We were in Puglia (the heel of the boot of Italy) last month, doing what you do there: eating, roaming around, and checking out the local culture. As with all of Italy you come across contrasts to what you see at home: stone streets, tile floors, ancient towns, small cars, baroque churches, arches, and unique local architecture. But, the standout contrast was the abundance of elderly people (mostly guys) riding bikes and hanging out in public places. They were there in masses in almost every town center.

Civic connections are encouraged by the safety, comfort, and proximity of public spaces in these towns. You cannot drive through the town squares because they are pedestrian only zones. We surmise that most of the senior citizens cannot afford cars, so it’s a blessing really. So simple – bikes serve to help create a strong sense of community and health. The city centers take on a relaxing, convivial, and alive feeling with all the people watching and café hopping. The older folks easily remain connected to the everyday happenings in their town – much more so than relaxing at home or on a stationary bike at the gym.

Puglia is a pretty cool place for travel and biking for anyone. The flat terrain provides great biking roads and there is a cultural respect for cyclists. If you can put together a group of friends for a trip, the Villa Pizzorusso is the place to stay.  Friends of ours run this special place, so it comes highly recommended.

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On Wednesday, June 15th, 2011 at 12:58 am and is filed under Sustainable Transportation, Travel, Urban Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.