Puglia & the Amalfi Coast

DAY 1 ARRIVAL IN BARI, PUGLIA 

Arrival in lively Bari. Reach your luxurious hotel.

Hotel: Masseria Torre Maizza 

DAY 2 PUGLIA – CONE-SHAPED TRULLI DWELLINGS 

Day devoted to explore central Puglia, beginning in crown-shaped Locorotondo which is one of  the most lovely villages in Italy. It stands on a top of a hill overlooking the countryside. The colourful town is characterized by whitewashed, flower-adorned houses with stone staircases and balconies. Proceed with your personal driver to Cisternino: enjoy wandering through the alleys, climb staircases and walk beneath arches marked with decorative figureheads which should ward off evil spirits. Meet a local butcher, who has been providing superior cuts to locals since 1948. Taste a chef-prepared meal in this characteristic locality.

Reach the town of Alberobello: a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Peculiar place for its co e-shaped trulli dwellings. In the 15th century, they were built to be houses for immigrants, without binding materials, to be quickly demolished to avoid property taxes. Meet a ‘maestro’ trullaro, one of  the few remaining locals still building trulli the old fashioned way (subject to availability). If the weather is fine, you can also visit the breathtaking medieval village of Polignano a Mare. Enjoy a seafood aperitif with a glass of local wine at a traditional restaurant in front of the sea.

Back to your hotel.

Evening free. 

Hotel: Masseria Torre Maizza | Meals: Breakfast 

DAY 3 LECCE – LIQUID GOLD 

After breakfast, head south to Lecce. Stop en-route and visit an olive oil producer at an ancient ‘masseria’ (farming estate). See how olives are pressed and sample a variety of local olive oils. Learn how olives have been central to the region’s developement since Roman times, including its hey-day, when its oil was considered ‘liquid gold’, a commodity once used to fuel all the streetlights in London.

Next stop is at the “White City” of Ostuni, a vast olive-tree-swathed plateau in the lower Murgia. Have a walk in its sun-drenched streets and peculiar, cobbled alleyways, admire the surrounding landscape and Adriatic Sea. Take a stroll in the Rione Terrain, the heart of the medieval walled village. Visit the magnificent Gothic Cathedral. Admire the city’s iconic olive trees, with their massive knotty trunks, some of which may be 3,000 years old. Continue to the oldest bakery in Ostuni, set in a 14th-century building, and discover how this family-run business has turned out as a renowned bread, focaccia and cookies shop from an olivewood-fired oven since the 1920s.

Proceed with driver to Lecce and check in at  your hotel. 

Hotel: La Fiermontina Urban Resort in Lecce | Meals: Breakfast 

DAY 4 LECCE – A BAROQUE CITY 

Today an amazing stay in Lecce, the Baroque ‘Florence of the South’. Everything will impress you while walking through the town. Reach with your personal tour guide the Piazza del Duomo, the superlative Basilica of Santa Croce and the Roman amphitheater. Enjoy a “pasticciotto” pastry-making class, learning the secrets in preparing this beloved, custard-filled candy. Meet a local artisan for a papier-mâché workshop. This art has played a significant role in Lecce’s culture and religious heritage since the 17th century. Try to create your own masterpiece.

Back to your hotel.

Afternoon at leisure. 

Hotel: La Fiermontina Urban Resort in Lecce | Meals: Breakfast 

DAY 5 OTRANTO – BRIDGE TO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Travel to Otranto: a natural ‘bridge’ linking the East country to the Mediterranean. In the afternoon, take a scenic drive along the coast, visiting Castro, Tricase Porto and Grotta della Poesia. Surrounded by Aragonese walls, Otranto’s Old Town overlooks the clear waters. Characterized by white houses and alleys paved in stone, it was founded by the Greeks in the Byzantine period as a commercial, political and religious hub and a major port of trade with the Orient.

The medieval town center – once a large stronghold – recalls visitors of the threats posed by the Turks and their terrific invasion in 1480. Otranto’s Cathedral houses a spectacular mosaic floor from the 12th century representing  pagan, Old Testament and New Testament images to illustrate the culture of those times.

Back to your hotel in Lecce. 

Evening at leisure. 

Hotel: La Fiermontina Urban Resort in Lecce | Meals: Breakfast 

DAY 6 MATERA – STRANGE CAVE DWELLINGS 

Private transfer to Matera, one of  the most ancient and peculiar cities on earth. Inhabited for 10,000 years, this magical open-air museum – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – is a unique tangle of cave-dwellings, wonderful Baroque palaces and beautiful stone churches. At sunset the ‘holy’atmosphere of the city will fill you with striking emotions.

