The region is an absolute surprise, with loads of amazing places to visit. Everything that you would expect from a journey to Italy is here in abundance: historic little towns, incredible food and fresh produce, rolling silver-green olive orchards, stunning natural landscapes, and some of the best beaches in southern Italy.

Puglia Classic Tour Highlights

Small group of 20 pax or fewer
Kwoledgeable English-speaking tour manager
Complimentary Focaccia in Bari
Complimentary Pasticciotto 
Tipical “Bombette” for lunch
Pasta Making Class
Wine tasting in Manduria, the land of Primitivo Wine
Discover papier-machè in Lecce
Underground Oil Mills in Gallipoli

Puglia ClassicTour Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Bari

Our representative will be waiting for you at Bari airport. Private transfer. Check-in and dinner in the hotel’s restaurant. (D)

Day 2: Old Bari, between sea and reality, tradition and entertainment

Breakfast in the hotel. n the  morning, you will have a guided tour of the Old Town. where you will find the perfect marriage between contemporary and traditional, history and innovation, folklore and entertainment.
There is so much to discover, such as the imposing medieval Swabian fortress and the massive Romanesque cathedral with its 11th-century frescoes, while opera lovers may know that Bari is home to the magnificent Teatro Petruzzelli. For many, though, the focal point is the Basilica di San Nicola, whose 900-year-old vaulted crypt is the final resting place of Saint Nicholas, Patron Saint of Russia – better known to us as Father Christmas.

Tour continues to the old harbour where life keep on going on as for centuries. This is where the traditional fishing boats land their catches and sell their seafood straight off their boats.
It’s in via dell’Orecchietta that Guests will get to experience one of Bari’s most legendary traditions: locals sitting in their doorways and kneading pasta dough to make typical orecchiette in the street!

Having delved into the history of the city, Guests will head to a traditional local eatery for a well-earned complimentary break. It’s time to be treated to a delicious snack of typical focaccia, one of the most well-loved recipes in Bari, for the finishing touch on an excellent sightseeing tour.

Back to the hotel for a break before getting ready for a pasta making class. Our destination is a farmhouse a short drive from Bari city centre, a quiet location, with a lovely view.  Dinner will follow at the same place: orecchiette (and more) will be tonight’s meal! (B,D)

Day 3: Castellana Caves – Locorotondo – Alberobello

Breakfast in the hotel.
A visit to Castellana Caves in Puglia is like a journey to the centre of the earth, an unmatched millennial work of nature, a  splendid heritage of inestimable value. The caves contain an extraordinary range of underground landscapes, with some of the world’s most astonishing stalactite and stalagmite formations. The so-called “White Cave,” which is often described as the most shining cave in the world because of the whiteness of its alabaster walls.

Tour continues to Locorotondo. Listed as one of I Borghi più belli d’Italia (most beautiful small Italian towns of historical interest), Locorotondo is a whitewashed hilltop town,  in the heart of the Itria Valley. Still, the humble town is a delightful place to wander around, with its round-shaped historical centre of quiet streets and typical cummerse townhouses bedecked with pots of fuchsia geraniums and intricate ironwork. Buildings are all white and even the streets are paved with white stones. The old city radiates out around the 19th century neoclassical Chiesa Madre San Giorgio, a church dedicated to the patron saint of the city.

Light lunch included in Locorotondo at a macelleria-braceria to taste delicious and tipical Bombette.
After lunch it’s time to go to one of the most enchanting places of all Italy. Alberobello is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its maze of hilly cobblestone paths lined with charming conical-roofed trulli, the white town  seems straight out of a children’s story book.
Alberobello has over 1,500 densely packed trulli, clustered in two neighborhoods, Rione Monti and Rione Aia Piccola. There are two excellent museums in Alberobello that provide a better understanding of the trulli and they are included in our tour, Museo del Territorio and Trullo Sovrano.
It’s time to go to your hotel for check-in and dinner. (B,L,D)

Day 4: Martina Franca – Grottaglie – Maduria, the land of Primitivo

Breakfast in the hotel. Today’s full-day tour starts visiting the charming baroque town of Martina Franca and ends in Lecce. Martina Franca is one of Puglia’s most beautiful towns, overflowing with elegant Baroque architecture.
Until the unification of Italy in 1861 Martina Franca was surrounded by defensive stone walls and eye-catching Baroque & Renaissance gates. Its centro storico is an alluring mix of narrow twisting alleys and dazzling white houses interspersed with sunny open piazzas.
A bit bigger than the neighboring towns, it has long been the commercial centre of the region, which is evident in the centuries-old palazzi, and exquisitely ornate basilicas.

