Guided Walking Tour in Puglia 2012

27 April 2012 to 9 May 2012 Fully subscribed
2013 dates to be announced

Alberobello Walk

“Evidently, the God of the Jews didn't know Puglia, otherwise he wouldn't have given his people Palestine as the Promised Land.”
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Puglia (1194 to 1250 AD).

Clearly, Frederick II was a little biased, but he did have a point. Puglia, with its intriguing towns and great natural beauty, has lost of none of its fascination and yet, after 800 years, the castles and rolling plains of Le Murge, the forests and pinnacled trulli towns of the Istria Valley and the Baroque extravagance and spectacular coast line of the Salento Peninsula are still relatively unknown, with Puglia attracting less than 2% of Italy's total annual tourism.

The ‘heel' of the ‘boot' of Italy, Puglia runs down the Adriatic coast, jutting out towards the Balkans and Greece. Puglia has a very rich heritage, having drawn traders and invaders since prehistoric times: the Spartans founded the first Greek settlement in 750 BC; the Romans absorbed Puglia into their empire; the Lombards, the Byzantines, the Venetians, the French and the Spanish all fought over her and the Ottoman Turks raided her for centuries. However, it was under the Normans kings, who built impenetrable castles and towering cathedrals during the 12th and 13th century, that Puglia reached its greatest splendour as pilgrims, merchants and crusaders streamed down from all over Europe to embark from its ports for the Orient and the Holy Land.

Puglia rewards slow tourism. Some of the highlights of the Hidden Italy tour include: six half-day walks along country lanes and following coastal paths through national parks; guided tours of the old port of Bari and the Baroque centre of Lecce; visits to three UNESCO World Heritage Listed sites: Frederick II's dramatic and enigmatic octagonal Castel del Monte; the extraordinary medieval cave city in the ravines below Matera and the enchanting ‘trulli' town of Alberobello; a lazy day sailing on the blue Adriatic and last, but not least, Puglia's fine southern cooking.

The accommodation is in very good, four-star boutique hotels, including an authentic ‘trulli' hotel complex in a rural setting and a recently renovated patrician palazzo in the centre of Lecce. Puglia is characterized by undulating plains and hills (no mountains or steps!). The walks are straight forward, following good lanes and paths that take you through some of the most beautiful country in Italy.

The tour will be lead by Simon Tancred.

"Yes, the Puglia tour lived up to my expectations! The walks were perfect – I particularly enjoyed the fact that the walks were half day and not all day ... Simon's local historical knowledge, combined with his natural enthusiasm, was a major feature. It's a great personalised tour and just as it was explained to be." JH, Puglia

	Tour Dates	27 April to 9 May, 2012
	Tour Size	7 to 14 people
	Tour Cost	$5,990 AUD per person (two people sharing a double room) (single supplement for a double room for single use $600 AUD) (approximately $5,200 USD SS $400 USD - subject to daily exchange rates**)
	Tour Inclusions	12 nights accommodation (see the itinerary for details) in 4-star boutique hotels All breakfast, and all lunches and dinners listed in the itinerary All transfers and activities during the tours All taxes and service charges at the hotels and restaurants All paid admissions during the tour 8 guided walks Guided sight seeing tours of Bari and Lecce Services of a full-time professional tour guide

Tour Snapshots (click the image for a larger version)

500 yr Old Olive Tree

The trulli town centre

A country walk

Matera cave church

Salento coastal walk

Frederick II's castle

Wedding in the ‘White City’'

Our Base in Salento

Our hotel in the Istria Valley

Coastal pine forest walk

The 'White City'

