Best Of Puglia Tour

We depart for our first stop, Alberobello.

The picturesque Alberobello, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a unique town with streets lined with ‘trulli’. In fact it is known in Italy as the “Capital of trulli”.

Trulli are small stone houses with a distinctive conical roof, built 300-400 years ago.

By walking along its narrow streets, you will be fascinated by the magical and fairytale atmosphere of this place. We explore this town together, and learn about why and how these dwellings were built, and about the cryptic symbols painted on the roof-cones.

Before lunch you have some free time to browse the shops of Alberobello and to wander around.

After lunch we visit Monopoli, a vibrant town on the coast. Monopoli has a long history. Established in the Bronze Age, and fortified since Roman times. The current walls surrounding the town were built by the Spanish in the 16th century, as was the castle. Monopoli is centred around a fishing port, with small wooden fishing boats heading out each day, and then selling their catch on the pier. Life carries on as it has for many generations – fishermen mending their nets, after docking with the catch.

We show you around Monopoli, plus leave you some free time to look at things that catch you interest.

MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH (3 COURSES INCLUDING WINE)

Today we travel to Lecce, a city that flourished in the 17th century when extravagant and elegant baroque buildings were built by the ruling classes. The style of baroque architecture features ornate decorations covering the facades of churches and palaces.

We take a private walking tour around Lecce with a local expert guide to have the key sights explained to us. The baroque architecture style here is distinct from that in other parts of Italy, both stylistically and in the use of the beige coloured local stone. We visit the Basilica di Santa Croce, a particularly ornate and elegant church. As well as the architectural and historical features, we make a point of interacting with locals – artisans in their studio creating the local papier mache figures, nuns baking in their convent in the way they have since medieval times. Lecce is an elegant town in which to indulge in more modern pleasures. There are many interesting boutiques and cafes, and the piazzas are full of life in this important southern Italian centre. After some free time in central Lecce we have lunch in a local restaurant, where we dine on the food specific to this sun drenched part of Puglia, called ‘the Salento’.

MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH (3 COURSES INCLUDING WINE)

This morning we travel to the town of Matera in the neighbouring Basilicata region. Visiting Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is like a step back in time. In fact this is one of the oldest continually inhabited settlements in the world. The oldest cave dwellings go back to the Bronze Age. The town consists of houses carved out of the rock face along the side of a steep ravine.

This morning we also visit the market in Matera, we get to see how the locals do their shopping – rows and rows of stalls with cheese, seasonal fruit, vegetables, and other fresh produce.

We go on to meet with a local guide here who gives us an interesting insight into life in Matera, both now and in the past. In fact his grandparents lived in these caves. We visit the ‘sassi’ cave area, and enter one of the typical houses built into the rock, showing the difficult existence in these conditions. We also visit a cave church hewn out of the rock, featuring Byzantine frescoes and with interesting histories as their usage has evolved and adapted to the conditions over the years. Matera was used for the filming of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” – you’ll see why it is so easy to imagine Matera as being completely removed from the modern age. Since we are in the Basilicata region, our lunch here focuses on the specialties from this inland region.

MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH (4 COURSES INCLUDING WINE)

Today we have a day of two parts – history in the morning, followed by relaxing in a lovely coastal town in the afternoon.

Our first visit is to the ancient Roman site of Egnazia. This was a key stop on the Roman road Trajan’s Way, well used in ancient times as a route to the Near East. Egnazia was a significant town, and today we can see many reminders of its past importance – wandering through the town we see where bakeries, gymnasiums and temples were located. The Roman road runs through the town, the rut marks left by the carriage wheels provide a direct connection to the past. Looking out to the coast we see where the local boats docked, having loaded up with olive oil and grain.

Continuing on we reach the town of Trani, a key summer destination for Italians and it is invariably one of the most loved visits for people on our tour. We start outside the stunning Romanesque cathedral perched right on the waterfront, and go on firstly to one of the key locations for the Knights Templar. We see the site where this fascinating order based themselves, originally the final point for their missions to leave these shores to head to the near east. Moving through the old Jewish quarter of town reveals much about how the way life in Trani was conducted, in particular seeing how the synagogues have evolved through the eras.

Today the harbour in Trani is a fishing port ringed by waterfront restaurants. Each morning the fishermen sell their fresh fish from the pier where they dock. Lunch is in a seaside restaurant making the most of this fresh catch.

MEALS: BREAKFAST, LUNCH (4 COURSES INCLUDING WINE)

We take the time to look around Locorotondo, an absolutely gorgeous town, in fact voted as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy (“Borghi piu belli d’Italia”).

Next we depart to visit a family run winery located near Martina Franca. This family is focused on making quality wines from the traditional varieties that are grown in this area of the Valle d’Itria such as fiano minutolo and susumaniello. The winemaker takes us through the vineyard, and we taste a range of wines. Some of these wine varieties were so rare that they were not made commercially up until a few years ago.

Today we take the opportunity to show you a local folk dance called the ‘pizzica’. This is a fascinating experience, as it reveals much about the culture and traditions of Puglia. The pizzica dance is specific to this area, and many people who visit Puglia do not get the chance to see it. You’ll love this private performance, while relaxing with a glass of prosecco.

In the evening we have a special touch for our final evening, taking a cooking class from a local chef. Since you’ve been with us for a week now you will all be Puglia food experts. The focus will be on cooking typical Puglia dishes, first taking you through the types of ingredients used and their provenance, whether it be citrus cooled by the Ionian sea breezes, or olives from the sun drenched plains. The cuisine of Puglia is based on the produce at a very local level, so is different to the food from other Italian regions.

Seasonal vegetables, as well as focaccia and other breads, dominate this cuisine. All these are based on the abundant fresh ingredients as well as the ever-present extra virgin olive oil – a simple and effective cuisine. Recipes have been handed down through the generations and are truly expressive of the Mediterranean diet. The session is hands on and we are all involved in making a series of dishes, and we finish off the session by dining on the meal we’ve prepared.

MEALS: BREAKFAST, DINNER (4 COURSES INCLUDING WINE)

Note: pizzica dance performance is based on availability/group size.

By now you know the local barista by name and he knows which coffee you order – but we must say ‘arrivederci’.

We organise transport for you to your departure point in Bari and bid you “buon viaggio”.

The tour finishes in Bari at 11 a.m.

MEALS: BREAKFAST