Time for lunch (included) in Grottaglie.

Driving along a really scenographic way from Martina Franca, passing by vineyards, rustic masserias, olive groves, dry masonry stone fences, the tour continues to Grottagle, the city of ceramics,  and to  Manduria, the land of Primitivo wine.

Imagine a town that has survived for hundreds of years on making beautiful hand-made ceramics. Add a twist of Southern Italian charm and hundreds of artisans turning clay into pots, jugs, plates, cups, saucers, statues and other works of art – then you would have Grottaglie. The Quartiere della Ceramica has been where it is since the middle ages so it is bursting with history, and full of artisans happy to let you watch them at work. All the classics of ceramica pugliese are here; the dot flower pattern, the rooster jugs and the large simple canisters waiting for a wooden spoon collection. Then there are the decorative pieces;  the Pumo, and elegant single coloured glazed cone with feathers; said to bring good fortune, and which are to be found on all the balconies around the historic centre of the town.

In Puglia’s Salento, the city of Manduria is an intriguing warren of lanes jumbled with cream-colored homes and palaces.
In the city centre, Sant’Angelo gate is one of the medieval portals that led into the city, while the old town still retains the original section of the medieval Jewish ghetto.Manduria is a good place for wine enthusiasts, as this is the heart and soul of Primitivo di Manduria, one of Puglia’s best-known wines. “Primitivo di Manduria” grows in the Manduria flatlands along the Ionian coastside in a red soil made out of limestone and clay. Because of climate and soil conditions, it produces a juicy, smoothy, sweety wine. A wine tasting will follow the city tour:  3 labels (Primitivo di Manduria DOC e Negroamaro  IGT) along with tarallini, cheese, salame, almond sweets, water.
Back on the bus, it’s time to get to Lecce. Dinner at hotel’s restaurant. (B,L,D)

Day 5: Lecce – Galatina

Breakfast in the hotel. Today’s tour will show one of the most beautiful city in Italy. Lecce is the Baroque masterpiece of southern Italy. Sometimes described as the ‘Florence of the South’, Lecce is really  a gorgeous place, and the historic centre’s small size, restricted to cars, allows to wander among narrow streets of golden sandstone, hidden piazzas, extravagantly carved baroque churches. At the heart of  the city stands a half-buried 2nd-century Roman amphitheater, and everywhere else, elaborately decorated churches and palaces built in local honey-hued stone.
Lecce boasts elegant baroque palazzi and churches, the finest example of Puglian baroque is, without doubt, the Basilica of Santa Croce, a wonderfully ornate edifice situated next to the Palazzo dei Celestini.

Lecce Papier-mâchè
Well-known for its Baroque style, not many tourists know that the city of Lecce is also famous for the papier-mâché art, cartapesta in Italian. The art of papier-mâché in Lecce, a phenomenon unique to Puglia, dates back to a period between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.  The craftsmen did not have access to precious materials, and as such they were forced to make use of other, poorer materials such as straw, rags, glue and plaster. The small shops around Lecce cathedral are full of painted figures of all sizes, some religious, others peasants going about their daily tasks, or ornamental flowers and jewellery.

After lunch it’s to move toward Galatina, one of Puglia’s many hidden gems. Wandering around the old town centre, you will be struck by the charming uniformity of its architecture, the laid-back tranquility of its streets and the friendliness of its inhabitants. With a charming historic centre, Galatina is at the core of the Salentine Peninsula’s Greek past. Just 20km south of stunning Lecce, it has much in common with its more illustrious neighbour, not least its mainly baroque town centre that has remained nearly intact over the centuries. Walking around Galatina youests will smell the delicious aroma of freshly baked pasticciotti. The invention of the pasticciotti is allegedly credited to a pastry chef in Galatina called Andrea Ascalone who, in 1745, used leftovers from cakes to create smaller pies. You will be treated to one of these amazing pastries. Back to Lecce, dinner at local restaurant. (B,D)

Day 6: Gallipoli – Otranto

Breakfast in the hotel. Today, it is time to visit the south-west corner of Puglia.

