideal, but she had many friends back home who would be tucked up in front of the fire, but she was getting out and about. An inspirational moment for me!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Marinella fulfilled her group leader role with flying colours. She loves Puglia, knows it well, and was passionate about sharing her knowledge. She worked extremely hard at making everyone feel part of the group by suggesting places to eat at night, and also through organising our lunch each day. The group was a large one, and I felt that she should have had an extra support person who could have ridden with the group. We had a back up vehicle but it was not always possible for it to follow the group. If there was a mechanical issue, (and there were a few), Marinella would have to back track and attempt to remedy it.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do your preparation on the bike. The distances are not huge, but it's constant each day. Although the route is mainly flat there are some hilly sections.

Most Inspirational Moment

We especially loved the farm house and beautiful rooms in the monastery. In better weather the luxurious pool would have been a highlight but despite the storm we enjoyed the comfort and wonderful setting. Swimming in the Ionian Sea one day and the Adriatic the next was also memorable as was the stunning coastal road between Gallipoli and Ortranto.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We all loved Marinella - she was a constant delight. Funny, charming and unfailingly good humoured despite the many " trrrragedies" of our trip ie thunder, lightening and torrential rain. We were all soaked to the skin but thanks to Marinella we came through smiling. She went well beyond her duties to provide informative guided tours at every stopping point and made sure that we were well looked after in a variety of traditional restaurants. She dealt diplomatically and with admirable patience with the one difficult member of the group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you do have a reasonable level of fitness because 6 consecutive days in the saddle are quite demanding and this tour does include a number of longish hills. Heat or bad weather both increase the difficulty but the rewards are worth it. A number in our group were in our 60s and this tour was well within our capabilities but we were all reasonably experienced cyclists. A spare pair of shoes would have been welcome.

Most Inspirational Moment

I think of what stands out the most of this trip is how our tour guide Marinella embraced each and everyone of the group and we felt like a big family gathering and had a blast! All because of Marinella's attention to our well being.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The most professional guide ever.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you train for hills . Even if only few of them they are still hills!

Most Inspirational Moment

The towns/villages that we stayed in were really beautiful, but I think the Trulli house in Alberobello and the stay at the Masseria, made the trip a little more special.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leaders were Marinella and Emanuele and their individual skills complemented the trip perfectly as Marinella was an excellent organizer, a special mention has to be for the recommendations for dinner and the arranging of lunches each day – no small task. Emanuele was our cycle leader who negotiated the route and pace for us and sorted out any mechanical issues that arose (very few) and was keen to invest time in a brief cultural highlights tour after the cycling had finished for the day for those who were interested. I have always maintained that an Exodus trip can be made/broken by the quality of the group leaders – I would say that both Marinella and Emanuele enhanced my experience of this trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Puglia is considered to be the flattest part of Italy – but that means the land is undulating rather than ‘alpine’ hilly. For anyone considering this trip who may be a tiny bit worried about hill climbing – don’t be, the pace ranged from 15-20 kph, a speed which suited our group well. Whilst I didn’t do it myself, a day before the trip in Matera and after the trip finishes in Lecce looks really worthwhile, I’ll just have to come back at some point. As with any cycle trip, if you have your own seat/pedals – do take them, the bikes available on this trip were sturdy but basic. For organizing the daily lunches, the leaders ask for 50 euro per person at the beginning of the trip. This then allows them to organize a really good lunch each day and any balance paid back at the end of the trip – this is a good option and one less thing to worry about. Given the quality of the lunches on offer, the money was well spent.

Most Inspirational Moment

Having experienced some fantastic places along the route, for us the finale in Lecce with a group of people we'd got to know was very special and a stunning end to a great week.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We were fortunate enough to have two leaders and both did all they could to make the trip a special week. They had the local knowledge, great organisational skills and above all a great sense of humour!

Advice for Potential Travellers

If we were to help inform anyone considering this trip, we'd definately recommend this for anyone wanting to see southern Italy and who has done some cycling leading up to the week. We decided to add an extra day at the start in Matera and at the end in Lecce which we'd reccommend to discover these beautiful places. The bikes were good however we decided to take our own saddle and pedals which we'd suggest if you want a little more "touch point" familiarity.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling through the trellis.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sara was capable, caring, warm, funny, and she made the extra effort to tell us the history of various locations and sites.

Most Inspirational Moment

Would describe as highlights rather than inspirational:- Matera - quite stunning and well worth the additional day we added - good advice from Exodus Alberobello - touristy but photogenic and pretty and a great opportunity to stay in a trullo - wonderful! The Masseria was also a beautiful setting - lovely accommodation, great food and wine, lovely pool a great place to relax.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Not a natural guide but Sara was very keen to ensure we had a good trip and worked extremely hard to achieve that - with very little help from her colleagues. She did a good job.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take Exodus' advice and spend an extra day in Matera - well worth the visit This isn't a challenging ride so if you enjoy a relaxed cycle trip in a beautiful part of Italy with time to relax and explore each of the places you visit then this is a perfect holiday.

Most Inspirational Moment

We went a day early to see Matera properly. This is an extraordinary and attractive place that has been transformed from being Italy's national disgrace in the 1960s to be named as the European City of Culture for 2019 while we were on the trip. Not to be missed.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was Michaele. He was professional, knowledgable, organised, hard working and personable while also being great fun and spontaneous at the same time. He made sure that everyone had a fantastic holiday. It's hard to imagine anyone doing the job as well as him.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The trip was a combination of interesting medieval towns and villages, great climate and a taste of of Italy far away from the usual tourist sites. The cycling was through countryside and by the coast, but not always beautiful - we understand that the route is to be 'tuned' in the near future. Some days were quite tiring but really shouldn't be a problem for anyone who has prepared for the holiday. The opportunity for a dip in the turquoise sea during October is not to be missed.

Most Inspirational Moment

Not sure I can pinpoint "the most" inspirational moment the whole trip was fab even the going slightly off course and getting up all those hills character building.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Being a group leader is not an easy task and I have the utmost respect for anyone who gives up their time and energy to do so. For me a bit more information at the start of the day in regard to the route we were taking would have been helpful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Keep the group leaders mobile number on your person just in case you do go a bit off course so the leader can find you.