Walking in Puglia, from Alberobello to Brindisi

Arrival in Alberobello, known as the ‘Capital of Trulli’, UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. Its old town is in fact entirely made up of these unique buildings.
Overnight in Alberobello.

In the morning you will meet our representative for the briefing and delivery of your roadbook. Leaving Alberobello, you soon pass through the small village of Coreggia. A long path on the Apulian Aqueduct (partly a cycle path), which runs along the edge of a spectacular doline, goes through a natural oasis where an ancient oak grove survives. In the first half of the stage, you walk on country roads surrounded by trulli, authentic architectural masterpieces that make this archaic and charming landscape unique in the world. The itinerary ends in Locorotondo, which means ‘round place’, whose circular-shaped old town preserves its characteristic houses with ‘cummerse’, sloping roofs covered with limestone slabs.
Overnight in Locorotondo.

(Distance 23 km; elevation: 196 m; terrain:gravel/paved; time: 6 h)

The stage starts from Locorotondo, one of the gems of the Valle d’Itria, a town perched on a hill covered with terraced native vineyards. Today you walk on small country roads and paths that wind through drystone walls and trulli. About half-way, you take the Apulian Aqueduct cycle path,
realized along the footsteps of the main channel of the acqueduct and surrounded by
nature. Your destination is Cisternino, a pretty village made up of narrow lanes, small
squares and tiny houses, which still preserves intact its old rural charm. Overnight in
Cisternino.

(Distance 15,70 km; elevation: 209 m; terrain: gravel/paved; time: 4/5 h).

The silent countryside leads you through the typical landscape of the Valle d’Itria, characterized by the survival of old tratturi (sheep tracks), small woods, trulli and cultivated fields delimited by dry-stone walls, declared as an intangible element of World Heritage by UNESCO. Walking through a series of paths you arrive in a wonderful olive grove that characterises the coastal plain. Passing by the Archaeological Park of Santa Maria di Agnano, the place where the famous pregnant woman of Ostuni (died 25.000 years ago) was discovered, you reach Ostuni, ‘the white town’, today’s destination. Overnight in Ostuni.

(Distance 19,60 km; elevation: 191 m; terrain: gravel/paved; time: 5 h)

In this stage you pass through the Plain of ancient olive trees, where you can see the oldest olive trees in Puglia. Some of them are more than 2.000 years old! It’s a sacred place of the Mediterranean civilization, marked by the presence of these living monuments that accompany you for the whole day up to Carovigno.
Overnight in Carovigno.

(Distance 19,60 km; elevation: 193 m; terrain: gravel/paved; time: 5 h)

Leaving the town of Carovigno and its old town dominated by the Dentice di Frasso Castle, the hiking continues on a path surrounded by eucalyptus trees and Mediterranean scrub. Here you can enjoy the silence of the countryside and the cool breeze coming from the near Adriatic Sea. A plain of ancient olive trees, prickly pears and country villas leads you to Serranova, a small rural village. Here you cannot miss a stop at Tonino’s, a typical grocery store.
Overnight in Serranova.

(Distance 13,30 km; elevation: 66 m; terrain: gravel/paved; time: 3 h)

Through a dirt road among olive trees and prickly pears, you reach the Natural Reserve of Torre Guaceto. You walk along the Adriatic coast for about 10 km, heading south on a road that corresponds to the ancient Via Traiana and Via Francigena. Then, the route passes by the medieval church of Santa Maria del Casale just before entering Brindisi, which was in the past an important port for the Holy Land and that still preserves the ancient Roman column marking the end of the
Via Appia.
Overnight in Brindisi.

(Distance 26,30 km; elevation: 72 m; terrain: gravel/ paved; time: 6/7 h)

Depart after breakfast. End of services.