Most Inspirational Moment
There were many. Seeing Matera for the first time, watching a local artist perform songs for us in his shop, and jumping into the sea from high up.
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
A fabulous cycling trip with lots of culture
What a fantastic trip. Great group, felt like I was laughing all the time. The leader, Michele, was full of energy and organised little extras that really made the trip memorable. The hotels were good too, particularly the masseria, and the cycling was great fun.
Scenic cycling in Puglia
A very scenic cycling tour of Matera and Puglia, though the cycling landscape is not as diverse or dramatic as some tours. The challenge was coping with the temperatures of around 30c rather than too many hills. The region though offers great food and drink, and as well as the lovely dinners the lunches were also excellent. It also has stunning religious buildings along the way even in the smallest of towns. The tour is split in two parts, with countryside rides in the first half where you stay in some iconic accommodation such as a cave hotel, trulli house and a masseria. The second half hugs the coast with tourist hotel stays.
Most Inspirational Moment
Like most cycling holidays its getting to the top of the climbs though there weren't too many on this holiday. The climb on the way to Otranto was made tougher after a lovely lunch and a few beers in Castro.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Fabrizio was very enthusiastic and led the group well. Coming from Bari, he has a lot of local knowledge which he communicated well. He lived in England for awhile so his English is good and he was eager to pick up new phrases.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Enjoy the food and drink. Try and find a few craft bars otherwise you will be stuck with the local beer which is Peroni.
Suggestions
If you like swimming, there are plenty of opportunities to have a dip starting with the lovely pool at the masseria.
Puglia cycling
Wonderful! The guide and driver, the hotels and the routes were all excellent. A memorable trip with a great group.
Most Inspirational Moment
Staying in a Trulli house
Thoughts on Group Leader
Fantastic-he quickly got the measure of the group and worked our days around the weather and sights. He changed timings when he recognised there was a benefit to do so and checked with the group to ensure we were all happy with arrangements. He went out of his way to book and recommend great restaurants and sights to see when off the bikes.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Prepare for all weather conditions-it’s quite changeable
Amazing Trip!
Beautiful countryside, just the right amount of challenging hills, and amazing food and drinks – what more could you ask for? This trip is so well planned to see the best that Puglia has to offer. Matera is a must see (we spent a couple extra nights there and HIGHLY recommend it if you can), but the real gem here is the countryside full of olive groves, old farmhouses, small towns, and beautiful sea views. Our personal favorite parts were the small towns we stopped in daily for a cappuccino breaks – you won’t see these places from a bus. Our group leader (Manny) made the trip unforgettable – he kept a good pace, told us just the right amount of history about the area, and made sure we well fed and taken care of. While we didn’t require van support – we always knew he was there if needed – and brought fresh snacks (and water) daily to all our stops. Of course the highlight for us was staying at Maseria Bosco (day 4) – the old farmhouse was the perfect place to stay for the evening, surrounded by olive groves, and the restaurant was amazing. Thanks to all the recommendations and support from Exodus before our trip – we got engaged this night, they went above and beyond to make it perfect!
Most Inspirational Moment
Day 6 - cylcing from one sea to the other felt like such an amazing accomplishment.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Manny was amazing throughout the whole trip! . His restaurant picks were top notch, and recommendations for how to spend free time was always spot on! We unfortunately had a couple of incidents in our group, which were well taken care of.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The Italian way is much more laid back and leisurely than what most of us are used to - be prepared for that, and just bask in the beauty of the Italian countryside (or grab an extra gelato).
Lots of Olive trees
A lovely part of Italy visiting beautiful towns and cities on the route. The hotels were very nice and comfortable and some quite unique. The level of cycling was as advertised with a few lengthy uphills and a few long days in the saddle which were quite tough in the high temperatures but expected. Puglia is full of millions of Olive trees with a few vineyards too. Therefore the vistas on the route became very similar and repetitive each day. This was in contrast to the beautiful on-route vistas of the Amalfi Coast or Portugal’s Atlantic coast trips which I preferred.
Most Inspirational Moment
The cities and towns we visited were the best part of the trip; All beautiful in their own way.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Fab was a great leader and a fun guy; Very lively and enthusiastic, had lots of initiatives and sorted out every issue quickly with a smile and always felt safe in his hands.
Advice for Potential Travellers
This is the first trip I've seen electric bikes as an option and used by a third of the group. They definitely enjoyed the hills more and found the long days easier to manage. Something I'd consider for a future trip.
Suggestions
I'd like Exodus to consider solo-specific holiday dates. I have always travelled solo and met many others on earlier Exodus trips who have grasped the group ethos to make a great trip. Latterly there have been small groups coming (groups within the group) who prefer not to mix as much which has been a detriment to the holiday.
All round brilliant trip
We waited two years for this trip but it was worth the wait – beautiful scenery, relaxed riding, lovely food, excellent tour leader and a great fun group. Bikes were comfortable and very able to cope with the terrain.
