Highlights of Puglia

Our tour starts today in the Adriatic port city of Bari. The old town area of Bari Vecchia is located next to the harbour and is a tangled maze of old streets. One of the main highlights is the Basilica of San Nicola, which legend has it, contains some of the bones of jolly old Saint Nick.

For those arriving on time, our tour leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 6pm for a welcome meeting and for those that wish, there is the chance to go out for dinner. There are no other activities planned today, so you're free to arrive in Bari at any time. Should you miss the welcome meeting, our tour leader will inform you of any essential information as soon as you catch up.

Airport transfers aren't included in this tour but it's easy to reach our hotel in Bari. From the airport, there's a regular train service every 20-30 minutes to Bari Central Station with a journey time of around 20 minutes. Our hotel in Bari is located just five minutes walk from the station. Tickets cost €5. If you'd prefer to take a taxi, there's a rank outside the terminal building - a taxi should cost around €25-30.

If your flight arrives earlier in the day, you might like to take a walk along the Lungomare seaside promenade.

In Puglia, the food revolves around local produce, so the dishes on offer will vary depending on what's in season. A lot of the cuisine is vegetable or cheese based and of course, they make good use of the oil produced from the 60 million olive trees in the region. Over the next week, you can try a range of delicious dishes like fried polenta, tubs of ricotta, mozzarella balls stuffed with cream, orecchiette pasta (known as small ear pasta due to its shape), which is normally served with a sauce made from turnip tops, meat and rice-stuffed peppers or a large array of seafood dishes. The wine is also delicious, with Primitivo red wine being a popular choice.

This morning, we'll leave Bari and head to Altamura, a town famed throughout Italy for its exceptional bread. Here, we'll visit the Forno di Ges\'f9 and enjoy a regular tasting of Pane di Altamura, along with a selection of regional specialties, including taralli savory biscuits flavoured with fennel seeds, focaccia, and pizza. Pane di Altamura is particularly hearty, with loaves traditionally weighing around a kilo, historically sustaining workers labouring in the surrounding fields. The bread is baked in traditional forni stone ovens using oak wood, giving it its distinctive flavour and texture. Afterward, we'll enjoy free time for lunch in Altamura.

We'll continue on to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Castel del Monte. This is one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Southern Italy and is instantly recognizable for its unusual octagonal shape, with a tower at each corner and no roof over the large central courtyard. The architectural design hints at Arabic influences alongside more classical Italian features. Built by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, the castle held enormous importance for the region and is believed to have served as a cultural centre for scholars from across the world. Each part of the structure is thought to conceal philosophical and even alchemical meaning within its unique design. Here, we'll enjoy a locally guided tour of the castle.

Later this afternoon, we'll take a charter bus to Matera, just over the regional border in Basilicata, where we will spend the next two nights. The town is dramatically set along the side of a gorge carved by the Gravina River and is renowned for its ancient Sassi, a UNESCO-listed troglodyte quarter dating back to prehistoric times. Stepping into Matera feels like stepping back through thousands of years of history, as though the cobbled streets and winding stone dwellings have remained largely unchanged for over 7,000 years. It is truly a place that must be seen to be believed, made even more memorable by our stay in a hotel converted from these remarkable Sassi cave dwellings.

During your free time in Matera, you may simply wish to wander at leisure through this extraordinary city and soak up its unique atmosphere. As the day draws to a close, the light of the setting sun casts a warm glow across the ancient stone dwellings, creating a truly memorable scene as the Sassi seem to shimmer in shades of gold and rose. You might also like to browse the small shops and artisan boutiques tucked along the winding lanes, many of which offer locally crafted goods and regional specialties. Later, perhaps pause for a relaxed aperitivo, enjoying a drink while surrounded by Matera's remarkable cave dwellings.

Please note, depending on the size of the group, we may be accommodated across two properties located just a five-minute walk apart.

This morning, a local guide will take us on a walking tour of the Sassi Quarter which is split into two halves - Sassi Caveoso and Sassi Barisano, with the cathedral sitting between them. The city is so unchanged over the centuries that it has frequently been used as a film set for biblical scenes. It's hard to believe it now, but in the 1950s Matera was an embarrassment to the Italian authorities, as many families were living in one-room caves, in poor conditions and poverty was rife. The families were helped and re-housed and the city cleaned up it's now a treasured historic city that was the European Capital of Culture in 2019.

After spending the morning exploring the cobbled lanes, rock-carved churches and caves, we'll have the afternoon free to discover more, or you might like to take a taxi to neighbouring Gravina. Gravina is a historic town that has retained much of its character. The buildings here line the sides of a deep river gorge with a Roman bridge connecting them. The highlight of the town however is the Gravina Sotterranea, which is an underground network of meandering passageways that run beneath the city through caves and cellars where you can find rock-carved churches under the houses above. This remarkable underground labyrinth has only recently been discovered. If you wish to join this optional excursion, it must be booked with the Tour Leader the previous day. A minimum of seven participants is required in order to arrange an English-speaking guide and transportation.

This morning, we'll drive to an agriturismo in Putignano or in the surrounding area for a cheese tasting. Agriturismos are traditional country farms that have opened up their doors to visitors, everything here is homemade. After seeing how the cheese is produced and exploring the farm and gardens, we'll sample their delicious food, which usually includes freshly braided mozzarella.

