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Wednesday 8 February
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Home /Bourbon Bicycle Route

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Bourbon Bicycle Route

This itinerary proposes the best route for tourists on two wheels who wish to pedal from Bari to Naples. The objective is to immediately begin monitoring the territory of Puglia, Basilicata, and Campania in terms of cyclability without putting off the opportunity of crossing these extraordinarily promising regions while cycling, thereby joining in with the practice of sustainable tourism so common throughout the rest of Europe.
In a few words, the route unites Bari, Bitetto, Ruvo, Castel del Monte and Minervino in the region of Puglia. It continues into Basilicata via Venosa, Melfi, Rapolla, Atella, Ruvo del Monte, and Pescopagano (crossroads). In Campania, the route covers Sant’Andrea di Conza, Lioni, and Avellino Nola,  arriving in Naples after a total of 334 kilometres.
The intention was to trace a route that was also efficient in moving from Bari to Naples, so not much longer than an ordinary route, and that would bring the cycling tourist to discover the beauty of the territory being crossed while keeping his final destination in mind. This bicycle route winds almost entirely along roads open to vehicular traffic but, in holding true to reference criteria that inspired other guidebooks produced by the FIAB, the utmost attention was paid to selecting pleasant roads to be cycled, so with little traffic, reasonable hills, and interesting landscapes.
In spite of the growing demand and efforts of a few who have understood the importance of similar infrastructures, bicycle routes and bicycle-pedestrian routes closed to vehicle traffic are still almost inexistent in the territory covered by this bicycle route. 
The Puglia stretch consists of a dense network of paved secondary roads, like rural or municipal roads, that are usually in good condition, allowing us to propose an itinerary that sees truly little vehicles traffic but is rich in history and features landscapes that are especially representative of this region.  These roads are often lacking indications, other than the name of the street or the district, and particular care was taken to describe the route, sometimes by relying on the indications of distance given by the cyclecomputer.

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Town: Bari
Address: via De Ruggiero, 58/62 - 70125
Phone: (+39)0805405602
Fax: (+39)0805405629
E-Mail: r.sforza@regione.puglia.it
Contact person: Raffaele Sforza

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Entrance: Free of charge

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General information
1.    The itinerary is described from East-West, or from Bari to Naples, even if it is the same route except for some hints to remember in case of one-way streets or other impediments that may change the route slightly from one direction to the other. These potential differences will be annotated in the text.
2.    In general, the route follows paved roads with brief stretches of unpaved roads that can be travelled anyway with normal touring bicycles. Instead, there are several stretches with steep slopes because the territory being crossed is mountainous, making it impossible to avoid at least some hills.
3.    The itinerary can be travelled year round, but extreme seasons will require attention, due to snowfall in Irpinia  and the surrounding area in the heart of winter, and sun screen to prevent sunburns during the summer months, as the sun can be even stronger inland than along the coast. For the same reason, those not used to cycling with a helmet are advised to protect their heads from the sun anyway, to avoid sunstroke. For warm weather along the entire Puglia stretch, but also in some zones of Basilicata crossed by the bicycle route, it is advisable to stock up on water when passing through towns, since it is difficult to find this precious liquid along the road.


Updated on: 27/08/2010