Day 1NAPLES – VESUVIUS MOUNTAIN – SALERNO AREA
Departure from Naples for a walk up to the Vesuvius Mountain, a still active volcano, on a trip through history, geology and nature. Time at leisure to plunge into the habitat that has profoundly influenced the life of peoples ever since very ancient times. Wonderful sweeping views over century-old crops and traditions is what awaits the visitor. Stop for a light lunch on the slopes of Vesuvius. Expected arrival late in the afternoon in Salerno area. Accommodation at the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.
Meals included: Lunch, Dinner.
Day 2SALERNO AREA – MATERA
Breakfast and departure for Matera, one of the oldest cities in the World, dating back to the Paleolithic period, renowned as Città dei Sassi (the City of the Stones), Unesco World Heritage Site, a complex of cave houses carved into the mountain. The unrepeatable architecture of the Sassi di Matera (the Stones of Matera) tells of man's ability to perfectly adapt himself to the environment. Ride in Apecalessino through the alleys of the city. Hotel accommodation. Overnight stay.
Meals included: Breakfast.
Day 3MATERA – ALBEROBELLO – LOCOROTONDO
Breakfast and departure for Alberobello to discover the Trulli, hundreds of white cone- shaped limestone constructions, which point their pinnacles to the sky. The "Casa Pezzolla" Territory Museum which displays furnishings and tools that recreate life in the Trulli as it was in the past is worth mentioning. Stop for tasting wine and local products. Continuation to admire the blinding splendor of Locorotondo, suspended between dream and reality.
The white of the lime envelops everything, acts as a dazzling backdrop to the baroque architecture in local stone, enhances the stains of intense colour of the flowered balconies. Not to miss the Gnumerèdde Suffuchète, lamb meat rolls, tied with the animal's intestines and cooked for a long time in terracotta pans. Accommodation in hotel and overnight stay.
Meals included: Breakfast.
Day 4LOCOROTONDO – OSTUNI – SANTA MARIA DI LEUCA – NARDÒ
Breakfast at the hotel and departure to discover Ostuni, called the White City, with its medieval village rich with narrow streets and houses, in a maze reminiscent of an Arab casbah. It will be a real pleasure to walk the old city, which will offer picturesque views of alleys, steep stairways, courtyards and small squares overlooked by white houses embellished with geraniums, craft shops, typical restaurants and small stores. The fifteenth-century Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral stands at the centre of the village featuring a large 24-ray rose window of rare beauty. Continuation for a boat trip from Santa Maria di Leuca in the blue sea of Puglia. Hotel accommodation. Dinner and overnight stay.
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner.
Day 5NARDÒ
Breakfast at the hotel and free day at leisure to relax on the beach and dive into the crystal-clear waters of this splendid sea. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel.
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner.
Day 6NARDÒ – MANDURIA – POLIGNANO A MARE
After breakfast at the hotel, departure for Manduria, the Land of the Messapi and the renowned Primitivo of Manduria Doc wine. By walking alongside the remains of the triple city wall, you can imagine the time when the Messapi dedicated themselves to the breeding of horses and prepared to leave in battle against the Tarantini. Not to miss a visit to the Wine Museum which cannot but round off with wine tasting. Continuation to the Itria Valley, an unparalleled expanse of olive trees, namely trees born from a red ground that smells flavours and makes the landscape around a succession of wonderful chromatic effects. It may be due to the white buildings or the vegetation that frames them, but every hamlet, every village in the valley, is surrounded by a magical, almost fairytale atmosphere. Hotel accommodation. Overnight stay.
Meals included: Breakfast.
Day 7POLIGNANO A MARE - BARI
Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Polignano a Mare, a medieval village perched at the top of a high and jagged coast, being the birth town of the great Domenico Modugno, one of the fathers of the Italian pop music, author and performer of songs such as "Volare" which are the fruit of inspiration intimately linked to the emotions that only these places can arouse. Polignano fascinates with its historic city centre full of Arab, Byzantine, Spanish and Norman traces, such as the remains of the four defense towers that surrounded the ancient part of the town. In the afternoon, we will continue to Bari, the capital of the Puglia region, for a splendid walk through the labyrinthine maze of the side lanes and houses of the old city, now completely restored. It will be nice to let yourself be guided by the scent of laundry, freshly baked buns and fresh pasta left to dry on the street.
Meals included: Breakfast.
Included
- 1 overnight stay in Salerno area
- 1 overnight stay in a widespread hotel in Matera
- 1 overnight stay in Locorotondo
- 2 overnight stays in Nardò
- 1 overnight stay in Polignano a Mare
- 6 breakfasts
- 3 dinner (drinks not included)
- 1 light lunch in Vesuvius Mountain area
- 1 wine tasting in Alberobello area
- 1 wine tasting at the Wine Museum in Manduria
- 1 Entrance ticket of the Vesuvius Mountain National Park
- Ride in an Ape Calessino in Matera
- Boat tour (shared) in Leuca
- Transportation by air-conditioned minivan
- 1 luggage + 1 carry-on luggage per person allowed
