DAY 1: ROME – TRANI “the cathedral rising from the sea” – CASTEL DEL MONTE - BARI km. 480
Departure from your chosen meeting point - free lunch – in the afternoon guided visit of Trani (the Romanesque Cathedral “rising from the sea”, dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Pilgrim) and Castel del Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Frederick II’s castle, built on the model of the Palatine Chapel in Aachen and listed as a World Heritage Site) – tasting of Moscato di Trani at a wine shop - arrival in Bari - dinner at the hotel – after dinner Bari by night, walking tour with tour leader – overnight stay.
DAY 2: BARI “the labyrinthine old town” – POLIGNANO A MARE - MARTINA FRANCA km. 80
Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning guided visit of Bari (historic centre with the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, walking tour through Bari Vecchia, Cathedral of Saint Sabinus, Swabian Castle – external visit) - street-food lunch on your own in Bari - recommended specialties include focaccia barese, sgagliozze and octopus sandwiches – in the afternoon guided visit of Polignano a Mare (walking tour through the streets of the old town, with the chance to enjoy excellent artisanal gelato) - free time for shopping - arrival in Martina Franca - dinner at the hotel – after dinner walking tour with tour leader – overnight stay.
DAY 3: ALBEROBELLO “the trulli, a UNESCO World Heritage Site” – MARTINA FRANCA “the heart of the Itria Valley” km. 30
Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning guided visit of Alberobello with its famous “Trulli”, a UNESCO World Heritage Site - typical lunch - in the afternoon guided visit of Martina Franca (a 14th-century town renowned for its Baroque architecture) – visit to a producer of Martina Franca DOP capocollo ham, with tasting - return to the hotel in the evening – dinner at the hotel - free evening - tour leader at guests’ disposal – overnight stay.
DAY 4: OSTUNI “the white city” - LECCE “the Florence of the South” km. 100
Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning guided visit of Ostuni, the “white city”, and extra-virgin olive oil tasting at an olive mill – typical lunch at a masseria producing dairy products – in the afternoon guided visit of Lecce, known as “the Florence of the South” (Basilica of Santa Croce, Church of the Gesù, San Matteo, Cathedral, Sant’Irene, along with a great number of noble palaces, the Theatre and the Amphitheatre) - visit to a traditional Lecce papier-mâché workshop – free time for shopping - dinner at the hotel – after dinner Lecce by night, walking tour with tour leader – overnight stay.
DAY 5: GALATINA “cooking class” & NARDÒ “between art and anthropology” km. 70
Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion– in the morning transfer to a masseria and cooking class featuring a typical Apulian lunch, which will then be enjoyed together - visit of Galatina (the magnificent Basilica of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, dating from 1391, a masterpiece of Gothic art with frescoes from the Umbrian-Marche school - a monument that alone is worth the journey) and Nardò, one of the capitals of Italian and European Baroque (splendid Romanesque-Norman cathedral, exuberant and theatrical Piazza Salandra, and the unmissable Prehistory Museum, displaying exceptional milk teeth whose discovery proves the presence of Homo Sapiens Sapiens in Grotta del Cavallo 40,000-45,000 years ago) – in the afternoon stop to enjoy a pasticciotto with coffee and almond milk - return to the hotel in the evening - dinner at the hotel – free evening - tour leader at guests’ disposal – overnight stay.
DAY 6: GALLIPOLI “the beautiful city” & OTRANTO “the martyr city” km. 160
Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning guided visit of Gallipoli, “the beautiful city”, a characteristic village with fishermen’s cottages beside noble palaces – visit to the fish market, where you can sample delicious hot fried seafood and the characteristic Gallipoli prawn, strictly served raw - street-food lunch on your own - in the afternoon guided visit of Otranto (Romanesque Cathedral of 1480 housing the famous Pantaleone Mosaic, the Ossuary of the Martyrs canonised by Pope Benedict XVI, and the crypt below, created on the remains of an ancient Roman tribunal) - return to the hotel in the evening – dinner at the hotel - free evening - tour leader at guests’ disposal – overnight stay.
DAY 7: LECCE – BRINDISI “the ancient city at the end of the regina viarum” – TARANTO – MATERA km. 180
Breakfast at the hotel - departure for Brindisi – guided visit of this ancient city, the terminal point of the Appian Way, occupied by the Greeks even before the Romans, from where the Crusades departed, and a centre of naval power and maritime trade thanks also to the roads built here, the Via Appia and Via Traiana (among its highlights are the Virgil Staircase with its Roman columns, the small Temple of San Giovanni al Sepolcro, and the beautiful Cathedral where the wedding of Frederick II of Swabia and Isabella of Brienne was celebrated on 9 November 1225) – street-food lunch on your own - in the afternoon guided visit of Taranto (historic centre) – arrival in Matera in the evening – dinner at the hotel – overnight stay.
DAY 8: MATERA “the City of the Sassi” km. 30
Breakfast at the hotel – full day devoted to a guided visit of Matera, the “City of the Sassi”, ancient cave dwellings now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Piazza Vittorio Veneto, walk through the Sassi districts: Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano, the Cathedral of Madonna della Bruna, the Palombaro Lungo cistern, a rock church, and a cave house where you can relive the daily life of our ancestors; in Petrapenta, 14 km from Matera, visit of the Crypt of Original Sin, known as the “Sistine Chapel” of rupestrian wall painting) - free time for shopping - lunch in a typical restaurant - return to the hotel in the evening - dinner at the hotel – after dinner Matera by night, walking tour with tour leader – overnight stay.
DAY 9: THE LUCANIAN DOLOMITES – CASTELMEZZANO & PIETRAPERTOSA “the Arabata” km. 200
Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion– visit of the villages in the heart of the Lucanian Dolomites: Castelmezzano (every corner of the village preserves stories of the peoples and events that passed through it, from the ruins of the Norman-Swabian castle to historic palaces of remarkable beauty and finely crafted portals, churches and small chapels, and stairways climbing ever higher through the village) and Pietrapertosa (its name means “pierced stone” and comes from the presence of a large perforated crag; in the highest part of the village lies the Arabata, the oldest quarter, revealing its origins in all its spectacular beauty) – lunch in a typical restaurant – return to the hotel in the evening – dinner at the hotel - after dinner Altamura by night, excursion by private coach and walking tour with tour leader – overnight stay.
DAY 10: MATERA – MELFI “Frederick II’s Castle” – ROME km. 450
Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Melfi – guided visit of Melfi (Frederick II’s Castle, historic centre) – lunch on your own – tasting of local products - continuation for the return journey - arrival in the evening.
Please Note: the scheduled visits may be rearranged among the various days depending on museum opening times or technical requirements, but the programme will remain unchanged.
