Puglia

Whitewashed Villages, Stunning Coastlines, Culinary Delights
JUNE 13 TO 21, 2025
Overview

Discover a new, unique and extraordinary destination just added to the Discover my Italy collection of tours, Magical Puglia on Italy’s southern Adriatic Coast.

For me there is nothing quite like the Adriatic Sea. Ever since my childhood, the Adriatic has drawn me in wonder to its special waters and charming coastal towns & villages. I created this tour to share with you my love of Puglia’s Adriatic coastline, which stretches south to the very heel of the Italian boot.

Puglia is the lesser known south of Italy…not Naples or Amalfi or even Sicily… and it is Italy’s best kept travel secret. Though less traveled, Puglia has marvels that can be found nowhere else in Italy or the world. Its fairytale circular trulli houses, the town of Lecce renowned as the Florence of the South with Renaissance art and Baroque architecture at every turn, the cave dwellings of Matera (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and the best burrata cheese in Italy…these are just some of our Puglia highlights.

Of course, as in all Discover my Italy tours, you will experience the most authentic Puglia possible…as an insider. In Puglia, simple pleasures and simple beauty are a way of life and have been for centuries. Join us on this special  journey to Italy’s ancient and unspoiled Adriatic paradise…Magical Puglia.

Highlights
  • Italy’s best kept travel secret
  • The land of trulli, the conical-roofed homes
  • Baroque City of Lecce known as the Florence of the south
  • Spectacular Adriatic landscapes & seascapes
  • The Sassi, the ancient cave dwellings in the city of Matera, Basilicata
  • Spectacular Adriatic coastline
  • Wine tasting of the celebrated Primitivo wine
  • Ancient tradition and the art of making fresh burrata cheese
  • Extraordinary local cuisine

Magical Puglia, Passage Of Discovery

Itinerary and pricing

DEPARTURE FROM THE UNITED STATES
Thursday, June 12, 2025

DAY 1: Friday, June 13 ,2025
Welcome to Lecce

Morning: Arrival at the Brindisi airport and  private transfer to Lecce center. Check in to your four-star hotel, your home for the next 3 nights.

Late Afternoon: Orientation walk of Lecce with local, licensed guide.

Evening: Welcome reception in a private Palazzo in the historic center of Lecce.

DAY 2: Saturday, June 14, 2025
Lecce

Morning: Walking tour of Lecce center with local, licensed guide. Lecce is one the most beautiful historic cities of southern Italy. Lecce is known as the “Florence of the South” and it’s famous for having some of the best examples of Baroque architecture in Italy. The tour will include the Roman Amphitheater, the Basilica of S. Croce, and the richly decorated Cathedral.

Afternoon: Spend the rest of the day exploring Lecce on your own.

Evening: Enjoy a leisurely night with dinner on your own.

DAY 3: Sunday, June 15, 2025
Lecce

Morning: Enjoy a full day excursion to Salento, the province at the heel of Italy which extends south-east towards Greece. Visit the small town of Galatina with its famous frescos of the Basilica of Santa Caterina d’Alessandria followed by a visit to the oldest pastry shops of the area and taste the local specialty, the pasticciotto.

Afternoon: Walking tour of Otranto, Italy’s easternmost town (only 40 miles across the Adriatic Sea from Albania). Included in the tour is the Cathedral with the largest mosaic floor in Europe (dated 1163 ) and a stroll through the old Spanish fortification with a gorgeous view of Otranto. Rest of the afternoon at your leisure in Otranto and return to Lecce.

Early Evening: Festive Puglia style aperitif.

Evening: Dinner on your own.

DAY 4: Monday, June 16, 2025
Lecce / Pezze di Greco

Morning: Departure from Lecce to central Puglia with enroute visit to Ostuni, known as La Città Bianca, “white city”, for its beautiful whitewashed buildings. The walking tour of Ostuni will include the outstanding well-preserved old-town with its picturesque tangle of narrow medieval alleyways and the  dramatic 15th-century Gothic-Romanesque Cathedral facade with a frilly rose window.

Afternoon: Check in for three nights in our beautiful Masseria, a beautiful country residence. Our new base is conveniently located in between the Itria Valley, with its lovely fields of olive groves, vineyards and the conical trulli houses typical of this region and the stunning Adriatic coast.

Evening: Group dinner at hotel.

