Accommodation

You will be accommodated five nights in Masseria Borgobianco (or similar) and two nights in Risorgimento Hotel (or similar) in Lecce.

Program

Day 1: Arrival in Apulia Region, Polignano a Mare

Arriving in the Apulia region. A private transfer from Bari Airport will be provided and you will be welcomed in a typical Apulian Masseter, a charming place with a unique and sophisticated style. The first stop will let you discover the hometown of Domenico Modugno, Polignano a Mare, well-known for its cliffs overlooking the sea and for its charming old town.

Embark on a journey between historical architecture, balconies dropping sheer to the blue and poems written on stone walls, finishing with the well-known “chaff speciale “, an excellent invention made in Polignano: a ritual greeting made of coffee, sugar, lemon peel, cream and Amaretto of Saronno. You will then come back to the Masseria for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 2: Alberobello, lunch at EVO Restaurant, and wine tour

Have breakfast in the Masseria with zero-km local products, then open day-2 of this tour. The first destination is Alberobello, part of UNESCO’s World Human Heritage, thanks to its millenary history. Wandering through its Trulli, extraordinary examples of dry-stones dwellings, will give the opportunity to you to dive into the magical atmosphere of a unique town.

Lunch-time: tradition, experimentation, study and attention to the details. In one word: EVO. Winner of "4 Ristoranti" (an Italian TV cooking show), it’s the perfect place where you can taste the essence of the South of Italy: the raw materials of this territory, the restaurant kitchen garden and Apulian wines coming from small local producers make this restaurant an unquestionable yet unforgettable stop.

In the afternoon, you will discover a historic Apulian winery. A family history that started in 1882, surrounded by oak barrels and hectares of vineyards. With an oenologist, after visiting the vineyard, you will see the area of the old barrel, a charming underground cellar where you can discover the various phases of the vinification. At the end of the visit, you will taste 3 different wines: Primitivo, Negroamaro and Malvasia.

Day 3: Cooking class in Masseria and dinner overlooking the sea

It’s time to get your hands in the dough, for real! You will reach a charming rural Masseria surrounded by centuries-old olive trees where, with a pastry board, an apron and a rolling pin they will challenge themselves to make orecchiette and cavatelli pasta, thanks to the expert hands of the chef. This pasta, flavoured with traditional sauces, will be served to you as long as a variety of excellences from the territory. In the afternoon, there will be free time in the resort.

Day 4: Matera city tour and dinner in Polignano a Mare

Breakfast in the Masseria and departure for Matera, discovering the town of the "Sassi" on a "Calessino". European Capital of Culture in 2019 and part of the UNESCO’s Human World Heritage, Matera jealously guards its past hollowed out in the rock, made of natural caves once called home.

Fragrant, scented and genuine: it’s the bread from Matera, the PGI symbol of the town. After a tasting in a well-known bakery, you will reach the famous restaurant of the Starred chef Vitoantonio Lombardi in a cave of the “Sassi“ district, where you can live an experience out of time, exclusive and unforgettable.

Free time in the afternoon. The day ends in Polignano a Mare with a dinner suspended between sky and sea. Nestled in one of the most evocative and attractive places in Polignano, Terrazza Monachile restaurant is an exclusive unconventional location where good cooking and a fantastic panorama are perfectly blended.

Day 5: Bari, street food and starred dinner in Putignano

Bari, the land of street food. The fifth day leads you to discover a city that is both elegant and popular: its soul is divided between the exquisite streets of the Murat district and the narrowed streets of the old town. The Petruzzelli Theatre, the Saint Nicolas Basilica and the Norman-Swabian castle are only some of the unmissable stops in "Bari Vecchia" before diving into the well-known "orecchiette street" and tasting "sgagliozze, focaccia and panzerotti", as long as very famous beer here for the "Baresi".

In the afternoon, you will go back to Masseria. In the evening, you will reach Putignano for a dinner in the restaurant of Angelo Sabatelli, a Michelin-starred chef. Talented and brilliant, Sabatelli will welcome you with his technical cuisine which enhances the territory also with a great choice of Spumante wine and champagne.

Day 6: Ceglie Messapica, Lecce dinner on a roof garden

Breakfast in the Masseria and departure for Ceglie Messapica, the town of art and land of gastronomy. After the visit to its wonderful old town, full of buildings of the 18th century, you will taste the well-known biscuit of Ceglie, an almond-paste pastry stuffed with cherry or grape jam.

For lunch, you will reach one of the most famous restaurants of Ceglie, Cibus, located in an old convent of the 15th century. Its stone-walls rooms, with their white-washed arcades, houses the kingdom of Lillino Silibello, a kind and genuine person with a thorough knowledge of the cuisine and the eno-gastronomic traditions of his own territory. Cibus is not only a restaurant but also a place for knowledge: Lillino has always seen his work like this, considering the food not just a source of pleasure but also a key to understanding the culture and the history of a place. In the afternoon we will reach Lecce with its wonderful baroque architecture made of local stone.