Make your way through the ‘sassi’ (districts of the city) to see the dark caves of the Murgia; the rock-hewn churches of religious communities; and the elegant streets of the Piano, rich in 17th-century monasteries and palaces. Go down deep cisterns and canals in past times used for water collection.

Visit the ancient city to end your tour.

Hotel: Palazzo Margherita | Meals: Breakfast 

DAY 7 AMALFI COAST – RUINS OF POMPEII 

Had to the beautiful Amalfi Coast, and stop en-route in Pompeii. Have a two-hour walking tour in this entire buried city once very opulent. The archeological ruins of Pompeii cover a vast area and offer a rich insight of what daily life was like at the times of the Roman Empire. Destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, this unearthed treasure reveals temples, forums, an amphitheater, brothels, and the casts of the people killed by the falling ash and pumice stone.

Back with driver to your luxury hotel in Sorrento, and enjoy the view of the Gulf of Naples. 

Hotel: Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria | Meals: Breakfast 

DAY 8 CAPRI – BREATHTAKING BLUE GROTTO 

Leave the mainland and cruise on a ferry boat  (if the weather is fine) to wonderful Capri. You can transfer to the island by private boat if you wish. Stroll Capri’s charming, boutique-lined streets. On a public boat you will discover the spellbinding, iridescent Blue Grotto. Be struck by the unreal light illuminating the cave’s rocky walls.

Choose to explore beautiful Villa San Michele in Anacapri the Church of San Michele or the summit of Monte Solaro, reached by a chairlift. Back to your hotel on the mainland. Evening at leisure. You can also taste exquisite, neon-yellow ‘limoncello’, a locally produced liqueur and digestive made from lemon zest-infused alcohol. 

Hotel: Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria | Meals: Breakfast 

DAY 9 AMALFI COAST – GORGEOUS COASTAL VILLAGES 

Drive along the Amalfi coast by private vehicle. Start your visit from the enchanting village of Ravello, with its stunning coastal views. Enjoy the view  from the lovely Villa Rufolo before continuing to Amalfi. See the Duomo, fronted by a beautifully hued, 13th-century façade. Have lunch in a delightful, sea-view restaurant.

Head north and be impressed by various, magnificent spots of  lagoons, sandy coves, vertiginous cliffs and sunny villages while en-route to vibrant Positano. Stroll in the village’s narrow lanes sloping down to the blue shining sea where there are elegant restaurants you may sit and enjoy the view. You can choose to take a sunset cruise along the beautiful Amalfi Coast. At an additional cost take a private boat and enjoy a twilight dinner cooked by the onboard chef.

Continue to elegant Sorrento, a Belle Époque treasure of graceful streets with stunning views across the Gulf of Naples. Spend the day exploring the Sorrentine Peninsula riding a Vespa (scooter), and discovering neighborhoods and sights not reachable on foot. Take photos, learn the wondrous history of the region talk to the people you meet. You can also stop for coffee and some delicious pastry. Conclude the day with an unforgettable ride along the Sorrento coast. 

Hotel: Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

DAY 10 LEAVE NAPLES 

Private transfer to Naples airport and fly back home.

Additional tours – Get the best of your travel just with some more options at an additional cost.

TAKE A FOODIE WALKING TOUR IN BARI 

Explore Bari, Puglia’s bustling capital city. Take a stroll through its winding streets and pedestrians squares on a foodie tour. Taste culinary specialites, including creamy burrata, salami, handmade pasta and garden-grown vegetables sold from doorways. Have a drought of local beer with some Puglian focaccia. Finish with some gelato or cartellate, traditional Christmas fritters. 

ENJOY A WINE TASTING 

Experience a wine tasting of celebrated Puglian vintages at the 16th-century Castello Monaci. Tour its impressive wine museum, appreciate sweeping views over the vast  vineyard. In the evening have a romantic candlelight dinner in the historic castle enjoying Puglian recipes. 

TASTE FISH  CRUDITÈ IN GALLIPOLI 

Take an evening stroll through the historic town center of medieval, seaside Gallipoli. The waters off its coast are very rych in fish as you can sea at the fisherman’s market. Enjoy a glass of white wine and a dish of fish crudités. Finish up with a whirl of olive oil and turn of black pepper. It may be a relaxed and enjoyable pause.

VISIT A LOCAL DAIRY FARM 

Visit a local dairy farm located on the coastal Litoranea Salentina, a breathtaking area which inspired Virgil’s epic poem The Aeneid. The stunning landscape is dominated by scrubland and steep, myrtle-covered cliffs plunging to the blue Cape of Otranto. No doubt you will appreciate the farm’s rambling sheep-dotted  pastures and will not miss to sample specialties in this beautiful, and quiet heaven.