10 nights Tour Apulia 14-24 June 2023

Arrival at Bari airport, city tour.
Today we will go to discover the city of Bari, the capital of Puglia,
located on the Adriatic Sea, it is the second economic center of
southern Italy.
Bari is famous for its harbour, its university, and with its Basilica,
is considered the city of Saint Nicholas. It has the longest
seafront in Italy and its old town, ‘Bari Vecchia’, is a mixture of
narrow alleys, scents and colours.
Welcome Lunch in a famous restaurant Opera in Bari’s center.
Free time in Bari.
Bus transfer in 4-stars hotel in Itria Valley.
Check-in in hotel.
Dinner in hotel.

Breakfast and departure to Castellana Caves.
The complete tour of the Caves of Castellana starts in the
“Grave”, the first and most extensive cavern of the underground
system, a unique space that is naturally connected to the
outside world. The cave boasts a length of 100 meters, is 50
meters wide and 60 meters deep. Numerous stalagmites are
featured on the ground, and the most majestic group of them
(named Cyclops) dominates the center of the cave.
The excursion through the grottoes winds along corridors and
spaces which vary in shape and dimension.
Stalactites, stalagmites, flow-stones, columns and invaluable
crystals stand out along the entire route. The names given to
these spaces are fruit of the early explorers’ imagination and
recall shapes believed to be recognized in the various rock
formations.

Departure to Polignano a Mare.
Lunch in Polignano a Mare and city tour.
Polignano a Mare is a wonderful town on the Adriatic coast and
the native city of singer-songwriter, Domenico Modugno, known
for his internationally famous song, “Volare”. The Old Town is
situated on cliffs overlooking the sea, where floral balconies and
alleys create truly poetic and moving scenery. Polignano was
awarded Blue Flag, certification by the FEE, for its environmental
and water quality standards.
Free time in Polignano a Mare.
Return to hotel.

Dinner in hotel with pizzica dance.
Pizzica is a popular Italian folk dance, originally from the Salento
peninsula in Apulia and later spreading throughout the rest of
Apulia and the regions of Calabria and eastern Basilicata. It is
part of the larger family of tarantella.

Breakfast at hotel and departure for the Bassa Murgia area,
home to mozzarella and Primitivo wine.
Visit to a working masseria farmhouse, which produces high
quality and wholesome salami and cheese in the beautiful,
tranquil and uncontaminated countryside of Putignano.
The farm produces and sells local organic produce and is
dedicated to the promotion of environmentally sustainable and
healthy food production. Locally sourced products, direct from
producer to consumer, ensure good quality and value for money.

Departure to Alberobello, lunch and city tour.
Lunch in restaurant with trulli «Trullo D’Oro».
Alberobello is a small town located in the hills, famous for its
trulli. It is also the world capital of trulli and a UNESCO site.
A trullo is a small, drystone constructed, traditional Apulian
house with a conical roof, which are found throughout central
Apulia.
Free time and return to hotel. Dinner in hotel.

Breakfast and departure for Matera, home to durum wheat flour
bread production.
In the morning, there is a visit to a bakery Forno di Gennaro.

Later, there is a guided tour of Matera. Matera, an unique city
and UNESCO World Heritage Site, is famous for its Old Town, the
Sassi; amazing cavities dug into the rock that have been used as
houses for centuries, and were still in use up until 50 years ago.
They are urban settlements, testimony to rock-construction
architecture, and folk civilization. Matera has become very
famous, due to its natural breathtaking scenery, exploited by
many filmmakers, for example in “The Passion” by Mel Gibson.
Free time in Matera.
Return to hotel. Dinner in hotel.

Breakfast in hotel and departure to Grottaglie.
Grottaglie is a city in the province of Taranto and was built on a
whole rock of limestone. The countryside that surrounds the city
is full of deep ravines that open the ground into the heart of the
limestone-rock which has formed breathtaking caves. For this
reason the city was named Grottaglie, from the Latin ‘Kriptalys’,
which means several caves. This small town famous for its
ceramics is an irresistible mix of elegance, history and lots of art.
Later, master class on the production of ceramics, where we will
make ceramic products with our own hands .

Departure to Taranto, lunch and city tour.
Taranto, surrounded by the Ionian sea, was founded by colonists
from the Greek city of Sparta. It is the symbolic city of Magna
Grecia and the Mediterranean.
Must-see: city centre, 2 harbours, castle and archeological
museum.
Return to hotel and free evening.
Dinner in hotel.

Breakfast in hotel and departure for Molfetta for city tour.
Molfetta is a town located 30-minute away from Bari,
overlooking the sea and a few kilometers from the cities of Trani
and Barletta.
Located directly at sea, has a long promenade and a beautiful
old port – perfect for a long walk at sunset.
The port has always harbored an active fishing fleet.
The origins of Molfetta are very ancient and many historical
events took place in the city. From the era of Byzantine
domination, passing through Frederick II of Swabia, Molfetta was
considered of strategic importance thanks to its center
overlooking the sea, which favored commercial exchanges.