Nardò
Have you ever visited a new place and felt ‘wow’ about it? For many visitors, it happens at Nardò. It’s the destinatin for those who love finding places that are off-the-beaten-track, places to discover and feel like a pioneer. Puglia’s Salento is full of surprises and Nardò is one of its best secrets. It is a lovely and charming old town, filled with palazzi, courtyards and churches. Nardò may not be as popular as other cities in Puglia, but don’t let that fool you, you will be surprised by this hidden destination. After city tour departure toward Gallipoli, where a light lunch is included.

Gallipoli lives up to the provenance of its name, ‘beautiful city’ in Greek. The old town centre sits on a tiny island connected to the mainland by a 17th century bridge. It is almost completely surrounded by defensive walls, built mainly in the 14th century. The island heart of Gallipoli is home to numerous impressive Baroque churches and aristocratic palazzi, a testament to the town’s former wealth as a trading port.
In the 18th century, Gallipoli was home to the largest olive oil market in the Mediterranean. From its ports, ships laden with olive oil sailed to major European cities where the oil was used for lighting. It is said that olive oil from Gallipoli lit the streets of London before the advent of the electric bulb. Gallipoli once had an underground network of 35 oil mills. The largest one has been restored and will tell a lot of fun facts. Back to Lecce, dinner in the hotel.

Day 7: Ostuni– Polignano a Mare

Breakfast and hotel check-out. Today’s tour wil take Guests on the eastern coast. Ostuni is a gleaming white mix of houses, churches, and charming piazzas spread over a hilltop surrounded by quaint countryside and endless olive groves. Appropriately nicknamed la città bianca or “the white city”, Ostuni’s fortified historical old town is located on a steep hill just a few kilometers from the sea. That’s allows to have lovely views of the Adriatic blue and crystal water. Simply enjoy wandering the streets and alleyways, checking out the historic buildings, and be amazed by panoramic views of the Adriatic.
The Museo Civiltà Preclassica Murgia Meridionale Ostuni, the town’s archaeology museum, is a surprising treat. Housed in a former church and adjoining monastery, the museum features artifacts documenting a mind-blowing 30,000 years of human history in the region.

Polignano a Mare is prettier than a paint, a shining gem on the coast of the Itria Valley. Perched dramatically atop a 20 metre-high craggy ravine above the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic, Polignano a Mare truly lives up to its name and literally could not be any more ‘at sea’.
The idyllic seaside town hugs a little beach sheltered by two cliffs, and its centro storico – an atmospheric maze of winding streets, sun-bleached buildings, and old churches – reveals intriguing glimpses of the sparkling blue sea at every turn. It’s easy to getting lost in the winding streets, but you won’t mind at all. Before you know it, you will have reached one of three panoramic terraces offering breathtaking views of the beautiful Adriatic Sea and coastline. Arriving in Bari, time for rest before having dinner at hotel’s restaurant. (B,D)

Day 8: Bari, end of the tour

Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the airport.  End of our services.

The accommodation

In Bari: 3 nights
An exclusive 4-star hotel nestled in the green of an ancient park, near the center of Bari and 800 m from the central station. Rooms with free WiFi. Restaurant with open kitchen that celebrates Puglia’s flavors. Fitness center with gym, sauna, hot tub and steam room. Outdoor swimming pool.
In Alberobello: 1 night
A unique accommodation set in the tranquil Puglia countryside. The 4-star hotel is surrounded by olive trrees and trulli dotted all around. Rooms are equipped with air contitioned, Wi-Fi and modern furniture and a private balcony. Restaurant serves traditional Puglia dishes with local produces
In Lecce: 3 nights
Modern 4 star hotel is just few minutes walk from Lecce historic centre. The hotel’s rooms is pure expression of of quality and comfort. In addition, free high-speed Wi-Fi connection to browse. From the 40” fullHD TV direct internet access and Sky Channels. In the Comfort Room Guests will find the large chromotherapy shower with which you can create the atmosphere you want.

Included:
Private bus transportation
English-speaking tour guide, escorting the group throughout
7 Nights accommodation 4-star hotels, twin or double room shared room
7 Continetnal breakfasts
7 Dinners
2 light lunches
Complimentary Focaccia in Bari
Wine tasting
Pasta Making class
Papier-machè workshop
Entrance fees  as per programme
Insurance

Not included:
Hotel city tax ( €2 per person per night)
Extras, drinks and personal expenses
Gratuities and porterage

Double room for Single Use Supplement  € 450,00