Heading to Italy

donheff · Oct 18, 2009

Tomorrow I leave for ten days in Puglia, the heel of the Italian boot. DW and I are going on a bike tour with VBT (Vermont Bicycle Tours) which really means a food and wine tour with some riding thrown in for balance. I'll post some envy provoking photos on my return.

Moemg · Oct 18, 2009

Have a great time ! I love to read their brochures . They trips look like so much fun !

FIREd · Oct 18, 2009

Buon viaggio!

bbbamI · Oct 19, 2009

I hope y'all have a wonderful time...and I certainly want to see the photos!

My trip to Italy turned into home improvements.... $:-\$

megacorp-firee · Oct 22, 2009

Have a great trip.

donheff · Oct 31, 2009

It was a great trip, although we got rained out for a day and a half. The food and accommodations were great and the riding was fun, but easy. We selected hybrid bikes because some of the roads are rough. The couple we traveled with chose road bikes and had a few flats. If you are considering a trip to Italy I would recommend you first try Tuscany rather than Puglia. The scenery in Tuscany is more diverse and beautiful - more what you expect in the Italian countryside. Puglia is drier and more barren - much like southern Spain. The other aspect of Puglia that didn't appeal to me is the conservative culture. As you ride into small towns all you see are men, sitting around the squares and bars. The women are at home behind closed doors. We got a pasta making lesson from one of the guides' grandmother. The guide remembered eating at the the table at their house with the men and her cousins but granny NEVER ate at the table with them - she worked more like a hired cook. Things struck me as more egalitarian in the north. Here are a few pictures. If you are interested in more you can take a look at my online gallery.

Barb riding up the coast: