Apulia Trilogy Tour – 10 days

Welcome to the warm, beautiful and pleasant city of Bari!

Upon arrival at Bari Airport, please proceed through Passport Control and collect your luggage inside the customs area.

Our Italian-speaking driver will welcome you at the airport.

Transfer to your Matera and drop off at your hotel.

Meet your driver and depart to Polignano a Mare. Enjoy a private boat tour to discover the Polignano caves (external view only).

Leaving form Cala Ponte Marina in Polignano you navigate along the coast admiring to the statue of Domenico Modugno, Lama Monachile, balcony of the Red Bull dives, cave of the Arcivescovato, Palazzese cave, Ardito cave, column of Hercules, Cave of the Nuns, Scoglio dell'Eremita, Grotta degli Occhi, Cala Sala. Stops for swimming during the navigation.

At the end of the tour, back to the port and transfer to the city centre to enjoy an orecchiette lunch.

Orecchiette is a type of pasta symbol of the typical Apulian cuisine. They are famous for their characteristic round and concave shape, smooth on the outside and rough and wrinkled inside, reminiscent of a small ear, and for their ability to capture and collect the sauce well. Traditionally, this pasta is made by hand, with a simple dough made with durian what semolina flour, water and salt that is worked on large wooden cutting boards and shaped with the hands and with a smooth blade knife.

Lose your way in a beautiful valley with fascinating whitewashed villages and fairytale atmospheres.

This afternoon we then return to Bari. Upon arrival meet your guide and start your walking tour.

Bari, the stunning capital of Apulia that has become a bridge between the East and West. Discover Bari strolling on the alleys and admiring the waterfront and beautiful churches and theaters. Take part in a fantastic tour of Bari to plunge you into the authentic Apulian lifestyle, living the city as a local resident and breathing in its magical atmosphere. You will start the tour with a pleasant stroll on the enchanting seafront promenade, the longest in Italy. Then go on discovering the alleys of the ancient village, where you can visit the splendid Basilica of St. Nicholas and the Cathedral of San Sabino. After that, you will head to the famous Via Venezia, a panoramic road that surrounds the historic center, located in the famous Venetian district. From here, you will continue the tour admiring the many shopping streets, full of exclusive shops and boutiques of the great Italian fashion designers.

Today departure The medieval castle "Castel del Monte" proudly overlooks the comune of Andria, in the Italian region Apulia, from a hilltop at an altitude of 540m.

Castel del Monte was built by the Holy Roman Emperor of Frederick II in the 13th century. Located in an octagonal shape, with each of the eight corners sporting an octagonal tower. This makes the geometric design of this fortress unique. It was declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1996, and it is one of the best preserved medieval castles in Southern Italy.

Later a short drive takes us to discover one of the Apulian gastronomy delight: the Burrata. Enjoy the tasting of Burrata!

The Burrata di Puglia is a fresh cow's milk cheese characterized by an external layer of mozzarella that encloses a soft and stringy heart enriched with fresh cream. The classic Burrata di Puglia must be white and shiny and its smell must be exclusive of milk especially if you are dealing with a classic Burrata di Puglia.

This afternoon we then continue onto Trani.

Known as the 'Pearl of Puglia', beautiful Trani has a sophisticated feel, particularly in summer when well-heeled visitors pack the array of marina-side bars. The marina is the place to promenade and watch the white yachts and fishing boats in the harbour, while the historic centre, with its medieval churches, glossy limestone streets, historic Jewish quarter and faded yet charming palazzi is an enchanting area to explore. But it's the cathedral, pale against the deep-blue sea, that is the town's most arresting sight.

Back to Bari.

Meet your driver and departure for Locorotondo (literally “Round place”) owes its name to the perfect circularity of its historic center shape which encloses cozy corners, small arches and narrow streets that hardly leave visitors indifferent.

From the height of its viewpoints, you will be enchanted by the spectacular territory characterized by long stretches of woods, vineyards, olive groves, Trulli and farmhouses spread all around.

Later head to Ostuni.

This is the white city, the queen of the olive trees and the nativity city. Nicknames that should be enough to convey the image of one of those photogenic cities, as is also the territory that surrounds it. On the last foothills of the Murge, the town stands out against the green landscape of olive groves. A labyrinthine path, whitewashed houses on streets, winding alleyways and ladders, eight Aragonese towers (there were 15 originally) that dominate the winding streets of the medieval old town.

Upon arrival transfer in a local Masseria for a lunch and tasting of olive oil.

This afternoon we then continue onto Lecce, the city of baroque.

Meet you guide directly at your hotel to discover Lecce

A baroque city kissed by the sun and the beautiful sea, between the white of the local stone and the colours of the earth, Lecce is located in the north-central part of the Salento plain.

Known as the "Florence of the South", Lecce amazes, fascinates and conquers with the archaeological remains of Roman rule and the exuberance of 17th-century baroque, known here as "Lecce Baroque", a unique expression of a popular language with Mediterranean roots.

This afternoon is at leisure to explore Lecce on your own.