Most Inspirational Moment
It's difficult to pinpoint a single moment - the view from the terrace of our Matera hotel, cycling on backroads through olive groves, the trullis of Alberobello, late night jazz in Ostuni - and getting to the top of that roller coaster hill.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Fabrizio was a star - nothing was too much trouble for him. Bursting with enthusiasm and energy and very knowledgeable about the area. He kept the group cycling at a good steady pace, making sure that no one got left behind and as a single guide with a group of 15 had a great system of shared responsibility for being way markers and back markers. He collected money up front to cover all lunches, snacks, tips and taxes which saved lots of time and was very good value. Definitely one of the best group leaders we've had. Piero our driver was also excellent - always on hand with water and assistance and finding wonderful fresh fruit for our snack stops.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Highly recommend this trip - the distances aren't too great so plenty of time to swim in the Adriatic and the Ionian and explore the beautiful towns you stop at along the way. Hills are very manageable but if you're concerned about fitness, hire an ebike, We had five on our tour and we all cycled together very happily.
Suggestions
The bikes are fitted with panniers which means you can carry swimming gear ready for seaside stops. Highly recommend staying an extra night or two properly to explore Lecce, which is beautiful. Move to accommodation in the old town to get the best experience.
Cycling Puglia and Matera
An interesting trip in very hot weather. The places visited were interesting and the hotels were good. Bikes as usual,even though brand new, were basic and heavy. More suited to town riding than touring. This added to the amount of time on the road, so leaving less time to explore the towns we stayed in.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Very pleasant and helpful. Informative and with a good command of English. A good bike mechanic for a change.
All round excellent trip. Stunning towns. Good quality hotels. Great Tour Leader.
A great trip with some beautiful scenery and stunning towns. Cycling on some of the days was quite tough given the weight of the bikes combined with the undulating terrain and Puglian heat (end May 2022). Great tour guide Antonio and driver Piero could not have been better. Very good standard of accommodation.
Most Inspirational Moment
Beautiful scenery along the Ionian and Adriatic coastlines. Otranto Cathedral mosaic floor is a must see.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Antonio was excellent. Very attentive and ensured any requests were attended to. He made great efforts to ensure people paid the correct amounts at dinner time (for what they ate and drank). He ensured that the group was safe on the roads giving very good guidance a all times.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Ensure you have done some training before the trip so that you can enjoy the cycling as much as possible. Be aware that Puglia can get very hot!
Suggestions
The bicycles were very high quality, but a little on the heavy side for the undulating terrain and distances each day. Are lighter bikes an option? If possible, suggest leaving a little earlier each day, e.g. 8:15/30 vs 9/9:15 so that the group arrives into the towns a little earlier and can enjoy exploring them a little better.
Cycling the undulations of Puglia
A varied trip with great cycling opportunities, mostly off main roads, led by an experienced leader. Emanuele was our leader, a local man with knowledge and passion for local history and geography. There were opportunities each day to eat and drink local specialities, and a couple of special treats such as cheese-making and olive oil tasting. There are no bus transfers, you cycle a good way each day, sometimes a few challenging hills and dips, sometimes a chance to cycle as fast as you want off road, but on good surfaces. Emanuele is an excellent leader who keeps control of the group at the same time as giving everyone the chance to go at their own pace. You don’t need to be a strong cyclist to do the trip, there are always regroupings so that nobody gets left behind, and nobody feels left out. There are a couple of coffee and lunch stops where we were able to swim in the gorgeous blues of the Ionian Sea if we wanted, or just laze on a bench with a marvellous gelato. A couple of the hotels en route had swimming pools.
Most Inspirational Moment
I particularly enjoyed our visit to a working farmhouse that provided hotel accommodation and a pool. It was very different from the norm, comfortable, with gorgeous tiled bathrooms.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Emanuele is an experienced cycling group lead and had firm control of the group. I have been on a few trips when this has not been the case and chaos ensued, resulting in disappointing experiences for some. Emanuele is confident and able to let those more experienced ride at their own pace while ensuring that others never felt left out or left behind. He involved everyone in taking responsibility for our own safety and helping each other. His knowledge of the area is widespread and he has a passion for the region and its communities. His technical knowledge was excellent, and his English was so good. He translated for us wherever we went and showed us how to eat the local produce like Italians.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take your swimming costume just in case, and plenty of sun cream. We went in early May and only had rain for an hour one day.
A fantastic cycling trip
I’d highly recommend this cycling trip to those who are looking for a ‘moderate’ cycling holiday. The route is great – you visit some of the main tourist sites in Puglia, but also visit some of the little towns that have very few tourists. The scenery is beautiful – you cycle through olive groves, along the coast and through narrow lanes in little towns.
Our tour leader, Emanuele (Mani) was fantastic. He was keen to ensure that everyone had a great time. I really can’t praise him enough.
We ate in a range of cafes and restaurants for lunch and dinner – all were very good with some delicious food.
Most Inspirational Moment
So difficult to decide as the whole itinerary was excellent. Cycling along the coast was really 'feel good'.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Emanuele (Mani) was fantastic. He bonded well with the group and really did everything to make sure we really enjoyed the trip. He took us to some great local cafes for lunching dinner. Despite the dinners being optional the whole group ate together each evening as the places he chose were so good. He shared his local knowledge, which put things into context for the places we visited. Mani made an excellent trip into something really special.
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you like Italy and cycling, get this trip booked!
Suggestions
Italian drivers in this part of Italy are VERY considerate to cyclists. They seem to celebrate cycling rather than get inpatient with them. I felt safer here on a bike than in the UK All dietary requirements are catered for.