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Southern Italy Extreme 4SI1602

Sunday, October 23, 2016 | Domenico Schiano Moriello | Europe

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!!!

group picture before leaving Matera
Nancy and Richard in Castelmezzano
Richard and Nicholas
Jeff and Donna
Lunch break
in the Cilento area we stopped at the abandoned village of Roscigno Vecchia
only one person lives here, mr. Salvatore is (of course) also the major
back in Napoli, what an amazing view of the bay dominated by mount Vesuvius
Napoli
thank you for the wonderful present!!!

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!

A view of Matera from the hotel...
ready to go!
Alberobello and its famous "Trulli" buildings
Rob, Richard, Penny and Richard
Nicholas back home, he has many relatives in Alberobello!
Polignano a Mare
Lunch in Polignano
Gelato was good too!
Volareeeee, oh oh, cantareeee, oh oh oh oh...
(Polignano a Mare was the hometown of Domenico Modugno, one of the most famous singers of the country)
While the other group visited first Craco, a ghost town...
and then Castelmezzano, in the "Small Dolomites"
Back in Matera, a selfie...
and finally a good glass of wine!
a old house where people lived until the 1960'
Matera at dusk

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!

The Vulture from Melfi
one of the two Monticchio lakes, with the Abbey of St. Michel
Richard trying to take an impressive shot!
Coffee break in Venosa
Venosa
Castel del Monte
James and Daisy
Dinner
a view of Matera by night

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!

 

ready to go!
Riding on the Matese
Rhyno, the mascotte of Richard
Picture at the Matese lake
Lunch break
Donna, Jeff and George
Nick, Bob and Richard
windmills look much much bigger when you get so close!

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!

coffee break in Scanno
Scanno
Sulmona, the roman aqueduct

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!

FIrst picture just a few miles after leaving the hotel: the Solfatara volcano in Pozzuoli.
Coffee break...
well, not only coffee...
In Gaeta
a walk through Sperlonga before lunch
the view from Sperlonga
an old, tuned, Fiat500. What a beauty!
Basil in Isola del Liri
a waterfall in the middle of the town
Entering Abruzzo on the Forca d'Acero pass
The view over Opi
Boot Beer!

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!

one view of Napoli with the iconic Mount Vesuvius on the background
bikes ready!
welcome briefing
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Add a comment Rate this post
Dan McPherson
Sunday, November 20, 2016 at 01:28

Ha ha! I was able to see the awards presented to the guides: Tour Guide Extraordinaire (I think it says) and Master of Goat Trails and Back Roads. I can vouch for the latter. It's what we love about Edelweiss (and Michel in particular)! We do love our goat trails!
Rich & Penny
Thursday, October 27, 2016 at 00:12

Domenico and Michael,
We both had a great time on our tour! What great sights and great places to go and see. The routes were fantastic!!!!!!! As we are sitting here in the airport waiting for a connecting flight, we hear news of a quake. We hope everything is good and your family's are safe. We hope our paths cross soon.
Ken Walters
Sunday, October 23, 2016 at 16:34

Hello Domenico, looks like a great trip! Looking forward to joining you in April 2017.
Larry and Diane Goldberg
Sunday, October 23, 2016 at 01:57

Hello Domenico, looks like a great trip. Do we recognize our friend Basil from last year? Please say hello for us! We will be leaving for the Around Mt Etna tour this weekend.

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