Puglia & Calabria Tour | Guided Small Group Tour | 8 Days

DAY 1                    BARI

Make your own way to the tour starting point (Superior Category: Hotel Excelsior, Via Petroni 15, Bari or Deluxe Category: Grand Hotel delle Nazioni, Lungomare Nazario Sauro 7, Bari). Check in and overnight in Bari.

DAY 2                    BARI – TRANI – BARI

After breakfast, at 09:00, meet with local guide and enjoy a guided tour of Bari, capital of the Apulia region. Panoramic tour between the Norman-Swabian castle, the port, the Margherita and Petruzzelli theatres. Walk through the streets of Bari Vecchia, the ancient city that stands out for the old medieval walls, the Basilica of Saint Nicholas and the narrow streets where you can admire the housewives trying to produce orecchiette, fresh homemade pasta typical of the region. Next, continue to Trani, a beautiful maritime city, famous for its beautiful Cathedral overlooking the Adriatic and the port area, rich in restaurants and craft shops and typical products. Return to Bari. Overnight in Bari. (B)

DAY 3                    BARI – POLIGNANO A MARE – OSTUNI – LECCE

After breakfast, departure for Polignano a Mare, the city famous for being the birthplace of the most famous Italian singer of all time, Domenico Modugno. This charming city will surprise with its old town, perched on the walls that frame a splendid beach. Continuation to Ostuni, the city of white houses, a beautiful tourist centre that stands out for the Cathedral, a masterpiece in a mixture of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque. Walk through the picturesque streets of the historic centre and lunch on your own. Later, continuation to Lecce for hotel check in. Overnight in Lecce. (B)

DAY 4                    LECCE – GALLIPOLI – OTRANTO – LECCE

After breakfast, take a guided tour of Lecce and enjoy time dedicated to discover this city, already defined as the Baroque capital of southern Italy; a cultural and historical centre of almost 100,000 inhabitants that hides in its ancient case buildings of rare beauty, built over the centuries with the said stone of Lecce: the Cathedral, the Basilica of the Holy Cross, the Celestini Palace, the Roman Theatre, le elegant and central Plaza de San Oronzo with the characteristic column and entrance doors of the ancient city. Next, departure for Gallipoli, Gallipoli, an old fishing village located on an island that in the 17th century was joined to the mainland with a bridge, still busy today. Visit of the beautiful and picturesque historic centre. Lunch on your own. Next, arrival in Otranto, the easternmost municipality of the entire Italian peninsula and a great Norman centre in ancient times. A walled city, it grew around the castle and the Cathedral and today is an important tourist centre due to its location on the Adriatic, its beaches and the elegant Promenade of Heroes. Return to Lecce. Overnight in Lecce. (B)

DAY 5                    LECCE – ALBEROBELLO – MATERA

After breakfast, departure to one of the most picturesque places known in the world for its characteristic homes: Alberobello. In the 17th century, the peasants of the area, to avoid paying taxes to the Kingdom of Naples on their houses, began to build with dry stone, which according to the law of the time could not be considered a true place to live. The low local buildings with black roofs have survived to this day and many have been converted into luxury homes, craft shops or hotels. Lunch on your own. Next, departure for the Basilicata region, bound for Matera. The city of the “Sassi” is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its old quarter, which is an example of prehistoric urbanization. Today the ancient caves have been reused for daily and tourist life and make up a truly unique landscape that is worth experiencing. Overnight in Matera. (B)

DAY 6                    MATERA – CIVITA – ALTOMONTE  – COSENZA

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure to Civita and visit the “village between the rocks”, an interesting medieval village, guardian of the culture and traditions of the Albanian communities (Arbëreshë) in Italy. Continuation towards Altomonte, a town on the heights of the Province of Cosenza that stands out for its Norman Tower, Piazza San Francesco, the heart of the village and the Church of Santa Maria della Consolazione. Later, departure for Cosenza, visit of the old town and check in to your hotel. Overnight in Cosenza. (B)

DAY 7                    COSENZA – TROPEA – PIZZO – COSENZA   

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Tropea, a famous tourist centre that fascinates visitors with its picturesque alleys and terraces more than fifty meters above the crystalline sea. Visit and lunch on your own. Next, continue to Pizzo, the centre of the famous Coast of the Gods, known as the “City of Ice Cream”, where there will be time to visit the town and enjoy the inevitable “Tartufo”, typical ice cream of the area. Return to Cosenza. Overnight in Cosenza.

DAY 8                    COSENZA – PAOLA – SAN NICOLA ARCELLA – SALERNO

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure to Paola and visit of the Sanctuary of San Francesco di Paola, originally built om the 16th century, on a hill surrounded by vegetation that houses the relics of the patron saint of Calabria. Continuation through Praia a Mare to admire the beautiful bay with the island of Dino, the largest of the Calabrian islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, with its splendid caves full of stalagmites until reaching the highest point of the promontory, the town of San Nicola Arcella, with its natural viewpoint. Lunch on your own and then transfer to Salerno, an ancient coastal city in the Campania region and gateway to the Amalfi Coast or an ideal point to reach Rome or Naples by train.

ACCOMMODATION:

SUPERIOR CATEGORY:

BARI: Hotel Excelsior, or similar

LECCE: Hotel delle Palme, or similar

MATERA: Hotel San Domenico, or similar

COSENZA: Hotel Royal (Standard Room), or similar

DELUXE CATEGORY:

BARI: Grand Hotel delle Nazioni, or similar

LECCE: Patria Palace Hotel, or similar

MATERA: La Suite Matera Hotel & Spa, or similar

COSENZA: Hotel Royal (Junior Suite), or similar

Includes:

–          Itinerary as above according to the hotel option choice

–          Breakfast at the selected hotels

–          Bus at disposal for the mentioned itinerary

–          Bilingual (English and Spanish) speaking escort guide/driver up to 8 people (driver and guide with more than 8)

–          Focaccia barese tasting (with drink included) in Bari

–          Entrance to an underground ancient oil producer in Gallipoli

–          Admission to an ancient house cave in Matera

–          Wi-fi on board

Excludes:

–          Arrival and departure transfers

–          Meals (except breakfast at the hotel)

–          Beverages

–          Entrances

–          Porterage

–          City taxes

–          Tickets

–          Tips and extras in general

–          Anything not listed under ‘includes’

Things to Note:

–          Hotel rooms may not be available for check-in before 2:00 p.m.

–          Hotel taxes, service charges and tips for baggage handling are not included in the tour price.

–          Tour can be a combination of regular tours; therefore coach changes may be required. The same people may not be travelling throughout the tour.

–          Entrance fees to sights are not included and are to be paid locally

–          A government tourist tax may need to be paid locally upon arrival at your hotels.

–          Itinerary may be modified at anytime.