MATERA, ALBEROBELLO AND THE WHITE CITIES OF THE ITRIA VALLEY

Next departures:
Duration:

Days

Description

Tour programme

Day 1:

1° day BOLOGNA - BARI

COACH TOUR Meet your travel assistant and travel companions and start the tour in a GT bus towards Apulia along the Adriatic coast. Lunch on the way (not included). Evening arrival to Bari. Hotel check-in, dinner and overnight.   PACKAGE TOUR ONLY Welcome to Bari! In the evening, meet your English-speaking assistant. Dinner and overnight.

Day 2:

2° day BARI – POLIGNANO A MARE – OSTUNI – ALBEROBELLO

Hotel breakfast and departure to Polignano a Mare, a charming village built on a rocky spur right on the sea. One of its peculiarity are the caves that cut through the rock. Visit the old town with typical alleys, piazzas and houses overlooking directly above the sea. Continue to Ostuni, called the “White city” thanks to the brightness of its whitewashed houses, set against the pink-tinged brown of its principal monument, and makes the town stand out in the green of the surrounding area. Visit to the city center and to the olive press where you will have a chance to try olive oil from the territory. Lunch at your leisure. In the afternoon, continue to Alberobello, small town famous for unique Trulli houses. A trullo (plural, trulli) is a traditional Apulian dry stone hut with a conical roof. The Trulli of Alberobello are listed on UNESCO World Heritage site List. Visit of the most characteristic areas with Trulli Siamese and the church of Saint Antonio di Padua. Hotel check-in, dinner and overnight.

Day 3:

3° day ALBEROBELLO – MATERA – MURGIA – MATERANA – ALBEROBELLO

Hotel breakfast. Departure to Matera, well known for its historical center called "Sassi di Matera" (meaning "stones of Matera”. Thanks to its cultural landscape where traditions, rituals, beliefs and ways of life have been kept until the mid-twentieth century, Sassi is considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO along with the Park of Rupestrian Churches. Recently, Matera was declared as Italian host of European Capital of Culture for 2019. Start with the guided tour. The city consists of the modern part called Civita and the old town Antica, situated on the edge and sides of a deep ravine. The caves of Matera had been inhabited for centuries; some humble and some smarter residences, but by the early twentieth-century the area was a by-word for poverty. Until the 1950s hundreds of families were still living crowded into cave-houses here. Today, more and more the old cave-houses are being converted into comfortable modern dwellings, into hotels, B&Bs and restaurants. Matera was the one of the filming locations for Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ, with shots showing the sassi and the gorge below. The first cave dwellings date back to prehistoric times. We will visit a house-cave that preserves the typical furniture of the rural culture and the cistern house, a cistern carved into the cliff, where is still possible observe the rainwater collection method. Lunch at your leisure. In the afternoon, visit the Civita, modern part of the city with numerous noble buildings and majestic Romanesque cathedral. Transfer to Murgia Materana and visit to the Crypt of the Original Sin, also known as the “Sistin Chapel” of the rupestrian wall painting. In the evening, return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight.

Day 4:

4° day ALBEROBELLO – MARTINA FRANCA – LOCOROTONDO – CISTERNINO – BARI

Breakfast in the hotel. During this morning, we will visit Martina Franca, a small Baroque town in the heart of Itria Valley. Start with guided tour in the city center and visit the San Martino basilica and Palazzo Ducale, two jewels with fascination frescoes and Baroque decorations. Short panoramic visit of Locorotondo, a typical village of the Itria Valley situated on the top of the hill from where you can enjoy beautiful view across the valley. Lunch at your leisure. In the afternoon, continue to Cisternino. Cisternino is perhaps one of the best preserved historic centers of Itria Valley with white-washed, stone buildings with cool, shaded, cave-like interiors, narrow streets and churches. Continue to Bari, the capital of Apulia region, a vibrant university town with an intense nightlife, unparalleled gastronomic identity and a Mediterranean lifestyle. Due to its geographical position, Bari is called the “Gate to the Orient”. Upon arrival, start with the guided tour of the old town gathered around the Basilica of Saint Nicolas with the remains of the Saint, the Swabian Castle and Lungomare N. Sauro. Accommodation in the hotel, dinner and overnight.  

Day 5:

5° day BOLOGNA - BARI

COACH TOUR Hotel breakfast. Departure for Bologna along the Adriatic coast. In the evening, arrival to the starting point.   PACKAGE TOUR ONLY Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to the airport on request.

Included

• Modern air-conditioned motor coach designed for sightseeing • English speaking tour guide from first to last day of the program • Hotel accommodation in 4 star hotel, rooms with private facilities and breakfast buffet • Meals as per itinerary • Olive oil tasting • Special visits and sightseeing as specified in the program (entrance fees not included) • English speaking driver and local English speaking guides • Luggage handling (1 per person) • Service charges and hotel taxes • 24/7 English Speaking Assistance by phone

Not included

• International flights, unmentioned entrance fees, transfers, meals and drinks, insurance, tips

MATERA, ALBEROBELLO AND THE WHITE CITIES OF THE ITRIA VALLEY