8 DAYS PUGLIA SMALL GROUP GUIDED TOUR

Day 1 — Arrival in Puglia: Welcome to Ostuni, the White City
Benvenuti in Puglia! Your small group tour of Puglia starts in the afternoon at our hotel in Ostuni, the charming hilltop town known as la Città Bianca, the White City, for its bright whitewashed historic center.
You can fly into Bari Palese airport or take a train to Bari Centrale station. A private transfer to the hotel can be arranged on request.

After checking in, you'll meet your local tour guide for a welcome drink and a brief introduction to the days ahead. 
Next, enjoy a relaxing guided walking tour through Ostuni's atmospheric old town, which sits atop a hill and offers stunning views of ancient olive groves that stretch down to the Adriatic Sea. The evening is free for you to relax at your own pace.

Meals: – / – / –
Accommodation: 4-star hotel, Ostuni city center


Day 2 — Bari Old Town & Polignano a Mare Coastal Village
Today's journey follows the Adriatic coast to Bari, the vibrant capital of Puglia. A guided tour through Bari Vecchia, the old town, brings you face to face with local tradition: watch Apulian women hand-rolling orecchiette pasta right outside their homes, a craft passed down for generations. 
Lunch introduces you to authentic Puglia cuisine, with traditional Apulian seafood and regional wine. 
In the afternoon, we continue to Polignano a Mare, a striking fishing village built into a rocky cliff above the sea. A guided walk through its historic center reveals houses and terraces overlooking turquoise waters, followed by a tasting of Polignano's famous handmade gelato in a local gelateria — considered among the best in Puglia. Return to the hotel in Ostuni.

Meals: B / L / –
Accommodation: 4-star hotel, Ostuni city center


Day 3 — Matera UNESCO World Heritage Site & the Sassi Cave Dwellings
After breakfast, we travel just across the regional border into Basilicata to discover Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous worldwide for its Sassi — an ancient city of houses carved directly into the rock, inhabited since the Stone Age. Rupestrian churches, cave dwellings, and winding stone streets create a landscape so evocative that Mel Gibson chose it as the filming location for The Passion of the Christ. 
A guided walking tour through the Sassi includes a visit to a Casa Grotta museum, a cave house fully furnished as it would have appeared in the past. 
Lunch is at leisure, with your guide recommending local trattorias for authentic Basilicata dishes. Return to the hotel in Ostuni in the afternoon.

Meals: B / - / -
Accommodation: 4-star hotel, Ostuni city center


Day 4 — Alberobello's UNESCO Trulli Houses & Olive Oil Tasting in the Itria Valley
Today we explore the Itria Valley, one of Puglia's most picturesque landscapes, dotted with hilltop villages, vineyards, and endless olive groves. 
In Alberobello, the "capital of the trulli," a guided walking tour leads you through the UNESCO World Heritage trulli district and the Aia Piccola quarter, where locals still live in these fairytale 14th-century stone houses with their distinctive conical roofs. 
Lunch is served in a charming trullo restaurant, featuring traditional Apulian dishes paired with local wine. 
In the afternoon, visit a family-run farmhouse for an extra virgin olive oil tasting experience, surrounded by centuries-old olive trees often described as living sculptures of nature.

Meals: B / L / -
Accommodation: 4-star hotel, Ostuni city center


Day 5 — Monopoli Fishing Village & Farm-to-Table Mozzarella Experience
Today's discovery is Monopoli, a charming Adriatic fishing village. Its history as a Byzantine and Norman-era seaport made it a frequent target of pirate raids. Now, it features a beautifully preserved old town to explore. 
Afterward, we visit a local organic farm known for its Apulian dairy production. Here, you'll taste fresh mozzarella, burrata, and other artisanal cheeses straight from the source. The farm's owner prepares a traditional family-style lunch and demonstrates the centuries-old art of hand-making mozzarella. This offers a true farm-to-table experience at the heart of Puglia's culinary identity.

Meals: B / L / -
Accommodation: 4-star hotel, Ostuni city center


Day 6 — Apulian wine experience and Otranto
In the morning, after breakfast and Hotel check-out, we will move to Salento area, the South part of Puglia region.
Visit a local winery. Your wine expert guide will show you the vineyards and the cellar where you will learn about grape varieties and wine production in this part of Italy.
Finally enjoy your lunch with the tasting of different Apulian wines: white, rosè and red paired with Apulian typical food. 
In the afternoon we will visit Otranto, the eastern point of Italy, called also “the door to the East”.
Walking tour through the historical downtown and visit of the ancient cathedral famous for its grandiose mosaic floor. Get lost in the narrow streets of Otranto old town and admire the impressive panorama of the blue-green Adriatic Sea. Transfer to Lecce city and check-in at the Hotel.

Meals: B / L / -
Accommodation: 4-star Hotel, Lecce city center


Day 7 — Lecce “the Florence of the Southern Italy”
Today we will visit Lecce, the main city of the Salento area. The superb beauty of its churches and elegant noble buildings attracts a great number of visitors, because this city is the capital of the Baroque art in the South. For this reason, Lecce is called “the Florence of the Southern Italy”. Guided walking tour through the historical center with the Duomo of Lecce, the Roman amphitheater and the beautiful Basilica of Santa Croce.
You’ll enjoy an Arrivederci - farewell lunch with the group at a local restaurant in Lecce.
Afternoon at your disposal for shopping, relaxation or visit more of the Baroque beauties of Lecce.

Meals: B / L / -
Accommodation: 4-star Hotel, Lecce city center


Day 8 — Departure
Breakfast and Hotel check-out. Say goodbye to the group as you leave ‘Italy’s heel’!
Upon request, we can arrange for you, private transfers to the airport/train station.

Meals: B / - / -