STAGE 1: Alimini Lakes – Tricase (46 km)

The setting of the Alimini Lakes is the starting point of this itinerary. Cycling south on the provincial road, after about 10 km, you will come across beautiful Otranto. From the East Gate you enter the heart of the city, following the walls and reaching the historic center where you can visit the Cathedral and the Castle.
Leaving Otranto behind, we continue pedaling south along the eastern Salento coast. Having passed through the well-known seaside resort of Porto Badisco, one reaches Santa Cesarea Terme, and then Castro Marina. On the shoreline on the outskirts of the town are the Romanelli C ave and, not far away, the Zinzulusa Cave, which are well worth a stop to dive into the bowels of the earth, admiring a spectacular karst manifestation characterized by different types of stalactites, stalagmites and unique marine species.
Back in the saddle, the route on the coastal road continues to head south, entering the Costa Otranto – Santa Maria di Leuca and Bosco di Tricase Regional Nature Park.
Past Marina di Andrano, the first leg ends at the port of Tricase.

Length: 46 km
Height difference in ascent: 476 m
Downhill elevation gain: 432 m
Highest point: 81 m
Lowest point: 0 m
Type of background: asphalt

Municipality of departure: Otranto
Starting location: Alimini Lakes
Municipality of arrival: Tricase
Place of arrival: Tricase

Recommended period: March to October

A bike tour immersed in the nature, colors and scents of Salento.

A bicycle ride to discover the “Heel of the Boot,” where the Adriatic Sea meets the Ionian Sea, covering the entire Salento coastal road in three stages: 126 km from the Alimini Lakes, north of Otranto, to Gallipoli, through landscapes typical of this corner of Apulian land, rich in natural and historical beauty.