Puglia - Heart of Italy

Puglia - Heart of Italy

Watching mammas making orecchiette pasta in the colourful streets of Bari's Old Town. The pasta’s name translates as ‘little ears’ - take a closer look and you’ll see that’s exactly what they resemble. With countryside that’s blanketed with olive groves, a collection of historic cities and fairytale towns, and a coastline stretching for 800-odd kilometres, Puglia is a rich region filled with simple pleasures. On our Puglia tours, we’ll spend eight days winding through quiet landscapes, discovering baroque Lecce (the ‘Florence of the South’) and the traditional trulli houses of Alberobello. We’ll even stretch into the neighbouring region of Basilicata to visit Matera and explore its ancient cave dwellings.

What's Included:

• VIP door-to-door travel service from anywhere on the UK mainland
• 7 nights in hotels
• 12 meals
• Titan tour manager
• Transport from the UK

• Porterage at all hotels

  Excursions

• Guided tours of Lecce (including entrance to the cathedral and Basilica di Santa Croce), Matera, and Monte Sant'Angelo
• Visits to Otranto, Ostuni (with olive oil tasting), Cisternino, Alberobello (with wine tasting), Castellana Caves, Martina Franca, Bari, and Castel del Monte
• Tasting at a local bakery in Lecce

Day 1: UK - Bari - Otranto

Titan’s VIP door-to-door travel service collects you from home for your flight to Bari. On arrival we transfer to our hotel in Otranto. Vittoria Resort, Otranto (4-star)

Day 2: Lecce - Otranto

This morning, we’ll head to Lecce for a guided walking tour. Known as the ‘Florence of the South’ for its baroque architecture, we’ll view inside the cathedral and the Basilica di Santa Croce. After admiring the city’s honey-stone palazzi and stopping for a delicious takeaway from a bakery, we’ll make our way back to Otranto for time to explore. Vittoria Resort, Otranto (4-star) Today includes… Excursions & visits: Excursion to Lecce and Otranto, including guided tour of Lecce, entrance to its cathedral and Basilica di Santa Croce and visit to bakery (all day)

Day 3: Ostuni - Cisternino - Alberobello

This morning we travel to Ostuni, a city which has been occupied since the Stone Age. Commonly known as ‘the white city', Ostuni’s hilltop citadel is encased in white walls and surrounded by white-painted architecture. The 15th-century cathedral is distinctive for the green, yellow and white slate tiles that encase it and the nearby buildings. We enjoy an olive oil tasting before travelling on to Alberobello, with a break to stretch our legs in Cisternino, a historic whitewashed town. Grand Hotel la Chiusa di Chietri, Alberobello (4-star) Today includes… Excursions & visits: Visits to Ostuni (with olive oil tasting) and Cisternino (all day)

Day 4: Castellana Caves - Alberobello

We drive to the Castellana Caves, a series of limestone caverns accidentally discovered in 1938. A guide will accompany you as you descend to explore the caves. We also visit Alberobello (there’s a 15-minute walk to the town from the coach). Dozens of quirky trulli - circular, conical-roofed houses - can be found in and around the town. We visit a winery here for a wine tasting accompanied by some local products. Dinner this evening will be at a local masseria. Grand Hotel la Chiusa di Chietri, Alberobello (4-star) Today includes… Excursions & visits: Excursion to Castellana Caves (morning) Visit to Alberobello with wine tasting (afternoon)

Day 5: Matera - Martina Franca

Today we travel to the 2019 European Capital of Culture, Matera, famous for its ‘sassi’ - neighbourhoods of ancient cave dwellings. Monks first created this maze of living spaces and churches as they sought refuge from infidels at the end of the first millennium. Miraculously, they are still largely intact. After our guided tour of the rock church and caves, we make our way to the pretty hilltop town of Martina Franca. We'll have time to wander the whitewashed alleyways and cobblestone paths that lead to attractive piazzas and stunning baroque buildings, before returning to our hotel. Grand Hotel la Chiusa di Chietri, Alberobello (4-star) Today includes… Excursions & visits: Guided half-day tour of Matera and visit to Martina Franca (all day)

Day 6: Bari - Margherita di Savoia

We travel to the old port city of Bari. The Romanesque Basilica di San Nicola is dedicated to St Nicholas, or Father Christmas, and was built to house his remains (which still lie in the crypt). As part of the magical Christmas build up here, the local children write letters to St Nicholas and place them in the crypt, before joining a special church service dedicated to them. Next is a visit to Castel del Monte, built by Frederick II in the mid-13th century. Most probably intended as a hunting lodge, it crowns a medieval hilltop village. We continue to Margherita di Savoia and our hotel for the next two nights. Grand Hotel Terme, Margherita di Savoia (4-star) Today includes… Excursions & visits: Visit to Bari (morning) Visit to Castel del Monte (afternoon)

Day 7: Gargano

Today we’ll visit Gargano in the lesser-known northeast of Puglia. Our exploration includes a guided tour of its highest inhabited town, Monte Sant’Angelo - its basilica is built on the spot where the Archangel Michael first appeared in a cave. After some time to enjoy a wander and maybe a stop for lunch, we'll head back to the hotel stopping to view the striking colours of the Margherita di Savoia Salt Pans. Grand Hotel Terme, Margherita di Savoia (4-star)

Day 8: Margherita di Savoia - Bari - UK

Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK. Upon arrival, your Titan vehicle will be waiting for the journey home.