BREAK IN PUGLIA

  

General information

DurationDestinationDeparture
5 days and 4 nights
Italy (Matera, Barletta, Trani, Martina Franca, Alberobello)
Italy (Bari)

Description

Day 1 Bari

Arrival in afternoon. Check-in at your hotel then you are free to stroll through the old quarter of Bari along the castle walls and through the old harbour district. Maybe you want to relax in one of the many delightful cafés. Dinner and overnight stay in Bari.

Day 2 Alberobello, Locorotondo, Martina Franca

Departure for a guided tour of the Itria Valley and its typical landscape characterized by dry stone walls that run along the country paths surrounded by trulli - whitewashed cylindrical buildings with conical grey roofs, by manor farms, ancient millstones, olive groves, vineyards and cultivated fields. In Alberobello, you will see that many Trulli are decorated with painted symbols on their roofs: some religious, some pagan and some celestial; you really are stepping back in time. Continuing to the town of Locorotondo you will see Trulli here are built in a circular pattern. At the heart of the valley, and your final destination today, lies Martina Franca, where Moorish influences have created a town of medieval palaces and churches and whose houses decorated with wrought-iron balconies could lead you to believe you are in Andalucia as you explore. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay in Bari.

Day 3 Trani, Barletta

Departure for the delightful Trani, an important port during medieval times, of Jewish origin, with lovely Romanesque architecture. The exquisite Cattedrale di San Nicola Pellegrino, in a beautiful setting on the harbour near the castle, is one of the best examples of a Romanesque church in Puglia. Travel to Bisceglie and stop for an olive oil and local products tasting in a typical farm. Continue to Barletta and visit the imposing castle, symbol of the city and architectural result of a series of successions to power starting from the 11th century and one of the most resistant and best equipped fortresses in the whole of the South of Italy. The tour will proceed to the Basilica San Sepolcro in front of which stands one of the most surprising attractions of the city, the so-called “Colossus of Barletta”, a gigantic bronze statue 4.5 m tall from the 5th century A.D., which most probably represents the Emperor Theodosius II. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay in Bari .

Day 4 Matera, Altamura

Departure for a guided tour of Matera, a remarkable ancient town thought to be one of the first inhabited places in Italy. Originating as a prehistoric troglodyte settlement, astonishingly, even today people live in the same cave houses that their ancestors probably occupied thousands of years ago. An entire town is here, in a lunatic landscape, with churches, shops, workshops, all hewn from rock! It has often been used as set for biblical films including the famous Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion of Christ’. The next stop is Altamura, a partially walled city renowned for its DOP bread (referring to the highly coveted Denomination of Protected Origin, Italy’s food and wine seal of approval). You will have time for a stroll through the old town with its claustra, so don’t forget to taste what many claim to be Italy’s best focaccia, made in a very old bakery with a wood-fired oven. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay in Bari .

Day 5 Bari

Breakfast and departure for return journey. End of our services.

 

Category

 
Economy (Scheduled Tour)
Bed & Breakfast 3 Stars
 
Comfort (Scheduled Tour)
Half Board (dinner) 4 Stars
 

Price includes

Accommodation, depending on your option, in good 4* hotels centrally located or 3* not centrally located hotels, double occupancy rooms, as described:
4 night accommodation in hotel in Bari on a half-board basis, drinks not included
Local English speaking guides in Alberobello, Matera. Other languages are available on request.
Guided visit and olive oil tasting at a local farm in Bisceglie
Entrances: Sassi in Matera, Cattedrale di San Nicola Pellegrino in Trani, Castle of Barletta

Price does not include

City tax
Bus GT for the entire tour with arrival and departure from Bari airport, including all expenses (check point and parking fees, board and lodging for driver)
Optional visits

Itinerary

Day Overnight Itinerary highlights
1   Bari - airport
  Matera
  Barletta
  Trani
  Martina Franca
  Alberobello
 

Accommodations provided in each place

PlaceEconomyComfort
Italy3 Stars4 Stars