Southern Italy: Puglia + Matera

On arrival at the airport or rail station, you’ll be warmly greeted and chauffeured to your luxury hotel. After settling in, the balance of this day is yours to relax or explore at your own pace. Set along Italy’s Adriatic coast, Bari is Puglia’s largest city and an important port, with a distinctive character shaped by centuries of Mediterranean trade and cultural exchange. Its historic heart is a maze of narrow lanes and sun-washed squares, while the waterfront is perfect for a late afternoon stroll along the Adriatic.
 
Bari also offers an excellent introduction to southern Italian cuisine, and your hotel staff will be happy to offer restaurant recommendations for this evening. Celebrated for its fresh local ingredients, popular local dishes feature handmade pasta, seafood, and simple preparations that let the flavors of the region shine.
 

After breakfast, set out on a private walking tour to discover Bari through its historic sights and beloved culinary traditions. Enhanced by the historical knowledge and cultural insights of your engaging personal guide, you’ll explore the labyrinthine lanes of Bari Vecchia, the atmospheric Old Town where everyday life unfolds around centuries-old churches, ancient walls, and lively neighborhood streets.
 
Along the way, sample some of Puglia’s most beloved specialties, beginning with warm focaccia from one of Bari’s oldest bakeries. Topped with cherry tomatoes, olives, and local olive oil, this humble specialty is elevated by the experience of enjoying it fresh, surrounded by the energy of the Old Town. Continue to the 12th-century Basilica of St. Nicholas and the imposing Norman Castle, pausing along the way to taste local favorites such as crispy fried polenta and panzerotti, golden pastries filled with a steaming savory filling.
One of Bari Vecchia’s most memorable sights is strolling along a street when local women, nonnas as they are affectionately known, sit outside their homes making orecchiette, Puglia’s signature pasta, with remarkable speed and precision. Their time-honored craft is as much a part of Bari’s identity as the food itself. After more tastings, conclude your experience as Italians do—with a leisurely cup of coffee.
 
After sightseeing, your private car and driver will take you inland, deeper into the heart of southern Italy. Upon arrival in Matera, check in to your luxury hotel where the rest of your afternoon and evening are at leisure to enjoy and dine as you wish.  Meals B
 

Today’s privately chauffeured sightseeing excursion explores two remarkable cities of southern Italy, both beloved for their enduring bread-making traditions. In Altamura, where the tradition of breadmaking dates back centuries, your engaging personal guide introduces you to the craft behind the region’s celebrated pane di Altamura. Visit a local bakery to taste this distinctive bread, then continue to a traditional flour mill, where you’ll learn how heritage grains and time-honored techniques contribute to its characteristic flavor and fragrance. The rivalry between nearby Altamura and Matera over who makes the finest bread is legendary; today, you’ll have the delicious opportunity to judge for yourself.
 
Return to Matera, where culinary traditions combine with one of Italy’s most extraordinary cultural and historic landscapes. After tasting Matera’s renowned bread, focaccia, taralli, local cheeses, and cured meats paired with a glass of wine, you will explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site c of Sassi. First inhabited during the Paleolithic era and continuously developed over thousands of years, the Sassi took their distinctive form as a rock-cut settlement beginning in the 8th century. Your private guide will reveal how generations of residents adapted to this dramatic landscape, creating homes, churches, and ingenious systems for collecting and storing water. With visits to a cave dwelling and a rock church, you’ll gain an intimate perspective on the extraordinary history and ingenuity preserved within the Sassi. The ancient districts remained home to generations of families until their evacuation in the 1950s, making this a particularly fascinating window into an ancient way of life that endured into the modern era. Back at your luxury hotel, the balance of your evening is free to enjoy as you wish.  Meals B
 

After breakfast and check out, today’s privately chauffeured journey from Matera to the Adriatic coast takes you through the beautiful Itria Valley, a landscape of rolling countryside dotted with olive groves, vineyards, and charming whitewashed towns. In the engaging company of your expert private guide, you’ll discover the distinctive character of this corner of Puglia, beginning in elegant Martina Franca. Known for its graceful Baroque architecture and refined palazzi, the town also retains a more intimate character in its winding streets and traditional shops. Enjoy some time to explore before continuing to a family-run winery, where you’ll learn about the estate and its native Puglian grapes, including Primitivo, Negroamaro, and Verdeca. A tasting of three wines, accompanied by local specialties, offers a delicious introduction to the region’s distinctive wine culture.
 