DAY 5: Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Monopoli / Polignano a Mare

Morning: Departure for Monopoli with walking tour of town center.

Afternoon: After lunch return to hotel and free time to relax.

Late Afternoon: Departure for Polignano a Mare with its lively and picturesque city center, the terraces offering breathtaking views on the Adriatic sea and the jagged coastline. Polignano a Mare is also the birthplace of the world famous singer Domenico Modugno who composed the beloved song, “Volare”.

Evening: Group dinner at local restaurant in Polignano a Mare.

DAY 6: Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Alberobello

Morning: Departure for Alberobello. Walking tour of the unique town of Alberobello, a small fairy-tale village known for its cone-shaped buildings called trulli and a UNESCO’s World Heritage Site. Tour will include a visit inside a trullo house and the unique trullo church.

Afternoon: Wine tasting and light lunch at local winery. Return to hotel with enroute stroll through the  wonderfully intact historic center of Martina Franca, with charming piazzas, beautiful baroque architecture and a stunning basilica.

Evening: Group dinner at hotel.

DAY 7: Thursday, June 19, 2025
Locorotondo /  Matera

Morning: Departure to Matera with en-route visit to Locorotondo. Walking tour of the picturesque Locorotondo with beautiful views of the Itria Valley. The round layout of the town is what gave the town its name (Rotondo in Italian means round).

Afternoon: Visit and light lunch at a local cheese maker at their farm.  Discover the secrets and ancient traditions of cheese making and the art of making fresh burrata, mozzarella and ricotta. After lunch depart for the magical cave town of Matera. Check in for two nights at our four-star hotel in the heart of Matera. Orientation walk of Matera with our guide.

Evening: Enjoy a leisurely night with dinner on your own.

DAY 8: Friday, June 20, 2025
Matera

Morning: Enjoy a walking tour of Matera, one of  the oldest continually inhabited settlements in the world and a Unesco World Heritage site famous for the district of the Sassi, the ancient cave dwellings.

Afternoon: Free time to explore Matera on your own.

Evening: Farewell group dinner at a local restaurant.

DAY 9: Saturday, June 21, 2025
End of Tour

Morning transfer from hotel to the Bari airport or Bari train station.

 

 


Itinerary specifics subject to change.

Tour Price Includes:
  • 8 nights in beautiful, elegant accommodation in 4-star and 5-star hotels
  • Licensed expert tour guide/manager for entire trip (8 days)
  • Guided walking tours of: Lecce, Galatina, Otranto, Ostuni, Monopoli, Alberobello, Locorotondo, Matera
  • Private transportation throughout the entire itinerary
  • All museum entry fees
  • Airport transfers. We will coordinate transfers so you can share with other travelers
  • Gratuities to drivers and restaurants
Meals as Follows:
  • Breakfast daily
  • 2 Lunches/Wine Tastings/Cheese Tastings:
    • 1 Wine Tasting and lunch at local winery
    • 1 Cheese Tasting at local cheese maker
  • 5 Dinners:
    • 1 Welcome dinner reception in a private residence in Lecce
    • 2 Dinners in our hotel “Masseria”
    • 1 Dinner at local restaurant in Polignano a Mare
    • 1 Farewell dinner in Matera
  • Flights
  • Meals and drinks not specified
  • Gratuities to your Tour Guide/Director
  • Travel Insurance (strongly recommended)

Tour Price based on double occupancy
Payable with credit card (Mastercard or Visa)

9 Days/8 Nights Puglia

Price per person:

$ 7,125

Single Supplement:

$ 2,400

All aspects of the tour will be coordinated by Giovanna Chiti of Discover my Italy

Discover More Italy

Do you like this tour?

Contact me

I offer you the Italy that exists in your dreams, because I know where to find it once you’re there. Please fill the form fot further information. I’ll reply to you as soon as possible. 

Panoramica privacy

Personal Data processed for the following purposes and using the following services:

Contacting the User: Contact form

Personal Data: name, surname, email

Managing contacts and sending messages

 

Google Analytics

Personal Data: Cookie; Dati di utilizzo

 

Contact information

Data Controller

Discover My Italy
2213 Locust St.,Philadelphia, PA 19103
Giovanna’s contact:
(+1) 215 460 7436

Owner's email address: giovanna@discovermyitaly.com