Trani Cathedral

Puglia Walking Tour Itinerary

View a Print Friendly Version of this Itinerary

Day		We will meet in the foyer of our hotel (a classic four-star hotel on the edge of the old town of Bari) and have a light dinner at the hotel's rooftop restaurant, enjoying views of the city and its port. Dinner.
Day		Today we take a guided walk to explore the secrets of the medieval Bari Vecchia, the old town of Bari, a buzzing maze of tight alley ways and small piazzas adjacent to the city's port. There are many star attractions but the real pleasure of Bari Vecchia is simply wandering the narrow lanes soaking up the vibrant southern life. After lunch in a central piazza, the afternoon and evening are free. Lunch
Day		This morning we start our exploration of Puglia with a ½ hour drive north and an easy walk (2 hrs 6 kms) through forest and farmlands before climbing up to one of the most remarkable buildings in southern Italy: Castel del Monte, the mysterious, isolated octagonal castle constructed by Frederick II in the 13th century. After a visit and a light lunch, we drive across the rolling plains of Le Murge to the green hills and forests of the Istria Valley, to our base for the next four nights, staying in a beautiful hotel composed of restored 'trulli' (traditional conical dry-stone cottages) with a pool and surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. Dinner is at the hotel's fine restaurant. Lunch and dinner.
Day		This morning we walk to Alberobello, a fascinating nearby town, the capital of the trulli district, passing through forest, vineyards and cherry orchards. (12 kms, 3 hours). There are over 1500 trulli crowded into the historical centre of the town - these strange ancient constructions only found within a 10 kilometre radius of the town. After a light lunch, we visit the town and its museum before driving back to our base for the evening. Dinner.
Day		Although only a pleasant one hour drive across wide open plains from our base, Matera seems to belong to another world. Below the modern town in a deep ravine, are the famous Sassi, one of Italy's oddest urban settlements, a silent medieval cave city, with prehistoric origins. We will be taken on a guided tour by Franco, who born in the Sassi. On the way back we stop for lunch at a family-run ‘agriturismo’ followed by a beautiful walk (5kms, 2 hrs) across open fields, to visit Altamura man, a 70,000 year old crystallised Neanderthal man found in a nearby cave system. Dinner is at the hotel. Dinner.
Day		Today we do a beautiful walk along country lanes through olive groves, orchards and oak forests before picking up an ancient stone path that leads us to a charming 7th century Romanesque church surrounded by fields. (12 kms, 3 hours). After a visit to the little church (the ancient caretaker permitting) we'll have a light lunch and head back to relax at our base. Later in the afternoon we'll visit a wonderful masseria (or fortified farm complex) which is surrounded by 500 year old olive trees and is famous for its organic produce and cooking. After a tour of the masseria, we'll have an aperitivo and a delicious dinner. Lunch and dinner.
Day		This morning we leave the Istria Valley and head south to the austere beauty of the Salento Peninsula, the eastern most part of Italy and the closest point to Greece. On the way we stop for lunch at Taranto, which has a beautiful port, a stylish city centre and a fascinating museum of ancient Greek works. Our base for the next four nights is a perfectly preserved medieval port tucked behind 15th century Spanish walls above an idyllic harbour which was the main Italian port to the Orient for over a thousand years Our accommodation is in a 5-star boutique hotel set in a 14th century palazzo inside the town's bastions . After settling into the hotel, you’ll be taken on a guided tour of the town and then have an aperitif and dinner at the hotel. Lunch and dinner.
Day		This morning we walk south of the town following trails along the coast passing a number of medieval lookout towers and the lighthouse that marks the eastern most point of Italy. We then loop around and take an inland path back to town. We have lunch at a small vineyard on the edge of town. (14 kms, 3.5 hours). After returning to our base, the rest of the afternoon and evening are free. Lunch.
Day		Today is a lazy day, taking two sailing boats to explore the Adriatic Coast, visiting sea caves, bays and some of Italy's finest beaches. There will be plenty of chances to swim in the blue water. A BBQ lunch will be served on the boat. We'll return to our bases later in the afternoon, where the rest of the day is free. We’ll regroup in the evening for a lovely fish dinner. Lunch and dinner.
Day		This morning we drive cross the Salento Peninsula (1 hour) to a national park that stretches along the Ionian coast. This beautiful walk goes the length of the park, starting in a pine forest, before descending to the sea and following the rocky coast line north (10 kms. 3 hours). After a picnic lunch and a swim, we return to our base, stopping at a small Greek-speaking town for a gelato and a visit to one of the artistic treasures of Puglia, a series of 14th century frescos that have been compared to Giotto's in Assisi. Afterwards, we return to our base the evening is free. Lunch.
Day		Today we drive to Lecce, the capital of the Salento Peninsula, a vibrant university town known as the Florence of the South, famous for the extravagant Baroque architecture of its city centre. On the way we will enjoy a lovely walk along the coast via cliffs, rock pools and an archeological site (7kms 2.5hrs) before continuing on for lunch and guided visit in a delightful fortified village - the only example of Renaissance military architecture in southern Italy. Our accommodation in Lecce is a five star hotel in a recently restored patrician villa in the centre of the old town. The evening is free. Lunch.
Day		Today will spend the morning exploring the centre of this elegant city, taking a guided tour with visits to the atelier of one of city's master craftsmen: a cartapesta workshop and an extra ordinary private museum. The afternoon is free. In the evening we will have dinner in a fine traditional restaurant in the heart of the old town. Dinner.
Day		After breakfast, we'll be transferred back to Bari, which is well connected by air, rail and road to the rest of Italy and Europe.