Puglia and Basilicata Walking

Our tour begins in Bari Airport where you will be picked up for a transfer to Matera, where you can settle into our first hotel. Here you meet our local agent for the briefing. In the afternoon you’ll meet your local guide for a 2 hour tour in the Sassi of Matera. Matera is a labyrinth of winding streets, neighborhoods, squares, caves, and rock churches that have been literally carved out of the rock while other parts have been constructed or added. Other interesting sites are all conveniently located in the medieval and Renaissance parts of Matera, between the two rock towns. There’s the unfinished 15th century castle, the D’Errico Gallery of Neapolitan Art in Palazzo Lanfranchi, the churches of Purgatory, St. Francis of Assisi, S. Lucia and Materdomini, and finally the cathedral, one of the last buildings erected in the Apulian-Romanesque style. After your visit you’ll understand why Mel Gibson filmed his “Passion of the Christ” here: Matera has a resemblance to ancient Jerusalem. Welcome dinner is in a typical restaurant in the Sassi.

In the morning in Matera we’ll visit a local bakery to see how the village’s local bread is prepared, and you’re bound to agree that it has an extraordinary taste and fragrance. Puglia is well known for its tempting cuisine and its olive oil is considered one of the best in the world. Next we’ll go into the ancient district of Matera to view the sassi, a gigantic sculpture carved out of the rock along the side of the ravine. After our visit we’ll transfer to the Murgia Timons, the plateau in front of the Sassi where we’ll begin a fascinating walk along a path to visit caves and rock churches. We’ll pass by the village of Murgeocchia on the way back to Matera. Dinner tonight will again be on your own.

Today we will travel to the lush Valle d’Itria in central Puglia (60 minute transfer). Covered with vineyards and olive groves, the valley is dotted with hundreds of “trulli,” curious stone structures resembling beehives that were once used by Apulian farmers of centuries past.  We’ll reach our trail and head near the 6th century church of San Pietro in Barsento, a neighbouring town near Alberobello. A picturesque walk will lead us through green pastures, woodland, and along country lanes flanked by stone walls and seemingly endless olive groves and trulli. We’ll reach Alberobello, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the Italian “Capital of Trulli.” Here the streets are dotted with hundreds of trulli. You’ll have the rest of the afternoon to freely roam though this fairytale town. You will stay overnight in Alberobello in a charming “Trulli”. Dinner is on your own.  

This morning we’ll discover the nearby historical “white city” of Ostuni, famous for the dazzling effect of its whitewashed houses and arguably one of the most stunning cities in southern Italy. It’s a genuine and charming example of Mediterranean architecture. Ostuni overlooks the Adriatic Sea and boasts a captivating medieval center with a 15th century cathedral.   The views to the Adriatic are magnificent. Crossing the city, we’ll enter the lush countryside, home to an abundance of oak, cork, and carob trees. This region is also thick with shrub vegetation such as wild broom and bay laurel. We’ll walk on an ancient farmers’ path bordered by sturdy stone walls that wind through a sea of gnarled olive trees. In the afternoon we will transfer to Monopoli. We’ll then transfer back to the Masseria where we will have our farewell dinner and you will stay again overnight.

You tour ends today. After breakfast, you’ll transfer to the Bari Airport to continue your stay in Italy or fly back home.