09 – From the green woods of the Gallipoli Cognato Regional Park to the golden expanses of the Ionian Coast
Difficulty: medium / high
Bike type: touring / road racing / gravel / e-bike
Departure: Accettura
Arrival: Policoro
Total miles: 65 approximately
Road surface: asphalt
Height difference ascent: 1230 m
Height difference descent: 1990 m
Time of year: from April to November
ROUTE
Long and spectacular route along the ridge that stretches from the heart of the region to the Ionian coast.
ROUTE 09
Accettura, the starting town, is found in the Regional Park of Gallipoli Cognato and Piccole Dolomiti Lucane. In the heart of the countryside, its name is connected above all to Il Maggio di Accettura, one of the most ancient arboreal rites in Basilicata, linked to the fertility of the earth.
Crossing the forest of Gallipoli Cognato, the tour makes a stop in San Mauro Forte, the town of the “Cowbells” that ring loudly to herald one of the most important Carnivals in Basilicata.
Enjoying the natural spectacle provided by the calanchi (badlands), you reach Craco, the “ghost town”, destroyed in 1963 by a landslide that forced the local population to abandon it and take refuge in the new town of Craco Peschiera.
The tour continues towards Tursi and the ancient quarter of Rabatana – the name taken from rabat or fortified town – and, in fact the district is very hard to access, like all quarters of Arab origin.
After a visit to the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Anglona, proclaimed a national monument in 1931, we move on to the Ionian coast, to Policoro, site of the ancient Heraclea. The sea and archaeology, the unspoiled nature of Bosco Pantano, the scent of the famous strawberries and other fruits of the earth, on a journey into the very varied territory of Policoro and Magna Graecia.
