General
Lonely roads in sometimes wild mountainous terrain await cyclists in Basilicata. Away from the coast and the larger towns, you are mostly alone with nature on the mountainous side roads. Cyclists are considered rather exotic. As some steep climbs and considerable metres in altitude are unavoidable, Basilicata is more suitable for trained cyclists with good gearing. However, cycling excursions in the hinterland of the south coast or around the cave town of Matera can also be less strenuous.
GPS data
You can download theGPX tracks for the cycle tour through Basilicata download here free of charge:
or find it in the MYBIKE Collection on komoot
Arrival
We took advantage of the charter airlines Air Berlin and Condor's open-jaw flight option with an outward flight to Lamezia Terme and the return flight from Bari. Transporting the bikes on the plane went without a hitch. We travelled to Maratea by train and from Matera we took a taxi (60 euros) to the airport.
Information
The Basilicata Tourist Board wants to promote cycle tourism. The tourist office has a number of Info brochures available. These can also be downloaded from the Internet.
The number one contact when it comes to a cycling holiday in southern Italy is the team at "Bike Basilicata", based in Matera. They can help you organise any kind of cycling trip - individually or as a guided group tour. Managing director Dora speaks very good German. Tel. 0039/0835/336572, mailto:info@ferulaviaggi.it , http://www.bikebasilicata.it
Further information under:
Accommodation
Cyclist-friendly accommodation can be found on the Internet at http://www.basilicatabikehotel.it
We felt particularly at home at: Hotel Murmann, Maratea, Tel. 0039/0973/873195, mailto:info@hotelmurmann.it , http://www.hotelmurmann.it
Palazzo dei Poeti, Tursi, Tel. 0039/ 0835-532325, mailto:info@palazzodeipoeti.it , http://www.palazzodeipoeti.it
Azienda Agricola L'Orto di Lucania, Montescaglioso, Tel. 0039/0835/202195, mailto:info@ortodilucania.it , http://www.ortodilucania.it
Hotel del Campo, Matera, Tel. 0039/0835/388844, mailto:info@hoteldelcampo.it , http://www.hoteldelcampo.it
Worth seeing
The Sassi of Matera have been a World Heritage Site since 1993. The houses in the historic centre were dug like caves into the steep rocky slopes of the rugged Gravina river valley. The intricate system of cisterns used by the inhabitants to secure their water supply is also considered unique. In the 1950s, the Sassi achieved dubious fame as cave dwellings and even served as a film set for Hollywood. More recently, the Sassi have been rediscovered as a trendy living space for individualists and artists. More and more cosy cave hotels and chic restaurants can be found there.
Literature/Maps
The tourist office's cycling brochure with maps was very helpful for us when planning our tour. We also recommend the travel guide "Calabria/Basilicata" by Peter Amann/Reise Know-How, 22.50 euros, http://www.reise-know-how.de
Peter Amann's website also contains a lot of useful information: http://www.italien-aktiv.info
Diary
Trekkingbike author Tom Bierl has written a diary about the trip.