Continue to Alberobello, a UNESCO World Heritage Site c celebrated for its remarkable trulli—traditional limestone dwellings with distinctive conical roofs constructed without mortar. Dating from as early as the mid-14th century, these ingenious structures reflect a dry-stone building tradition with roots stretching back thousands of years. Wander through the historic quarters of Alberobello, where more than 1,500 trulli create one of Italy’s most distinctive townscapes, before continuing to Locorotondo, a beautifully preserved hilltop village renowned for its whitewashed houses and picturesque streets. Your day ends along the lovely Adriatic coast where you’ll check in to your luxury hotel in the charming town of Savelletri.  Meals B
 

Setting out with your private car, driver and guide, you’ll spend the day exploring the sun-washed beauty of Ostuni, Puglia’s celebrated White City, before experiencing one of the region’s most treasured traditions: olive oil. Perched dramatically on a hilltop, Ostuni is a maze of narrow lanes, whitewashed houses, and graceful arches connecting buildings across the streets. The dazzling white façades have long helped reflect the intense Puglian sun, while the town’s winding layout offers a fascinating glimpse into how generations of residents adapted to life within its historic walls. As buildings began to lean over the narrow lanes, ingenious residents sometimes constructed arches between them, creating additional support—and the distinctive architectural character and layout that makes Ostuni so unique.
 
After exploring the town with your personal guide, venture into the olive groves surrounding the city for a taste of the agricultural heritage that defines Puglia. With some 60 million olive trees across the region, olives and their golden oil are woven into the landscape, cuisine, and identity of Puglia. At a traditional masseria, or fortified farmhouse, you'll stroll among the ancient trees before visiting the historic olive mill. Your host, an olive-oil producer whose family has cultivated the tradition for generations, will introduce you to the art of producing and appreciating extra virgin olive oil. Taste the oil alongside local olives and friselle, crisp, twice-baked Puglian bread traditionally softened with water and topped with local ingredients.  Meals B
 

Departing Savelletri this morning with your private car, driver, and guide, you’ll journey along Puglia’s Adriatic coast toward the historic town of Lecce. Along the way, stop in Brindisi, whose magnificent natural harbor made it one of the most important ports of the ancient Mediterranean. For centuries, goods arriving from Greece, India, and the Middle East passed through here before continuing toward Rome along the Via Appia, the legendary Queen of Roads and a significant UNESCO World Heritage Site. Enjoy a walking tour of Brindisi, enhanced by the knowledge and insights of your personal guide: see the Roman column traditionally marking the end of the Appian Way, explore the historic center with its Romanesque and Renaissance architecture, and delight in the city’s elegant seafront promenade.
 
Continue to Lecce, where a private walking tour introduces you to one of southern Italy’s most enchanting cities. Often called the Florence of the South, Lecce reached its artistic height during the 17th century, when the city blossomed with churches and palazzi in a glorious celebration of Baroque style. The secret of Lecce’s distinctive landmarks lies in the local honey-colored limestone—soft enough to carve with extraordinary delicacy, yet hardening over time. See this remarkable craftsmanship and learn more about Lecce’s rich history at the Duomo and Basilica of Santa Croce, where intricate stonework transforms façades, columns, balconies, and portals into stunning works of art. After sightseeing, settle into your luxury hotel in Lecce where the evening is free to relax and dine as you wish.  Meals B
 

Join your driver and guide for a full-day excursion into Salento. Often referred to as the Heel of Italy, the southern tip of Puglia is home to whitewashed villages, sparkling seas, and centuries of Greek, Roman, and Christian heritage. Begin in Otranto, a picturesque seaside town enclosed in part by medieval walls. Explore its atmospheric historic center including the 11th-century cathedral, renowned for its extraordinary mosaic floor.
 
Then continue to a wine estate founded in 1885 by a British Catholic family, whose descendants established roots in Puglia after leaving England in the 17th century. Tour the historic cellars, including the original barrel cellar, before tasting four of the estate’s wines and learning about the traditions behind their production.
 
Next you’ll visit Santa Maria di Leuca, the dramatic southernmost tip of Puglia. Known to the Romans as de finibus terrae, or Land’s End, this beautiful seaside town combines sapphire waters and whitewashed architecture with a rich history. At Punta Meliso, the Basilica of Santa Maria de Finibus Terrae stands on the site traditionally associated with an ancient temple dedicated to Minerva. According to tradition, Saint Peter stopped here on his journey to Rome, transformed the pagan sanctuary into a Christian place of worship, and began his evangelization of the West. Today, the sanctuary remains an important destination for pilgrims, continuing a tradition of devotion that has drawn the faithful to this remote corner of Italy for centuries.
 
Before returning to Lecce, you’ll also visit Gallipoli, whose name derives from the Greek for Beautiful City. Wander its historic center, explore the waterfront, and perhaps catch a glimpse of local fishermen tending their nets.  Before bidding farewell, your guide will be happy to offer dining recommendations for your final evening in Puglia.  Meals B
 

After breakfast and check-out, your private car and driver will take you to Bari Airport for your onward journey.  Meals B