8 DAYS PUGLIA SMALL GROUP GUIDED TOUR

Day 1  Arrival in Puglia – Ostuni – welcome dinner

Arrival in Puglia region. We suggest to flight to Bari international airport.
Upon request, we will arrange for you, a private transfer from the airport/train station to your Hotel.
After settling into the comforts of your charming hotel in the heart of Ostuni, take advantage of a leisure time to rest up.
Ostuni is best known as “la città Bianca” (the white city) for its historical downtown houses completely white painted, a tradition the inhabitants still keep on for centuries.
It's built on the top of the hill and from there you can admire a wonderful landscape of thousands of centuries-old olive trees and at the horizon the deep blue Adriatic Sea.
In the afternoon your local guide will wait for you at the reception for the welcome to Puglia and give you all the information about the tour.
Your Puglia experience begins with a welcome dinner based on traditional food and wine!

Meals: - / - / D
Accommodation: 4-star Hotel in Ostuni

Day 2  Matera UNESCO site                                                               

After breakfast, meeting with your driver and tour guide. We will visit Matera city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site best known for the Sassi di Matera, an ancient city with houses that have been excavated into the rocks and inhabited since the Stone Age. 
Rupestrian churches, houses, caves, and ancient streets create a unique and suggestive landscape, where Mel Gibson chose to shoot the movie, The Passion of the Christ. Matera for sure is one of the unique places to visit in this part of Italy!
You will enjoy a fascinating walking tour through the unique and ancient Sassi di Matera and visit a Casa Grotta Museum (ancient cave house) fully furnished as it was in the past. 
You will be fascinated by the beauty of Matera's old city that looks like a living nativity.
Lunch on your own. Your local guide will be able to point you in the right direction if you want to experience your lunch in a cave restaurant!  Return to the Hotel.

Meals: B / - / -
Accommodation: 4-star Hotel in Ostuni

Day 3 Unbelievable olive trees – Polignano a Mare – Bari

Today, your driver will take you through the peaceful countryside of this part of Southern Italy. 
Puglia has more than 60 million olive trees and it’s the leading producer of extra-virgin olive oil in Italy with around 40% of the country's production. We will stop in a charming area close to the sea where you will admire olive trees considered real "sculptures of nature" because they are more than 1.000 years old!
Our trip continues with the visit of Polignano a Mare, a characteristic Mediterranean fishing village that stands on a rocky cliff. Guided walking tour through the historical downtown with its houses and terraces directly overlooking the sea and gelato tasting in a local gelateria, where you can enjoy an authentic hand-made gelato. Polignano is famous for its handcrafted gelato! 
Lunch in a local restaurant based on traditional Apulian seafood and wine. 
In the afternoon visit of Bari, Puglia's capital city. Guided tour through the old town and visit of the Basilica of St Nicholas which houses the relics of the Bari’s Patron Saint.  
Visit of the old quarter known as Bari Vecchia we will see where local ladies still make Orecchiette pasta by hand sitting outside their houses. Their speed and precision will amaze you! Return to the Hotel.

Meals: B / L / -
Accommodation: 4-star Hotel in Ostuni

Day 4  Mozzarella experience – Alberobello UNESCO site – Locorotondo – dinner in Masseria      

In the morning we will visit a local farm famous for the production of Apulian organic cheese. You can taste freshly hand-made excellent Mozzarella and other Apulian cheeses!
Then enjoy sightseeing another unique place to visit in Italy, Alberobello “the capital of Trulli houses”, a UNESCO Site. Trulli are ancient 14th century stone houses with a round shape and a conical roof; they are an icon of the region. In fact, this peaceful part of Southern Italy is the only place in the world where they have ever existed.
Guided walking tour along the picturesque Trulli district and the Aia Piccola area where some local people still live in these fairytale houses. Free time for yourself and lunch on your own.
In the afternoon visit of Locorotondo, the old town layout follows a circular plan, with narrow and concentric arranged streets lined with whitewashed houses called "Cummerse". Return to the Hotel and free time for yourself.
Tonight we will arrange your dinner in a beautiful and charming place, a Masseria of 1600 located in the peaceful Apulian countryside. The Masseria (old farmhouse) is famous for organic vegetables, fruit, and extra-virgin olive oil production. Before dinner extra virgin olive oil tasting where we will explain to you how to recognize a real Extra Virgin Olive Oil and which are its health benefits.

Meals: B / - / D
Accommodation: 4-star Hotel in Ostuni

Day 5  Day at Leisure – extra activities on request

Today is yours to spend as you wish. 
Relax and enjoy on your own this unique part of Italy. Sitting in the “piazza” (town square) drinking a cappuccino or eating a gelato….what a better way to enjoy la Dolce Vita!
Our staff will be at your disposal to recommend you places to visit, local restaurants, or to arrange for your extra activities like sightseeing in other authentic Italian small villages, bike and boat tours, cooking classes, food and wine tastings…

Meals: B / - / -
Accommodation: 4-star Hotel in Ostuni

Day 6  Otranto – Apulian wine tasting

In the morning after your Hotel check-out, we will move to Salento area, the South part of Puglia region and 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 created between 1163 and 1165. Covering 65 square meters (700 square feet), the mosaic is a depiction of the Tree of Life with images decorating its spreading branches. 
Get lost in the narrow streets of Otranto old town and admire the impressive panorama of the blue-green Adriatic Sea. Lunch at your leisure. 
In the afternoon we will 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 tasting of different Apulian wines: white, rosè and red!
Check-in at your Hotel in Lecce city and free time for yourself.

Meals: B / - / -
Accommodation: 4-star Hotel in Lecce

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 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 2nd century Roman amphitheater and the beautiful Basilica of Santa Croce. Lecce is also famous for the cartapesta (papier-mâché art). Enjoy yourself walking in the historical downtown of Lecce and discover the papier-mâché workshops where artisans create hand-made statues and puppets with the same techniques as in the past!
If you are a foodie, you can’t miss the local specialty: the typical Pasticciotto Leccese! It's a sweet pastry filled with delicious cream and cooked in the oven, so yummy!
Lunch in a local restaurant based on cucina Salentina, the typical cuisine from the Salento area.

Meals: B / L / -
Accommodation: 4-star Hotel in Lecce

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 transfer to the airport/train station.

Meals: B / - / -