Via Francigena del Sud by bike: Brindisi–Leuca in 4–5 days

The Via Francigena del Sud ends at Santa Maria di Leuca, at the tip of Italy's heel. This guide is about cycling the Via Francigena in its last stretch, in Puglia: the seven stages from Brindisi to Leuca, 165.2 km (102.7 miles) in all. Our routes site has all the stages in Puglia, with the map.

Brindisi to Santa Maria di Leuca in 4 or 5 days

We suggest four or five days, which means 33 to 41 km a day. On our tracks, stages 39 to 45 climb 1,366 m in all, and the climbing is not spread evenly:

• Brindisi to Lecce, stages 39 and 40: 47.7 km and 213 m of ascent.
• Lecce to Otranto, stages 41 and 42: 61.4 km and 270 m.
• Otranto to Santa Maria di Leuca, stages 43 to 45: 56.1 km and 883 m.

That puts nearly two thirds of the ascent in the last third of the distance. The steepest gradients are there too: 6.9% on stage 44 and 7.3% on stage 45. Ascent and gradients are calculated from an elevation model, so they are indicative.

Each stage has its own page on our routes site: Brindisi to Torchiarolo, Torchiarolo to Lecce, Lecce to Martano, Martano to Otranto, Otranto to Vignacastrisi, Vignacastrisi to Tricase and Tricase to Santa Maria di Leuca. We have ridden all of them, and the tracks are ours.

For the two ends of the ride, see our guides to Brindisi and Santa Maria di Leuca.

Starting in Lecce, with free pickup at our depot

Lecce is where stage 40 ends, so starting there skips the first two stages. Pickup is free at our depot in Via Francesco Ribezzo 2D. Collection in Santa Maria di Leuca is quoted by distance, as for any one-way rental. From Lecce to Santa Maria di Leuca it is 117.5 km with 1,153 m of ascent.

Which bike: gravel or e-bike, not a road bike

Your luggage travels on the bike, so you need a rear rack. It fits every bike we rent except the Trek Domane road bike. For a ride of several days we recommend a gravel bike or an e-bike. The gravel bike rental and e-bike rental pages describe the bikes.

If you want help on the climbs of the last stretch, choose an e-bike. With a Trek e-bike you can add a second removable battery for €10 a day.

Luggage: no transfers, everything in your panniers

SalentoBike doesn't arrange luggage transfers or accommodation. You carry what you need in panniers on the rear rack. The rack is included in the rental. Panniers are an extra at €2 a day: two 15-litre bags, 30 litres in all.

Bikes delivered in Brindisi, collected in Leuca

With a one-way bike rental we deliver the bikes in Brindisi and collect them in Santa Maria di Leuca. The one-way supplement depends on the distance and is shown in your quote. Ask for a quote.

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