Day 1. Welcome celebration near the Bari hotel, orientation walk, group dinner. (Sleep in Bari 2 nights)

Day 2. Local guided tour of the Old Bari (including an Orecchiette pasta demo & group lunch).

Day 3.Day trip to Trani, where we will explore this stunning beach town. After lunch on our own, we will continue to visit the UNESCO site of Castel del Monte, the castle of Frederick II. Return to Bari and enjoy some free time and dinner on your own.

Day 4.We leave Bari and drive into the Basilicata region. After an exploration of the town of Melfi, we continue to a local winery to taste the local Vulture Aglianico wines and enjoy a wine tasting lunch. In the afternoon, after an archaeological stop in Venosa, we arrive in Matera. Dinner on your own in Matera.

Day 5. Walking tour of Matera, with its UNESCO site district called Sassi, one of the most ancient human settlements in the world. After that, we will enjoy a group lunch in town, followed by a free afternoon and evening to explore more of Matera. Dinner on your own.

Day 6.We leave Matera and head towards Martina Franca, for some self exploration of this wonderful Baroque town. After lunch on our own, we continue to our next home: an Apulian “masseria” farmhouse, where we will enjoy a cooking class and a group dinner.

Day 7.Today we drive to the stunning Grotte di Castellana, an ancient geological cave network. After lunch on our own on the road, we will return to our masseria for some down time and a group dinner.

Day 8. Leave Matera and head to Alberobello, to learn all about this wonderful UNESCO site, home to the unique “trulli” conic shaped houses. After a quick stop in Polignano a Mare for lunch on our own and a good gelato, we will continue further into Puglia, arriving in Monopoli, where we will check in and have a group dinner. (Sleep in Monopoli 2 nights)

Day 9.Today we will explore Monopoli with our local guide, a spectacular coastal town in Puglia, and enjoy some free time. At the end of our walking tour, weather permitting, we will take a boat ride with an aperitivo.

Day 10.A day out exploring wonderful Ostuni “the white town” and its architecture. Here we will learn about the town and enjoy some free time and lunch on your own before arriving in Lecce, our next home for three nights. Group dinner in Lecce. (Sleep in Lecce 2 nights).

Day 11.Walking tour of breathtaking Baroque Lecce with a local expert who will show us the many hidden gems of this unique city, also called “the Southern Florence.” After that, you will be free to explore more of Lecce. Lunch and dinner are on your own.

Day 12.We visit the nearby town of Otranto, made famous by Horace Walpole’s novel (The Castle of Otranto) and by the Ottoman’s conquest in 1480. Here we will have a walking tour of town, followed by some free time and lunch on your own in Otranto. In the afternoon, we will return to Lecce, where we will enjoy some free time, followed by our farewell dinner.

Day 13. Tour is over after breakfast.