A short drive takes us to Galatina one of Puglia’s many hidden gems.

Founded in the 12th century, the town was originally called Sancti Petri in Galatina, recalling Saint Peter’s stopping in the area on his way from Antioch to Rome. It soon assumed a certain commercial relevance and was passed from one noble family to another. The Chiesa of San Pietro e San Paolo, or Chiesa Mattrice, built in 1633, is an impressive example of the kind of elegant sandy-coloured baroque architecture that became so popular in the Salento. Wandering round the old town centre of Galatina, you will be struck by the charming uniformity of its architecture, the laid-back tranquility of its streets and the friendliness of its inhabitants.

We then continue onto Otranto which is certainly one of Puglia's most charming town.

The imposing castle, thick perimeter walls and robust towers (built after the town was liberated from the Turks in the late 15th century) dominate much of the town, giving way to a small port, a series of sea-front promenades with excellent fish restaurants and the town's very own beautiful white sandy beach and turquoise waters. The delightful Romanesque cathedral, dating back to 1088 and boasting extensive 12th-century floor mosaics, is another highlight that should not be missed.

We then drive back to Lecce.

Today meet the driver and departure for Manduria, a generous and fertile land, the 'city of the Messapi' where the famous 'primitivo' is produced.

A full-bodied red DOC wine of very ancient origins: its rows of vines are elegant lines that make the landscape surrounding the town even more beautiful, and its pleasant, velvety flavour has made it famous beyond national borders.

A city of traditional flavours and history, Manduria is also a city of the sea, which has always influenced the life of the village and intertwined with its events. A trace of this ancient link with the sea is the Torre delle Saline, the ruins of which remain today, which was located in the Marina di Manduria and which had a special function: it was not, in fact, as one might suppose, a watchtower, but a fortified building guarding the Salina dei Monaci (Monks' Saltworks), where the salt that was produced in the saltworks itself was stored. Sea in architecture, sea in gestures. Manduria is also told in the traces of this powerful and majestic element.

Today tasting of the Primitivo di Manduria.

With a ruby red colour, it is a full bodied wine, powerful but round. This wine symbolises the indestructable bond between the environment, vineyard and the work of man. The vines are all old and grow in the iron-rich earth, excellent condition for a refined wine, well-structured and with an intense colour, bouquet and taste.

Later this afternoon we then continue to Matera.

Today meet your driver and departure for Altamura, known throughout Italy and beyond for its famous bread: baked in wood-burning ovens and prepared according to ancient tradition, it has a taste and fragrance that are not easily forgotten, so much so that it became the first baked product in Europe to obtain the PDO mark.

Upon arrival meet your English speaking guide and start your unique and unforgettable bread experience.

Later we drive back to Matera also known as the “City of stones” or the “Underground City”.

Are you ready to take an unforgettable journey through an engaging Matera walking tour?

Today meet your guide at your hotel and start your walking tour. An itinerary to discover the Sassi districts through suggestive alleys and hidden "neighborhoods"! A journey through the history of one of the oldest cities in the world!

The city is a maze of zigzagging staircases, steep lanes,cave dwellings and tiny courtyards: it’s a magical and unique landscape in the world.

During your Matera walking tour, you will discover that Matera is famous all over the world for its archaic structures that constitute one of the oldest existing inhabited centres (since around 15,000 B.C), as well as the first site in southern Italy to be included in the list of World Heritage sites by UNESCO.

Matera is so beautiful and inimitable that high-caliber directors, both Italian and international, have seen in this city a great scenographic potential. With its extraordinary layout, dense with winding alleys, stairways and houses carved into the rock, the Sassi di Matera has become the backdrop for auteur films and major film productions like The Passion of the Christ, Ben Hur or Wonder Woman .

So once in the city, during your Matera walking tour, go along the alleys of the Sassi: you will find houses inserted in ancient caves such as those of Vico Solitario, small rupestrian churches and see who will recognize the set of a movie first!

The balance of the day is at leisure.

Meet the driver and departure for Alberobello the capital of the Trulli, extraordinary testimonies of dry-stone construction with conical or pyramid-shaped roofs, will enchant you with an expanse of more than 1,500 trulli that have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996.

The entire Itria Valley is characterised by the presence of these picturesque constructions finding their roots in the prehistoric era, but it is in Alberobello that the highest concentration of the best-preserved examples can be found. Enjoy your independen exploration of teh Trulli area.

Later we then continbue to Castellana to see the Home Caves. Upon arrival meet your private licensed local guide

The “Caves of Castellana”, a vast underground system of karst caves, located approx. 1,5km outside the town of Castellana Grotte, is an important tourist attraction and generally defined as one of the most beautiful and spectacular cave systems in Italy. The caves extend for 3.348 meters total and reach a maximum depth of 122m below street level. Inside the cave system the temperature stays constantly around 16,5°C.

Later we drive back to Matera.

Time to say Goodbye to Apulia.

Our italian-speaking driver will bring you from your hotel and transfer to the airport.