5 Days Puglia

DAY  1 VALLE D‘ ITRIA: TRULLI OF ALBEROBELLO and LOCOROTONDO WINE EXPERIENCE

Explore the fairytale town Alberobello, UNESCO World Heritage site, with its hobbit-like trulli houses with conical roofs decorated by zodiac or religious signs. An exceptional example of construction techniques – built without cement and with condition to keep them cool in summer and warm in winter.

• Visit Alberobello with local certified guide;
• Visit the church of Sant’Antonio, the only one with a Trullo shape;
• Taste the famous rosoli (home made liqueurs);
• Meet an master trullaro and learn about techniques used in the construction of trulli;
• Visit a typical trullo of a local family;
• Follow with a tour of Locorotondo, the city of white wine, charming town with the flowering balconies and rich in typical Pugliese character where we will have a unique wine tasting experience.

DAY 2: POLIGNANO A MARE and MONOPOLI

Discover Polignano a Mare, beautiful town full of churches, narrow streets and charm, where famous handwritten poems and quotes adorn stairs, walls and doors giving to this town a romantic atmosphere. Polignano is also hometown of famous Italian singer Domenico Modugno and of Italy´s unique cave restaurant la Grotta Palazzese. Experience its breathtaking beach Lama Monachile, which is every year the scene of the Red Bull Cliff Diving competition.

• Guided tour in Polignano a Mare;
• Meet the famous local artisan famous for his glass mosaic lamps and enjoy a private tour of his spectacular atelier;
• Light lunch in favourite seafood & fish street food restaurant;
• Boat trip excursion – admire the spectacular seascape of Polignano with many grottos and the coves that have been created by the sea over millennia. Enjoy a swim in crystal clear water and Italian aperitivo on board.
• Evening tour in picturesque town of Monopoli & Dinner in one of the beautiful seaside restaurants.

If interested, ask us to make a booking in advance for lunch or dinner at Grotta Palazzese restaurant!

DAY 3 :  THE BREAD OF ALTAMURA & ANCIENT CAVE CITY OF MATERA

Altamura is famous for its Pane di Altamura DOP bread. The production method together with the quality of ingredients make it becoming a celebrity among Italian quality breads. Matera, the 2019 European City of Culture, is 9000 years old and it is considered the third oldest continually inhabited city in the world.  Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offers unique and magical moments walking down the narrow streets and visiting The Sassi, the ancient cave dwellings. More than 50 films and TV productions were shot here, including Pier Paolo Pasolini’s The Gospel According to St Matthew, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ and the latest James Bond´s adventure – The Time to Die.

• Visit a local bakery in Altamura and learn what makes the bread of Altamura special;
• Follow with a 2,5 hour walking tour in Matera with your private certified local guide;
• Visit a rupestrian church built by Oriental Monks;
• Taste typical products of Matera;
• Visit local artisan specialized in local traditional ceramics and paper maché statues;
• Visit one of the typically furnished cave-houses;
• Quick trip down the underground cathedral of water – the enormous cistern with a maximum capacity of five million liters;
• Watch a beautiful sunset over the town from the unique watching point.

If you decide to stay in  Matera for a night, ask us for a special cave hotel where rooms are housed in the famous ‘Sassi’ caves and where the old underground cisterns, once used to collect rainwater, were renovated to special wellness centre. Do not forget to book your table in Michelin star restaurant directly in Sassi!

DAY 4: BAROQUE LECCE and OTRANTO

Marvellous city of  Lecce, nicknamed the ‘Florence of the South’ , is a baroque masterpiece with its old town overflowing of Baroque churches and palaces. It is one of the most important cities in Puglia also due to the richness of this city’s artisanal activities, one of the reason why DIOR chose it for its CRUISE Collection 2021 Fashion Show. Otranto, the easternmost Italian city, considered since the antiquity a natural bridge between the Mediterranean area and the East. It still preserves the traces of the meeting among different cultures and tells us the history of the permanent danger represented by the Turks.

• Walking tour of Lecce: Oronzo Square and the Roman Amphitheater built in the Augustan age in order to entertain up to 14.000 spectators; Piazza Duomoamazes with its architectural complex of richly decorated palaces which surrounds a small square; Basilica of Santa Croce with the ex Convento dei Celestini enchants at the first sight;
• A tasty insight into the best spots to taste traditional sweet pasticciotti (little custard pies) and typical Caffè leccese (iced coffee with almond syrup);
• Visit Papier-mâché workshops that show another excellence of this territory which tells a lot about Lecce´s tradition and history;
• Go shopping along the fashionable Corso Vittorio Emanuele;
• Follow with a tour of historical centre of Otranto: be prepared to be stunned by the imposing mosaic floor of the ‘tree of life’ of the city’s Cathedral that dates back to the 12th Century and the Skulls of the Martyrs arranged in tall glass cases.

• The guided walking tour in Castel del Monte with a professional tour guide will trace theUNESCO monument history;
• Lets then visit Bari and begin the street food tour in the old town Bari Vecchia, a small world into itself;
• Discover the famous street of “orecchiette” where the nice local ladies prepare hand made fresh pasta;
• Discover Basilica of St. Nicolas, one of the principal places of Christianity of the city, that holds the bones of the Saint Nicolas, the real Santa Claus;
• panoramic walk to visit Piazza del Ferrarese, Palazzo dell’Acquedotto Pugliese, the Norman-Swabian castle, the red Petruzzelli Theatre;
• Dinner in one of the best seafood restaurant in Bari.