Our first stop in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed town of Alberobello is the Cantina Albea Winery and Museum. After having a guided tour and learning about the different wines of Puglia, we'll get to sample the award-winning wines that they produce. The small town of Alberobello is famous for its unusual trulli round houses with their whitewashed dry stone walls and pointed 'witches hat' tiled roofs and we spend the next two nights in these unique buildings. After our wine tasting, we'll take a pleasant walk through the Trullis to our hotel. Trullis or trullos as they're also known are either built singly or in groups of up to five which would have originally been occupied by a single family.

After checking in to our Trullis, our tour leader will take us on a walk of the town to learn about the history and to help us get our bearings. The town is divided into two districts - Rione Aia Piccola and Rione Monti. On our walk, we'll see Trullo Sovrano, built by a wealthy priest in the 18th century it is the only two-floor Trulli house and it's now a museum, and the Trullo Church with its domed towers and curved windows looks like a stretched trulli and was built far later in 1927.

This evening is free for you to experience more of the town. There are several restaurants and shops and typically Italian bars along the main street of Largo Martellotta.

Today is free for you to relax among the Trullis or to venture further afield for more sightseeing. You may wish to spend the day on the coast with a visit to Monopoli, reached by taxi in approximately 30 minutes. The cost of the journey is typically in the region of €35-€50 per vehicle each way, depending on time of day and availability. This charming seaside town is known for its defensive sea walls, historic cathedral and even a castle. The tall, whitewashed buildings and weathered stone ramparts contrast beautifully with the vivid blue waters of the Adriatic, where traditional fishing boats rest in the harbour. Narrow sandy beaches line the shoreline, offering the perfect opportunity to enjoy a swim or simply soak up the coastal atmosphere.

Alternatively, you might like to explore the Castellana Caves. Here you can discover subterranean world of stalactites, stalagmites and ancient fossils. These extraordinary limestone formations began taking shape around 90 million years ago, creating a spectacular underground landscape.

For those preferring to stay closer to Alberobello, the nearby town of Locorotondo is just a short train ride away (around 10 minutes each way). Despite its proximity, the town presents a strikingly different architectural style, with tall, narrow rectangular buildings clustered tightly together, their tiled gable roofs and whitewashed walls giving the hilltop settlement the appearance of a gleaming white fortress.

We'll leave the trullis and head to Masseria Frantoio Ipogeo, which has an underground olive press originally created by monks in the limestone caves that form here naturally. The monks realised the importance of keeping the olive oil at a constant temperature for it to last and to get the best flavour, and the caves offered the perfect solution.

Next, we drive to the historic seafront town of Otranto, where our tour leader will guide us to the cathedral to admire the remarkable 'Tree of Life' mosaic floor. This will be followed by a brief orientation walk through the maze of narrow alleys, giving a sense of the town's charming streets and hidden corners.

The rest of the afternoon is free to enjoy at your leisure. You may choose to stop for lunch in one of the town's cafés or trattorias, take a stroll along the seafront promenade, or enjoy a refreshing dip in the crystal-clear waters near the old town walls. Alternatively, relax with an aperitivo or gelato while soaking up the laid-back atmosphere of the harbour. You may like to visit the local artisan shops showcasing ceramics, food specialties, and handmade crafts.

For those wishing to explore further, the imposing Castello Aragonese offers panoramic views of the Adriatic.

Later this afternoon, we'll drive on to Lecce, which is nicknamed the 'Florence of the south' due to its rich Baroque heritage seen in the city's palaces, churches and statues made from the local cream-coloured limestone.

This evening is free for you to have dinner and explore the city.

We'll start today with a guided walking tour of Lecce to see the Basilica di Santa Croce, Piazza del Duomo (cathedral square) and the cathedral itself. The Baroque basilica took over two centuries to construct and has a richly decorated facade with carved figures and topped with a large rose window.

Following our tour the rest of the day is free. In the city, you'll find a Roman amphitheatre, a statue of Saint Oronzo, which is said to have healing powers and the Triumphal Arch, which is one of the three main gates into the old centre. You might choose to visit the Museo Faggiano, which will give you an even greater insight into the city's long history.

The trip ends after breakfast at our hotel in Lecce.

The included airport transfer to Bari International Airport - Karol Wojtyla (BRI) departs at 6am from Lecce, which is just over two hours by train with a change at Bari Central Station. If your flight isn't departing until later, you can still travel to Bari Central Station where there are luggage storage facilities at the station. You're then free to go into the city to explore independently.

Alternatively, you can choose to spend longer in Lecce in the morning and then travel by train to Bari Central and on to Bari Airport at a time of your choosing at your own cost. Luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel.

Please note, according to the current timetable (which is subject to change), the earliest you can reach Bari Airport by train is 8.45am. Please do not book a departing flight earlier than 12pm. Some airlines may require more than the standard two-hour check-in time, so we recommend checking your airline's requirements before booking your flight. If you need to arrive at the airport before 8.45am, please contact our sales team. They can arrange a private transfer for you at an additional cost.