Departure to Trani, lunch and city tour.
Trani is an elegant seaside town with a thriving marina and a
quaint historic centre. It is on the Adriatic coast in the Puglia
region of southern Italy. It is a popular seaside destination for
chic Italians who like to promenade along the marina and lunch
at the waterfront restaurants. Its name comes from Tirenum as
according to legend it was founded by Tirreno, son of Diomedes.
The city is well known for the beauty of its port and an immense
historical architectonic patrimony, reminiscent of a glorious past.
The origin of the city dates back the prehistoric age but the first
historical artifacts that have been found date back the period of
the Roman Empire. After the fall of the Empire the city was
conquered by the Byzantine Empire and later on in medieval
times it had an important economic and cultural development,
thanks to its port the city was in fact a crossroads between East
and West.
Return to hotel and free evening. Dinner in hotel.

Guided tour of Ostuni, an architectural jewel, is also known as
the “White City”, for its traditionally whitewashed walls and
alleys in the Old Town.
Free time and departure to hotel.
Check-in and welcome-drink in Resort Mulino a Vento.
Dinner in hotel.

Breakfast in hotel and departure for a day in Salento, in the
southern part of Apulia.
First stop is at the Masseria L’Astore for cooking class followed
by lunch with prepared dishes and wine tasting.
Masseria L’Astore is the ideal place to immerse yourself at 360
degrees in the culture, typicality and tradition of the land of
Salento. Surrounded by about 100 hectares of vineyards and olive
groves, in Cutrofiano in the heart of the heel of Italy equidistant
from Gallipoli and Otranto, will guide you in the history of oil by
visiting the underground oil mill of 700 ‘among the largest in
Salento and in the underground cellar, the cathedral of wine,
where you will be inebriated by hints of aging wines.

Departure for Otranto.
Otranto is the most eastern city in Italy: the Cape of Otranto is
the eastern geographical point of the Italian peninsula. To see
the historic center and the castle, thanks to which Otranto has
been included among the most beautiful villages in Italy.
Return to hotel. Guided tour in English of the ancient oil mill
‘Mulino a Vento’ and tasting of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in their Wine
Bar which includes the tasting of two types of Salento EVO oil
combined with typical Apulian bread.
Dinner in hotel.

Breakfast in hotel and departure for the Salento area.
The visit to Castle Monaci. More than 3,000 olive trees and a
200-hectar vineyard surround the castle, in a wonderful scenario,
lit by the sun. There, a tuff wine cellar treasures an infinite
series of barrique and the nearby museum celebrates and tells
the story of these grapevines.
This marvellous wine opportunity is fully exploited by Castello
Monaci, organizing a special Wine Experience with wine makers
and sommeliers who will take you through the vineyards secrets,
the wine cellar’s special tools and the story displayed in the
museum. The tours end with wine tasting. A journey through the
wine making of Salento that you can experience inside the estate
of Castello Monaci. The perfect solution for the wine tourists
who want to deepen their knowledge of the world famous wines
of Apulia.

Transfer to Lecce, lunch in restaurant and guided tour.
Historical Lecce is the main city of Salento, at the tip of the
Italian heel. As the capital city of the Apulian Baroque, it is often
called “The Florence of the South”, due to its many artistic
monuments, realized using the soft and malleable Lecce stone.
Return to hotel. Dinner in hotel.

Free morning in hotel and departure to Gallipoli, city tour.
The pearl of the Ionian Sea, Bella Città is the meaning of the
name Gallipoli, a seaside city lying like a mirage on the Ionian
coast. The ancient village, perched on an island of limestone, is
connected to the mainland and the new town by a twin-century
arch bridge, recently flanked by another bridge to the port. The
walls, bastions and towers, which once protected the city from
the invaders, today repair it from the boulders giving it a
fascination of other times. Before landing in the old town with its
cobbled streets, from which it often balances with a sea shell, it
is worth slowing down the walk with a stop at the true fish
market, located in the original moat of the imposing castle, to
fight with the real gallipolini the fish of the day.

Angioinian fortress, almost completely surrounded by the sea,
recently restored, is accessible from the Old Town and offers the
possibility to immerse yourself in history through towers,
galleries, corridors and majestic salt. The old town seems to
announce itself with the Greek Fountain, a monument of
Renaissance origin, with a baroque pediment, while the shadow
of the parades in the sea overlook the Sanctuary of Santa Maria
del Canneto and the Chapel of Santa Cristina, protector of the
city, holy loved by the men of the sea.
Lunch in restaurant in city center.
Free time for walking and shopping.
Return to Hotel and dinner

Departure to airport Bari Palese.