Bikes and travel are the winning combination to discover Italy in a slow and authentic way. The green routes in Italy are really numerous, but one of the must-sees is a bike tour in Salento. Cycling is good for you. Not just according to us, but scientific studies confirm that the bicycle is a means capable of giving “well-being of body and mind”. It's even better if you match cycling with traveling: this is confirmed by the ever-increasing number of people who choose to have a cycling tourism experience during their vacations. Firstly, because it is an ecological way to travel and the green routes in Italy are becoming more and more numerous and intriguing; secondly because it allows you to discover the territories in a slow and authentic way, enjoying every detail, from the landscape to the scents, without the traffic chaos.

In Italy, many green routes to be travelled by bike are emerging (or re-emerging). Whether it's a trend or a vocation, what is certain is the great spread of a passion for the sustainability of travel and a return to nature like never before. Walking routes, bike tours, snowshoeing, Nordic walking allow you to get to know the territories in a responsible and sustainable way, immersing yourself in nature and not only. By cycling, you can also discover the beauty of art places and the original features of our beautiful Italian villages. One of the most positive characteristics of cycle tourism is precisely its versatility. Transition seasons are the best times of the year to discover the green routes in Italy and get closer to a type of slow travel. In spring and autumn, the weather conditions are ideal: milder temperatures, less crowds, and lower prices.

In this context, Puglia offers exceptional routes combining nature, culture, history, and taste along easily accessible routes because they are flat and not very far apart. Today we propose one of the most beautiful green routes in Italy: a bike tour in Salento, perfect to do at Easter, a great time to travel in the south of the country, rich in cultural and gastronomic traditions. The most classic of the Salento bike tours must start from Lecce, the capital of Baroque, and then continue towards Otranto, Melpignano, and the beautiful Torre dell'Orso, but we invite you to discover also other routes, along the Ionian coast or between Puglia and Basilicata, reaching Lecce from the magnetic Sassi di Matera: an unforgettable experience!

But let's get back to our tour: after Maglie, one of the most important centers of Salento, we enter the Grecìa Salentina, an exceptional land where griko, a local language of Greek origin, is still spoken. Grecìa Salentina is a unique place in the world and in our bike tour the small Melpignano, the seat of the Notte della Taranta, which is held in the middle of summer, but also a welcoming village throughout the rest of the year and Otranto, with its cathedral and the Aragonese castle. On the way back to Lecce, don't miss Torre dell’Orso with its beaches and the medieval village of Acaya. Four days of cycling in Salento, among the olive groves, beautiful beaches, local tradition, places of Baroque art, and above all a lot of hospitality. The bike tour in Salento is one of the most beautiful green routes you will ever do. Just try it once and you'll be thoroughly convinced!