Part Six: Calabria and Basilicata

From Messina, it takes 30 minutes by ferry to Villa San Giovanni on the Italian mainland. We start figuratively at the big toe of the boot and drive along the Ionian Sea towards the heel.

Delighted with clean roads and coastal towns with pretty promenades for pleasant lunch breaks, we mostly cycle on SS106 around the tip of the boot. There are endlessly long sandy beaches and high, often bare mountains in the hinterland.

Since there is little to see, we zoom 480 kilometers to Metaponte in 5 days.

It gets warmer every day. Finally, we have the expected temperatures, but we have to get used to them first.

The hottest day is when we turn inland and drive to Matera. Dieter's speedometer thermometer reads 42 degrees and we have to climb from the sea to 400 meters above sea level. With many breaks and plenty of water, we manage the last steep ascent to the city center.

Matera is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and this year's European Capital of Culture, so there is a lot going on!

We visit rock churches, cave dwellings carved into tuff stone, the cistern that holds 5 million liters of water, churches, and let ourselves wander through the alleys of the Sassi settlements.

There is so much to discover and the views of the houses built on top of each other on the hillside are fantastic. Matera is particularly worth seeing!

Total kilometers: 3054

Total altitude: 22681