Acaya Castle – Basilica of Santa Croce loop from Martano

Bike touring routes & trails

Acaya Castle – Basilica of Santa Croce loop from Martano

Hard

4.9

(28)

224

riders

Acaya Castle – Basilica of Santa Croce loop from Martano

05:40

97.4km

330m

Cycling

Hard bike ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: July 30, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Riserva Naturale Statale di Popolamento Animale Le Cesine

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

36.8 km

View of the Two Sisters (Le Due Sorelle)

Highlight • Viewpoint

Beautiful sandy bay and crystal clear waters in Torre dell' Orso, left and right small area without commercial umbrellas, impressive the rocks in the sea called "le due Sorelle" (the two sisters).

Translated by Google •

Tip by

38.6 km

Torre dell'Orso (Tower of the Bear)

Highlight • Monument

Torre dell'orso ... known for its beach of fine silver sand, however, occupied by several bathing establishments.

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Tip by

40.6 km

Area archeologica di Roca Vecchia

Archaeological Site

47.5 km

Specchia Ruggeri Tower

Highlight • Monument

The tower is part of an extensive defensive system spread along the Apulian and overall Salento coasts, referring to the XV and XVI centuries. Built by Charles V in 1584, to oppose the enemy raids, it has a truncated cone shape and a single floor (the original base restored), as well as an external masonry staircase and a terrace for the guards. The location of the watch-towers, called the "sentinels of the sea", allowed that the signals could be spread both laterally along the coast line and parallel to the internal fortified villages, thanks to the use of fire signals during the night and smoke during the day.

Tip by

51.6 km

Riserva Naturale Statale di Popolamento Animale Le Cesine

Nature Reserve

52.3 km

Le Cesine Nature Reserve

Highlight • Natural Monument

The oasis is protected by the WWF and covers over 350 hectares of marshes and wetlands. The type of habitat makes it an ideal place for many species of migratory water birds to stop. Other animals also reside, including reptiles and amphibians, and wolves and wild boars have recently been reintroduced.

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Tip by

57.1 km

Acaya Castle

Highlight • Castle

The Castle of Acaya was built to protect the fortified citadel by Gian Giacomo dell'Acaya, trusted architect of Charles V, who had been entrusted with the strengthening of the defensive walls of Lecce and its castle. He did the same here, between 1521 and 1535, transforming the small agricultural village into a typically Renaissance fortress.

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Tip by

69.7 km

San Biagio Gate

Highlight • Monument

It's one of the three access gates to the old town. Built on an older entrance of Charles V, it was rebuilt in 1774 by the governor Tommaso Ruffo, as recalled in the Latin inscription above. Pairs of smooth-stemmed columns rest on high bases that frame the archway, on which the coat of arms of Ferdinand IV of Bourbon and that of the city of Lecce are superimposed.

Tip by

70.6 km

Celestine Palace

Highlight • Historical Site

Also known as the Government Palace, it's located adjacent to the Basilica of Santa Croce and enjoys a strategic position thanks to the double access from via Umberto I and from viale XXV Luglio. The palace was built starting from 1549, on a project by Riccardi, to whom we owe the original cloister. The major works of the long façade (1659-1695) were carried out by two illustrious architects: Giuseppe Zimbalo and Giuseppe Cino, who respectively built the first and second order according to the classical styles of Lecce baroque. It housed the Celestine monks for three centuries, until the Napoleonic suppression of 1807, when they were sent away and the building became an administrative institutional seat.

Tip by

70.7 km

Basilica of Santa Croce

Highlight • Religious Site

The Basilica of Santa Croce is a Baroque church located in the historic center and built between the 16th and 17th centuries by the most famous architects from Lecce. The basilica has a facade richly decorated with columns, statues, cherubs and telamons, which represent temporal and spiritual power. Leaving the alleys and finding yourself in front of the main portal you will be amazed.

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Tip by

97.4 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

80.7 km

8.02 km

4.25 km

1.79 km

995 m

Surfaces

68.5 km

26.0 km

1.94 km

935 m

196 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (90 m)

Lowest point (0 m)

Weather

Thursday 22 October

22°C

13°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 14.0 km/h

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Comments

October 21, 2022,von Otranto nach Lecce

A wonderful final stage of our Apulia tour from Alberobello to Lecce. In Apulia, not only the coast is beautiful - the hinterland is also worth a look.

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April 15, 2025,Salento giorno 4 - Otranto - Lecce

Last day of our bike tour, finally we see the sun again, and with the sun the blue of the sea.
Look at the photos, I won't tell you about the incredulous faces when we found ourselves in front of the stacks of Sant' Andrea... That's exactly why it's worth taking a bike holiday.
The possibility of arriving anywhere, a …

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