These specific small group tours are from Bari, Brindisi, Ostuni, Cisternino, Alberobello or Polignano a Mare
Departure from your hotel at 9.00 am, return at 6.30 pm.
We offer shore excursions at reduced rates for groups.
Monday: Lecce & Gallipoli. Price €215 euros per person, including tickets to museums & a coffee break
While in Puglia you cannot miss a visit to Lecce, the baroque capital of the south or Gallipoli, a quaint fishing village on the Ionian Coast. Gallipoli's name comes from the Greek “Kalle Polis”, which literally translates to "beautiful city". In Lecce we will tour the sprawling town center, visit the incredible churches and the Roman amphitheater. In Gallipoli, we will wander through the amazing maze of alleys, visit the Cathedral as well as an underground oil mill dating back to the 14th century. Optional lunch at fantastic fish restaurant Puritate in Gallipoli (65 Euros extra) and/or winetasting at a local winery (35 Euros extra). After lunch we can stop for coffee at one of Gallipoli's amazing beach clubs.
Departure from your hotel at 9.00 am, return at 6.00 pm.
Tuesday: Tour of the Salento Wineries. Price €295 euros per person, including lunch at one of the wineries.
Also available every day of the week as a private tour with 48 hours advance notice
Visit two wineries in the Primitivo / Negroamaro area of Salice Salentino (between Brindisi and Lecce) and taste their award winning wines and delicious food. Learn food and wine pairing basics so you can create your own pairings. You’ll also learn what to look for in a recipe in order to make great wine matches. A great food and wine pairing creates a balance between the components of a dish and the characteristics of a wine.
Departure from your hotel at 10 am, return at 5,30 pm.
Wednesday: Matera. Price €215 Euros per person, including entrance to museums & churches.
A must-do if you're in Puglia is head less than two hours west to the incredible town Matera in Basilicata. A visit to the famous "Sassi" (cave dwellings) of Matera, which are now protected under the Unesco World Heritage Site, allows you to step back in history. Matera is said to be one of the world's oldest towns. Your first glimpse of the "Sassi" will leave a lasting impact. Haunting and beautiful, the Sassi sprawl below the rim of a yawning ravine like a giant nativity scene. Although many buildings are crumbling, others have been restored and transformed into cosy abodes, restaurants and cave hotels. Optional memorable 3 course lunch at amazing "Falco Grillaio" or "Panecotto" in Matera (45 Euros extra), "Abbondanza" (65 Euros extra).
Departure from your hotel at 9.00, return at 6.30 pm.
Enjoy an informative BBC video of Matera
Thursday: Cisternino, Alberobello and Polignano. Price €215 euros per person, including entrance to museums.
Alberobello the only town in Puglia entirely built of the famous trulli. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a incredible place to explore by foot. Next we'll visit the breathtaking Polignano a Mare, which is an amazing medieval town clinging to the Adriatic cliffs. We'll end the day in quaint Cisternino, a white washed town in the Itria Valley with dreamy alleyways and sweeping views of the valley. Optional 3 course lunch at family-run "Cantina" in Alberobello (n.1 on Tripadvisor, extra €60 Euros) and/or a winetasting at the Wine Museum of Cantina Albea (35 Euros pp). We can also add an optional 2 hour boat tour of the caves of Polignano for an extra €45 euros per person.
Departure your hotel at 9.00 am, return at 6.00
Video of Polignano a Mare
Thursday: Visit Alberobello ONLY for a half day tour (9am to 1pm) from Ostuni at €125 Euros per person.
Thursday: Visit Polignano a Mare for a half day 2pm to 6pm from Ostuni at 125 Euros per person. Optional boat excursion to visit the sea caves of Polignano from a boat for €45 per person extra.
Friday: Lecce and Gallipoli. Price €215 Euros per person, including ticket to museum.
While in Puglia you cannot miss a visit to Lecce, the baroque capital of the south or Gallipoli, a quaint fishing village on the Ionian Coast. Gallipoli's name comes from the Greek “Kalle Polis”, which literally translates to "beautiful city". In Lecce we will tour the sprawling town center, visit the incredible churches and the Roman amphitheater. In Gallipoli, we will wander through the amazing maze of alleys, visit the Cathedral as well as an underground oil mill dating back to the 14th century. Optional lunch at fantastic fish restaurant Puritate in Gallipoli (65 Euros extra) and/or winetasting at a local winery (35 Euros extra). After lunch we can stop for coffee at one of Gallipoli's amazing beach clubs.
Saturday: Trani & Castel del Monte. Price € 225 Euros including ticket to the castle and guided tour.