In the afternoon, you will take time to discover the city and do some shopping before reaching the Roof Garden of The Risorgimento Hotel for dinner. That’s a 5-star hotel from where you can let yourself go to the gourmet selection created by the Chefs Mario Carlino and Alessandro Cisternino, who reinterpreted the culinary specialities and the flavours of the Salento area with typical zero-km products. The location is an ideal place for a wonderful view above the old town, its buildings and the bell tower of the Cathedral.

Day 7: Otranto, tasting in Lecce, and dinner in a Medieval tower

Breakfast in the hotel and discover Otranto, the eastern town in Italy. The visit starts in its old town, paved with stone, part of UNESCO’s Culture of Peace Heritage, deeply immersing yourself in the absolute beauty of the mosaic made by Pantaleone in the Cathedral, in the byzantine Saint Peter church and in the Aragonese castle. Back to Lecce, after a guided tour of the city, you will reach a well-known bakery in the city centre for a tasting of the "pasticciotto leccese", a shortcrust pastry filled with cream baked in a hoven.

Dinner of this last evening is located in a medieval tower: Torre del Parco, built in 1419, is one of the most important and rare buildings of the late-medieval era in Lecce. The beauty of its rooms and the preciousness of the gastronomic offer lend to conclude in the best way this exclusive trip discovering Apulia region and its flavours

Day 8: Departure

Breakfast in the hotel and departure.Transfer to Bari Airport. Depending on the time of your flight, visit Brindisi or Ostuni.

Location

It is said that the Apulia region is the house of fine living. A land sun-blessed and lapped by crystal clear waters. A red earth, scattered with centuries-old olive trees and dry-stone walls. Authentic, outgoing and hospitable. There, the past is everywhere: it emerges in its own identity, in its culture, in its flavours. It actually seems it’s impossible to wave goodbye to the Apulia region once you’ve eaten at its table.

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Food

Food highlights

Daily breakfasts
Lunch in a restaurant in Alberobello
Lunch in a starred restaurant in the Sassi of Matera
Lunch in Ceglie Messapica
Lunch made during the cooking class
2 dinners in Masseria Borgobianco (or similar) close to Polignano a Mare
1 dinner in Risorgimento Hotel Roof Garden
3 dinners at local restaurants
Dinner in a starred restaurant in Putignano
Farewell dinner in a medieval tower
Tasting of the "pasticciotto leccese"
Street food in Bari
Tasting of Caffè Speciale / ice-cream / granita (slush) in Polignano a Mare

The following meals are included:

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Drinks

The following drinks are included:

Alcoholic beverages

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Regular (typically includes meat and fish)

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

Things to do (optional)

During their free time, guests could book an equipped beach close to Monopoli / Capitolo. The day ends in Monopoli, a maze of narrow alleys smelling of the sea, with votive shrines, fishing nets laying under the sun, flower-filled balconies and a blinding whiteness. The dinner will take place in Lido Bianco restaurant: pottery from Grottaglie and large glass surfaces overlooking the sea welcome you in this microcosm of beauty where you could entirely live, breathe and taste the sea. The Bini family offers an all-embracing experience, supported for ages from Giovanni, who sorts the fish catch, and from Florinda, irreplaceable landlady always cared even in the smallest details.

What's included

Private bus for all the duration of your trip
Transfer in/out
5 nights in Masseria Borgobianco (or similar)
2 nights in Risorgimento Hotel (or similar) in Lecce
Daily breakfasts
2 dinners in Masseria Borgobianco (or similar) close to Polignano a Mare
1 dinner in Risorgimento Hotel Roof Garden
English speaking tour guide for the whole tour
Tasting of Caffè Speciale / ice-cream / granita (slush) in Polignano a Mare
Lunch in a restaurant in Alberobello
Visit of a winery: its production area, its new cellar, its ancient barrels area, and tasting with 3 wines
Cooking class with an English and Italian speaking Chef followed by lunch
3 dinners at local restaurants
Visit of a cave-church in Matera
Visit of a bakery in Matera and Tasting of PGI bread
Lunch in a starred-restaurant in the Sassi of Matera
Dinner in a starred-restaurant in Putignano
Street food in Bari
Lunch in Ceglie Messapica
Lecce city tour and Tasting of the "pasticciotto leccese"
Farewell dinner in a medieval tower
A present for each guest

What's not included

Drinks at meals
Visitors city taxes
Anything not mentioned under "What's included"

How to get there

Recommended Airports

BRI

Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport

42 km

Transfer included

Airport: Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport Airport transfer included: Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport No additional charges. You can request this in the next step.

Cancellation Policy

A reservation requires a deposit of 100% of the total price.
The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.