Southern Italy Extreme 4SI1602

Riding day 6, Matera - Napoli Time was flying, and the last day of this wonderful tour has finally arrived. Today we had to leave this incredible place called Matera and go back to Napoli... and it was another great (and long) ride! Leaving Basilicata, we entered Campania through the Cilento National Park and then hopped on the highway to reach Napoli, where we stopped for a last picture with an amazing view of the bay before reaching the hotel. Thank you for a wonderful week to everybody!!! Riding day 5, Rest day Ride aroud Matera Two possible routes today, two tourguides available, so some of us went to the Adriatic coast, some to the inland of Basilicata... and some decided to visit Matera. Highlights of the ride were Alberobello, the famous "Trulli" town, Polignano a Mare on the coast and Castelmezzano, in the heart of the "Small Dolomites" of this region. We all came back around 3pm and then we got ready for a guided tour of this amazing town... that unfortunately we did under the rain! But we can't complain because the weather was perfect during the ride! 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 arount 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 Long riding day, but very good! When we woke up, there was some ice on the bikes, but as soon as the sun came out, it melted. Same itinerary for everybody in the morning, when we could enjoy the beautiful landscapes and roads in the Matese mountains. Then, after lunch, some of us were thinking that they needed something tougher and they went for some "goat trails" with Michael! All of us had a great day!   Riding day 2, Pescasseroli and the Abruzzo National Park Riding in the Abruzzo National Park is always great, beautiful roads, landscapes... and no traffic at all! Lunch break was in Sulmona, in ancient times a very important town that was the birthplace of Ovid, a very important poet. On the way back, some rain cleared the sky... so tomorrow we should have much better weather! Riding day 1, Napoli - Pescasseroli This morning we left busy Naples behind and, after some kilometres of highway and a good coffee break in Mondragone, we saw the Tyrrhenian coast again near Gaeta. Lunch in Sperlonga, a beautiful medieval town located on the coast half way between Naples and Rome, and then we were ready to hit the many curves of the Aurunci mountains ans the Forca d'Acero pass, that took us to our destination: Pescasseroli, a town of just 2000 souls that is the headquarters of the Abruzzo National Park. Definitely a big change! Welcome to Napoli! Napoli (that's amore!), Naples, one of the largest and most captivating cities on the Mediterranean Sea  is the starting point of this beautiful tour through southern Italy, that will take us to places which have not yet attracted massive tourism – making them miraculous wonderlands. Stay tuned!