Departure from hotel 8.30am, return at 6.30pm
Castel del Monte, built in 1240, was one of Frederick II Hoenstaufen's favourite residences. He was one of the first modern rulers in European history and had the good fortune to have grown up in Sicily and Puglia in a mixed culture that uniquely combined elements of antiquity, Arabic and Jewish wisdom, the Occidental spirit of the Middle Ages, and Norman realism. The intellectual life of his court reflected this heritage. A courtly “republic of scholars,” it nurtured and fostered the natural sciences as well as philosophy, poetry, and mathematics, and translations as well as original writing, both in Latin and in the vernacular (early Italian). The pursuit of knowledge without special respect for traditional authorities was characteristic of Frederick and his court. Optional lunch at Corte in Fiore in Trani (65 Euros) or Montegusto in Castel del Monte (45 Euros). Optional wine tasting at 45 Euros per person.
Sunday: Lecce, Otranto & Castro. Price €215 Euros per person.
Otranto is famed for its cathedral with fantastic mosaics, as well as for its medieval castle that inspired Horace Walpole's novel. We will visit this seaside town from where crusaders and knight templars would leave for the Holy Land. Optional lunch at "Grotta del Conte" (55 Euros pp) in Castro, a small and fascinating fishing village, or at Tricase's "Anime Sante" run by local fishermen (70 Euros pp). Optional boat excursion from 50 Euros pp.
Departure at 9.00 am, return at 6.30 pm.
Note: As mentioned above, we offer optional lunches at award winning restaurants for €45 to €75 per person, wine is included.
Visits to award winning wineries ranges between €35 - €65 per person.
Above pricing refers to departures from Ostuni, Alberobello, Lecce, Monopoli, Polignano a Mare, Brindisi, Ceglie Messapica, Cisternino or Martina Franca.
We also offer cooking courses including lunch or dinner plus wine tasting from 125 Euros pp. Please inquire.
Our Day Tour Policy:
We have existing dates blocked off each season for standard Day Tours. As our guest, you have the option of booking a private tour (your group only) or joining on to an existing group tour for a lower rate (between 2x - 8x people max).
*Please note you will only get the discounted group rate if other groups are booked for the same tour. If you & your 1+ are the only two that have booked for that day, we must charge the private rate for 2x people or less. If you are the first to book, we will confirm the price at the private rate. Please be aware that if you request a group tour but are the first to book, we will make every effort to combine other guests to join your tour and offer the lower group rate. If we can grow your group tour, we will adjust the provided rate and offer you the group discount.
Often times what we do for guests who want to join a group tour is begin communication months or several weeks before the booking to ensure that we can coordinate with other travelers for the same day. It’s helpful for us to begin the conversation early so we can get you the best possible price!
Gallipoli, from the Greek Kallipolis meaning beautiful city, is a fishing village on the coast of southern Puglia. Gallipoli's Old Town, built on an island now connected to the mainland by a bridge, is picturesque and a nice place to stroll through its maze of alleys. The 17th century Baroque Sant' Agata Cathedral is in the center of the town. Several interesting churches are along the perimeter of the old town facing the sea. The walls and bastions surrounding the old town are believed to have been built in the 15th century to fend off attacks, especially from pirates. The walls were altered in the 19th century permitting beautiful views of the sea, port, and harbors.
The Hypogeum Oil Press at Palazzo Granafei was a major center for producing lamp oil. The pretty port is still used by fishing boats and you'll see fishermen mending their colorful nets and houses decorated with fishing baskets. Restaurants serve fresh seafood and sea urchins are a specialty of Gallipoli. Castello Angioino stands near the entrance to the old town. The current fortress, built on old Byzantine fortifications, probably originated in the 11th century but was altered quite a bit in the 15th century. The fortress guarded the old port, once part of an important trade route, and was connected to the mainland by a drawbridge.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Explore the magic of Matera
Matera is said to be one of the world’s oldest towns. The simple natural grottoes that dotted the gorge were adapted to become homes. In time, an ingenious system of canals regulated the flow of water and sewage, and small hanging gardens lent splashes of colour. The prosperous town became the capital of Basilicata in 1663, a position it held until 1806 when the power moved to Potenza. In the decades that followed, an unsustainable increase in population led to the habitation of unsuitable grottoes – originally intended as animal stalls – even lacking running water.
By the 1950s over half of Matera’s population lived in the sassi, a typical cave sheltering an average of six children. The infant mortality rate was 50%. In his Christ Stopped at Eboli, Carlo Levi describes how children would beg passers-by for quinine to stave off the deadly malaria. Such publicity finally galvanised the authorities into action, and in the late 1950s about 15,000 inhabitants were forcibly relocated to new government housing schemes.
In 1993 the sassi were declared a Unesco World Heritage Site. Ironically, the town’s history of outrageous misery has transformed it into Basilicata’s leading tourist attraction.
Approach Matera from virtually any direction and your first glimpse of its famous sassi is sure to stay in your memory forever. Haunting and beautiful, the sassi sprawl below the rim of a yawning ravine like a giant nativity scene. The old town is simply unique and warrants at least a day of exploration and aimless wandering. Although many buildings are crumbling and abandoned, others have been restored and transformed into cosy abodes, restaurants and swish cave-hotels. On the cliff top, the new town is a lively place, with its elegant churches, palazzi and especially the pedestrianised Piazza Vittorio Veneto.
