Weekend in Apulia

Arrival by GT coach in Itria Valley, and typical Apulian lunch in the white town of Ostuni at a typical restaurant. Guided tour of Ostuni. Ostuni is a beautiful town just 8 km from the coast. Its historic center is a citadel built on top of a hill and still fortified by ancient walls. Ostuni is an architectural gem and is called "The White City" because of its white walls and the beautiful white alleys of its historic center, typically painted white with lime. In the surrounding countryside there are typical Apulian farmhouses and large expanses of centuries-old olive trees. Next we will move to the countryside of Cisternino, a charming village recognized by the Touring Club as an Orange Flag town. Excursion to a salumificio that produces traditional cured meats in the heart of the Itria Valley and we will taste capocollo, a Slow Food Presidium. This area has always been devoted, by tradition and ideal climate, to the production of high quality cured meats because the flavor of the cured meats in the curing phase takes shape thanks to the air, which blows in from the Adriatic or Ionian seas depending on the winds. Tasting of cured meats and typical local products. Walk through Locorotondo, included in the list of Authentic Villages of Italy and also an Orange Flag village. Locorotondo rises neat and silent on the top of a hill overlooking the beautiful Itria Valley, known for its trulli, cultivated fields, centuries-old olive trees and dry stone walls. Harmoniously rounded as the place name itself suggests, Locorotondo owes its name to the morphology assumed by the first town, which arose around 1000. Famous for its white wine and meat on the stove. Relaxation in the village. Afterwards, accommodation and dinner in splendid 4* masseria in Itria Valley. Free evening.

Breakfast at the masseria and departure for the heart of Puglia. Guided tour of the UNESCO site of Alberobello. Alberobello is a hilltop village famous for its trulli. Alberobello is the world capital of trulli and a UNESCO site. A trullo is a small dry-stone house with a traditional Apulian conical dome. Style found throughout the Itria Valley and the Murge area. Trulli were built as temporary rural shelters, warehouses, or actual houses by smallholders or farm laborers. This will be followed by a demonstration of stone working, tasting of local rosoli, and a visit to the Albea Wine Museum & Winery, with tasting of local wines and a typical Apulian light lunch. After lunch, we will continue to the Baroque city of Martina Franca, home of Slow food and wine. Martina Franca is an elegant town overlooking the enchanting Itria Valley. The characteristic historic center, is a splendid example of Baroque art, with its narrow streets, white alleys, stately palaces and majestic, monumental churches. Martina Franca enjoys a rich landscape dotted with the ancient "casedde," the famous trulli, and the typical buildings of the masserie, precious testimonies of rural archaeology. Famous for its Slow Food Presidium, capocollo and the native species of Martina Franca donkey. Not to be missed: the Ducal Palace and the Cathedral of San Martino. Walk and relax in town. Return to the farmhouse, dinner and live folk dance music show and demonstration of ancient crafts with original tools. This festival will make you relive the ancient productions of Puglia: the work in the fields, the feast and the ancient processing of typical crafts. is a tribute to the Apulian land and its typical productions such as wheat, grapes, almonds and olives.

Breakfast and departure with luggage in tow. We will drive along the Adriatic coast to Polignano a Mare. Polignano is a wonderful town on the Adriatic. Native town of the first modern songwriter Domenico Modugno for his now internationally renowned song "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)." Its historic center is on cliffs overlooking the sea, where balconies and flower-filled alleys offer a truly poetic and exciting setting. Polignano has also been awarded the Blue Flag, a certificate from the FEE for its high environmental standards of water quality. Typical aperitif at the splendid "Grotta Palazzese," the most beautiful of Polignano a Mare's sea caves. Free time and shopping. Traditional lunch at a restaurant in the city center and departure for the return journey.