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Road cycling routes
Italy
Apulia
Lecce
Andrano

Minervino Tower – Ciolo Bridge loop from Andrano-Castiglione

Routes
Road cycling routes
Italy
Apulia
Lecce
Andrano

Minervino Tower – Ciolo Bridge loop from Andrano-Castiglione

Hard

5.0

(2)

124

riders

Minervino Tower – Ciolo Bridge loop from Andrano-Castiglione

04:13

89.3km

1,140m

Road cycling

Hard road ride. Very good fitness required. Some segments of this route may be unpaved and difficult to ride. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: June 27, 2026

Tips

The surface along some of this route may not be suitable

Some segments of your route comprise a surface that may not be suitable for your chosen sport.

After 0 m for 171 m

After 86.3 km for 82 m

After 89.2 km for 171 m

Waypoints

A

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

1

14.9 km

Villa Sticchi, Santa Cesarea Terme

Highlight • Monument

Santa Cesarea Terme is a spa town overlooking the Canale d'Otranto. The properties of its sulphurous thermal waters have been known since ancient times but, given the difficult position to reach, the inhabited center developed only in modern times in conjunction with the construction of the coastal road at the turn of the 14th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Among the architecture of the city, Villa Sticchi stands out, an admirable example of the Moorish style very popular in this area of Puglia in the early 1900s.

Translated by Google •

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2

19.3 km

Minervino Tower

Highlight • Historical Site

The Minervino Tower is part of a complex of lookout points built by Charles V in the 16th century to prevent attacks by the Saracens. The system guaranteed the possibility of communicating between one tower and another through visual signals, fires at night and smoke during the day, so that the whole coast was alerted as soon as enemy ships were sighted from one of the towers. In this context, the Torre Minervino is fundamental as it manages to cover the sea area around Punta Palascia, the easternmost point of Puglia and Italy. Given the limited space inside the structure, it is believed that the sentries did not stay inside the tower but that they took over for guard duty. The tower was restored around 2010.

Translated by Google •

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3

22.8 km

On the road from Otranto to Santa Cesarea, this panoramic point allows you to observe the Salento coast in all its beauty. You are in one of the most touristic and wild areas of Puglia: the Santa Cesarea spa is a real must for those visiting these areas for the first time.

Translated by Google •

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4

42.4 km

Tricase Porto Harbor

Highlight • Settlement

A hamlet of the municipality of Tricase, in the Lecce area, Tricase Porto is located in Lower Salento and has about 250 inhabitants. Here the coast, low and rocky, is dotted with caves: in one of these there is a port dating back to the 15th century, very suggestive.

Translated by Google •

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5

47.4 km

Torre Nasparo

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, in fact was built in 1565, during the Spanish domination. Has a truncated cone base, whose base diameter is 11 meters, from the curb upwards it assumes a cylindrical shape. It's made with non-square stones and regular ashlars. It rises on a high rocky spur 129 meters above sea level and its position is strategic because it allows to guard the sea as far as Capo d'Otranto, the most eastern point of Italy. 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.

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6

54.5 km

Ciolo Bridge

Highlight • Bridge

The name Ciolo derives from the Salento word "Giolo" or thieving magpie, this is because the area is rich in nests of this species. The beautiful cove is cut by the homonymous bridge which stands 40 meters high. Over the years the bridge has been a destination for intrepid divers but, given the danger, this practice has recently been banned. You can still enjoy the sea by accessing it from the cove below and, for those who do not want to give up a bit of adventure, dive from the surrounding rocks.

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7

61.0 km

Built in 1864 and first illuminated two years later, this lighthouse has a hexagonal shape at the base and is 47 meters high. The light, operated by the Navy, has a diameter of three meters and emits three beams of white light every fifteen seconds, visible up to 24 nautical miles.

Translated by Google •

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8

61.1 km

The name Santa Maria di Leuca derives from the Greek "leukós" or white, this perhaps due to the color of the rocks, or for the houses painted with lime, or for the fact that, arriving from Greece with the sun of dawn behind shoreline was illuminated with a clear light. Although there is no certain information on the origins of this town, some archaeological finds confirm the presence of settlements dating back to the Bronze Age. Even Santa Maria di Leuca, like other places on the Salento coast, has been indicated as the place where Aeneas landed fleeing from Troy while, according to Christian tradition, it was precisely here that the apostle Peter arrived from Palestine during his journey to Rome. The territory of Santa Maria di Leuca includes Punta Meliso which conventionally separates the Adriatic Sea from the Ionian Sea.

Translated by Google •

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86.3 km

Largo dei Pozzi Messapici

Archaeological Site

B

89.3 km

End point

Train Station

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Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

53.3 km

35.2 km

455 m

203 m

103 m

Surfaces

86.5 km

1.90 km

671 m

< 100 m

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Elevation

Elevation

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

Highest point (120 m)

Lowest point (0 m)

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Weather

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Friday 26 June

35°C

22°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 13.0 km/h

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