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Charming Puglia Tour Information
Come and join us on a captivating 8-day/ 7-night tour of Puglia, spanning from the enchanting city of Lecce to the vibrant Matera! Immerse yourself in the mesmerizing charm of Apulian architecture, ranging from the intricate baroque style of Lecce to the iconic Trulli in Alberobello. Indulge in the delights of fresh orecchiette pasta and savour the richness of olive oil sourced from millennia-old trees. Each day promises a heavenly journey through the best that Puglia has to offer. This tour begins in Lecce and ends in Bari.
Sneak Peek of Local Delicacies:
- Apulian Street Food: focaccia, panzerotti, scagliozze…
- Orecchiette alle cime di rapa, orecchiette pasta with broccoli rabe
- Bombette di carne, meat roll stuffed with cheese
- Panino con il polpo, rustic bread filled with grilled octopus
- Crudi di pesce, fresh raw fish (scampi, tuna…)
- Riso, patate e cozze, a main dish with rice, potatoes and mussels
- Grape Varieties: Primitivo di Manduria, Salice Salentino, Nero di Troia, Negroamaro, Susumaniello, Verdeca…
- And more: burrata cheese, capocollo di Martina Franca, pane di Altamura, olio d’oliva..
Itinerary
- Day 1: Pick up in Lecce & Street Food Tour
Meals: light lunch, dinner
This morning we meet right in the heart of the stunning Baroque town of Lecce. We begin our Puglia adventure with a scrumptious tour of the town center, led by our knowledgeable guide, where we will sample some of the region’s finest delicacies, like panzerotti and pasticciotti. What a terrific way to start your tour!
We will then check into our Palazzo in the historical centre of Lecce to freshen up and get ready for the first dinner of the Benfatti Tour of Puglia 2024.
Tonight we will surprise you with a special aperitivo followed by our first Apulian dinner in a local trattoria.
- Day 2: Farmer's Market Visit & Cooking Class with a Local Mamma
Meals: breakfast, light lunch, dinner
This morning, we visit the local farmers market where we will source the best fresh products for our cooking class with a local “mamma”. We will then enjoy the fruits of our hard work during a tasty long lunch.
The rest of the afternoon is for you to enjoy at your own leisure. Perhaps you can explore the vintage stores in Lecce or indulge in a long aperitivo in one of the picturesque streets of this enchanting city.
- DAY 3: Vineyards, Wine Tasting and Dinner in stunning Masseria
Meals: breakfast, light lunch, dinner
Today we farewell Lecce and we start making our way north. Our first stop will be a Negroamaro and Primitivo wine producer of Salento. After a lovely wine tasting we will reach our masseria, i.e. farm house, where we will be based for the next two nights.
Upon arrival we will have time to relax and if the weather allows maybe even dip in the swimming pool before meeting the group for dinner at the Masseria’s Restaurant.
Tonight we will indulge in a proper farm to table dinner matched with extraordinary Apulian wines.
- DAY 4: Olive Oil tasting and visit to Ostuni, the White City
Meals: breakfast, dinner
This morning is for you to relax and enjoy some free time at the Masseria for a taste of dolce far niente, i.e “the sweetness of doing nothing”. Upon request we can organise massage treatments or rental bikes if you wish to explore the surroundings.
In the early afternoon we will visit a working masseria from the 1500s where we will learn about the production of olive oil. We will walk through the olive grove to see the majestic trees, some of which are 3,000 years old and finish our visit with a degustation of beautiful olio.
We will then reach the stunning town of Ostuni, called the White City due to its white lime-wash that makes it so unique.
In Ostuni we will enjoy a fun ape ride and a dinner in a local trattoria! You will also have the time to explore its narrow streets, shops and bars before we head back to our masseria for the night.
- DAY 5: Annual Grape Harvest and Dinner in the Vineyards
Meals: breakfast, dinner
This morning we check out our stunning masseria and we visit the nearby town of Grottaglie, famous for its ceramic laboratories. We will have the chance to see an artist in action and perhaps participating in a fun pottery class.
After a light lunch we will check into our new accommodation where you will have the once in a lifetime experience of sleeping in an original authentic trullo! Trulli are the conic dwellings typical of this part of Puglia.
After we freshen up we will join our host and his family for the annual grape harvest! Get ready to stomp!!!
We will end the night with a magnificent home made dinner in the vineyards!
- DAY 6: Burrata Class and Cheese Tasting
Meals: Breakfast, light lunch, dinner
After breakfast we will embark on a unique and exciting visit to a local farm. We will have the opportunity to learn the traditional methods of crafting Apulian cheese, such as the famous burrata, while also lending a hand to the skilled farmers in their work. The highlight of our visit will be a delectable cheese tasting.
In the afternoon we visit Alberobello with our local guide. Alberobello is a UNESCO heritage site for its beautiful trulli. We will then have dinner in a local trattoria before returning to our trulli for the night.
- Day 7: Stunning Matera & Dinner in a Cave Restaurant
Meals: breakfast, dinner
Today we check out our lovely trulli farm and we venture to the neighbour region of Basilicata to visit the majestic Matera!
- Day 8: Arrivederci! Drop off in Bari
Meals: breakfast
You did it! You ate your way through Puglia!!!
Today we farewell goodbyes and we drop you off in Bari. Arrivederci!
- 7 nights twin share in boutique accommodation, including a charming palazzo in Lecce, an adult only exclusive masseria, an original Apulian trulli farm, and a boutique hotel in the heart of Matera!
- All breakfasts and meals provided daily as per itinerary with local wines.
- Full time personalised service of tour leader Sara Pasciuta.
- Sara is fluent in both English and Italian.
- Private air conditioned van or mini bus for all transfers with driver.
- Hands on activities and cooking classes as per above itinerary
- 24/7 assistance and much more…
- Travel insurance is compulsory in order to travel on our tour.
- Passport and visa fees – please be sure your passport has a 6 month validity at the date of return flight.
- International airfares, taxes and excess baggage.
- Extras as per minibar or room service.
- What's Included
- 7 nights twin share in boutique accommodation, including a charming palazzo in Lecce, an adult only exclusive masseria, an original Apulian trulli farm, and a boutique hotel in the heart of Matera!
- All breakfasts and meals provided daily as per itinerary with local wines.
- Full time personalised service of tour leader Sara Pasciuta.
- Sara is fluent in both English and Italian.
- Private air conditioned van or mini bus for all transfers with driver.
- Hands on activities and cooking classes as per above itinerary
- 24/7 assistance and much more…
- Exclusions
- Travel insurance is compulsory in order to travel on our tour.
- Passport and visa fees – please be sure your passport has a 6 month validity at the date of return flight.
- International airfares, taxes and excess baggage.
- Extras as per minibar or room service.
Highlights of Your 9 days / 8 nigths Tour of Puglia
- Embark on a farmer’s market tour with a local cook and learn the secrets of traditional Apulian cuisine in Lecce.
- Discover the amazing Apulian wines during our visit to a winery in Salento.
- Meet the Old Wise Man, a 3000-year-old olive tree, and learn how to taste olive oil and its properties. You will never buy the wrong oil again!
- Sleep in an original trullo and partecipate in the annual grape harvest in a trulli farm!
- Learn how to make burrata and indulge in a cheese tasting at a local masseria
- Discover Matera, one of the most ancient cities in the world!
- Master the art of “dolce far niente,” (i.e. the art of doing nothing), during your stay at a private masseria surrounded by olive trees.