It’s been 1 year since the first week of June, 2025 when my wife and I did the 1-week cycling of the Puglia region beginning in the city/town of Matera (which is in the Basilicata region, right on the border of the Puglia region). We had such an amazing time exploring the back country roads and many small quaint towns the Puglia region offers.
So many memorable stops along the way including caffe, gelato, walks in town squares (piazza).
The group of 15 riders plus Emanuele (local tour guide) and Leonardo (driver/assistant) were all great people to spend a vacation with.
Matera Holidays
Matera trips
You’ll find the enchanting city of Matera sandwiched between the heel and toe of Italy’s boot. Lying just east of Naples in the southern region of Basilicata, the magical city of stone was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site back in 1993 and was named the European Capital of Culture in 2019. So why not explore this captivating city for yourself on one of our Matera tours.
On our Puglia: Discover the Heel of Italy trip, visit the unique city of Matera whose century-old caves carved into the local limestone are still inhabited to this day and wonder around its workshops, restaurants and boutiques, before heading to the sparkling white city of Ostuni and onto medieval coastal towns of Otranto and the stunning Baroque Lecce, commonly nicknamed, “the Florence of the South”. Or explore this spectacular region on two wheels with our Cycling Puglia and Matera trip. On this Matera holiday, discover the best UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Puglia and Basilicata region by cycling past Matera’s Sassi houses and the fairy-tale, conical Trulli houses of Alberobello. The route then takes you to the white city of Ostini and on towards Gallipoli, where you can cycle past the dramatic Ionian coastline, Baroque towns and across the famous Salento Peninsula.
Enjoy riding through the heart of Southern Italy from the Adriatic to the Tyrrhenian sea. Taking in the beautiful Apulian town of Polignano a Mare, we stop off at Matera and Castelmazzano, a mountain village that’s cradled in the rocks of the Dolomiti Lucane. Your route continues along the shimmering Amalfi Coast and ends in Sorrento, overlooking the Bay of Naples. If you’d like to explore on foot on one of our Matera Holidays, Walking in Puglia and Matera takes in the legendary local cuisine and delicious wines in the district of Matera, Alberobello and Ostuni, allowing you to enjoy picturesque farmland and quaint villages along the way.
Matera Adventure Holidays
Franco Dichio Cycling Puglia & Matera
Eilidh Gunn Cycling Puglia & MateraGuides were fantastic- knowledgeable, clearly very experienced, fun, kind, relaxed and paid a lot of attention to detail – we were unlucky with the weather but they were so supportive and helped us make the best of it.
Great group – I know this is a bit of a lottery but everyone was good fun and it made a huge impact on my trip.
Locations and stops on the trip – ie, the routes were spectacular and felt like a real taste of the area geographically, culturally and historically. Hotels were of a high standard and massieras were beautiful. Great food and restaurants.
Bruce Zapor Cycling Puglia & MateraExodus is well organized. I can depend on accommodations to be good quality. I can count on head guide to be knowledgeable. This was my second trip with Exodus. So I know from experience Exodus trips are well designed. I am planning a third trip with Exodus for next year.
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