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 Join us on an amazing Gay Bike Tour in Puglia. Salento is the area of Italy set in the southernmost tip of Puglia. This area is fast becoming the gay destination of South Italy: rich in culture, food, awe inspiring landscapes, white sandy beaches and some gay nightlife for good measure! Our amazing Gay Bike Tour is therefore the best way to explore this fascinating area.
Our amazing Gay Cycling Vacation is set at an easy level that will suit most cyclists. It is not only about cycling: see yourself swimming in the protected wild park of Porto Selvaggio and enjoy the best delicacies of food and wines of the region while learning some traditional recipes. This all gay bike tour allows you also to meet with like-minded gay men and to enjoy some free time to do what you like the most. So, think of this vacation as an opportunity to relax, exercise and explore while getting to know new friends along the way!
You will have the opportunity to discover Lecce, a great Baroque capital of Southern Italy and also to explore the old baroque town of Nardo’. Plus you will pay a visit to Gallipoli, an old fishing port that is now the main gay hotspot of Puglia.
• Enjoy stunning daily bike rides through Salento and its coastline
• Bikes, Helmets and Cycling Bags Included
• Visit Architectural Gems, such as Lecce and Gallipoli
• Taste Puglia Cuisine and Learn how to cook like a local
• Tour local olive groves and Discover the magic of olive oil
• Discover Incredible white sandy beaches and amazing sunsets
• Typical 3 course dinner with wine in Lecce
• Pizza and beer in Gallipoli New Town
• Make new friends from all over the world: great group atmosphere
Day 1 - Saturday
 Welcome to Lecce! Known as the Florence of the South, Lecce is the Baroque capital of Salento, the southernmost part of Puglia.
Lecce is the starting point of our Gay Bike Tour around this beautiful region. Here the sun reflects on white stones that adorn hundreds of churches and buildings enclosed in its historical city walls.
Once in Lecce, make your way to your accommodation in the very centre of Lecce and settle in. In the evening join your fellow bikers and your host for a welcome meeting. You will receive all the information about the week ahead. After, it’s time for a typical welcome dinner in Lecce. We will all get to meet each other and have a full briefing on the adventure that lies ahead.
Meals Included: Welcome Dinner
Overnight: in Lecce
Day 2 - Sunday
 After breakfast the whole group will meet: we will adjust our bikes and make sure everyone is ready for the first bike ride of the tour. We then leave Lecce and head to our first stop: Frigole village, not far from Lecce. After this stop, we continue towards the coast, so that we finally reach the Adriatic sea. This coastline is rugged and rural: there will be plenty of opportunities to stop and take pictures as well as taking dips into the sea along the way!
The last stage today will be a visit to the historical medieval Abbey of Santa Maria di Cerrate. The complex of buildings was constructed in the 12th century and represents one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture you will find in Puglia. In the afternoon, after the visit we will head back towards Lecce. We will follow the Via Francigena, the ancient road used by the pilgrims.
In Lecce you will have the evening free to do as you please. Visit the beautiful Baroque centre of the city or stop off at its chic bars such as ‘Quanto Basta’ for world class cocktails created by trendy Italian Barmen.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Overnight: in Lecce
Day 3 - Monday
 After breakfast, by bike we reach one of the many Salento masteries (farmsteads). Here you will put your cooking skills to test and be ‘chef’ for a few hours. Luckily this is not Hell’s Kitchen, so your experience will be fun. You will learn how to prepare some typical Salento dishes: get ready to get your hands dirty. The experience will end with a tasting of the dishes we have prepared.
Afterwards, we will get back on the saddle (weight allowing) and our Gay Bike Tour will follow a route into the natural reserve of the Cesine and the fortified village of Acaya. This is a route set in the natural beauty of Puglia. We will take a long cycle path surrounded by olive trees basked in the Puglian sun. Finally, we hit the coast and a beautiful beach where we take a dip in the sea adjacent to the reserve.
The route includes a stop in the small and enchanting village of Acaya. After visiting the castle, which houses a Byzantine fresco still under study, we resume the road back to Lecce.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
Overnight: in Lecce
Day 4 - Tuesday
 Today is the longest ride of our Gay Bike Tour. After leaving Lecce, we cycle down to the Jonian coast into to Gallipoli. This is a beautiful Old Town perched by the sea, popular for its lively gay Summer life and historic center.
Gallipoli’s Old Town is enclosed in a rocky island that is accessed by an eighteenth-century bridge. The town is a real feast of architecture in baroque style adorned with paintings by Neapolitan and Salento painters. Hand woven basket makers and fishermen are still working in the alleys and ports.
In the evening we enjoy a typical dinner in one of the many beautiful restaurants of the town.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
Overnight: in Gallipoli
Day 5 - Wednesday
 First stop of the day: the protected reserve of Porto Selvaggio and its beautiful small beaches where we can splash and enjoy the coast of Salento from a different point of view. Once there, we can spend some time relaxing before returning to the bikes. Back on the saddles we make our way to to a quaint little town called Santa Maria al Bagno. Once there, we have the opportunity to enjoy a relaxing lunch by the beach there, admiring the sea and having a sip or two of the good wines of the region.
After lunch it’s time to head back to Gallipoli! The name of this town means “Beautiful City” for good reason: its old town is enclosed in a rocky island accessible thanks to an 18th century bridge. The town is a real feast of architecture in baroque style adorned with paintings by Neapolitan and Salento painters. Hand woven basket makers and fishermen are still working in its alleys and ports.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Overnight: in Gallipoli
Day 6 - Thursday
 Today we are back on the bike again for the last ride of our amazing Gay Bike Tour, awwww. No sad faces please as this route is full of smiles along the coast. We head towards the south where the stunning beaches crash against pine forests. First stop the protected reserve of Baia Verde (Green Bay): when you see the colors of its water you will understand why! We will then head down along the coast. Finally we head again inland towards quaint little towns.
After lunch it’s time to head back to Gallipoli! Then, In the afternoon do as you please: beach, shopping, relax?
Typical Pizza and beer in Gallipoli new town included, followed by drinks in the local gay bar where you can mingle with the local talent!
Meals Included: Breakfast & Farewell Dinner
Overnight: in Gallipoli
Day 7 - Friday
After breakfast, we all say goodbye (no tears hopefully) and hope that we see you the next time
One week with us is not enough? Then you should consider adding our back to back Naples. Capri, Positano, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast Gay Vacation
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