Explore bellissima Puglia and Basilicata, on the other side of the boot, where our expert guides reveal the secrets of Matera, Poligniano, Monopoli, Bari and Alberobello’s trulli houses, take you cycling through twisted olive groves, and show you the best local trattoria for handmade orecchiette pasta.

Located in the heel of Italy’s boot, Puglia will surprise you with its picturesque landscape, ancient hilltop towns, emerald waters, and lush farmlands dotted by ancient olive trees and distinctive conical shepherd huts known as ‘trulli’. After a day of walking, sightseeing or cycling, enjoy the legendary regional cuisine that includes outstanding seafood and melt-in-the-mouth burrata cheese.

Highlights of Puglia tours include Matera, an area famous for its cave-and-stone Sassi houses, and Alberobello, where white cone-roofed trulli houses still stand after 500 years – on some of our Puglia holidays you can even stay in them. Strolling through the old narrow streets of Ostuni and Locorotondo will transport you back in time, allowing you to discover Puglia’s distinct identity. The whole region is a food lovers’ paradise and local produce includes durum wheat pasta, vegetables grown just a few steps from the sea, and olives, broad beans and chicory – all used to prepare simple, tasty dishes such as orecchiette pasta served with a sauce of turnip-tops or fresh tomato and sheep’s-milk ricotta cheese.

Option 1A Tour in South Italian countryside and stay in the fairytale trio of Alberobello, Ostuni and Matera
The heel of Italy’s boot, formed of the Puglia and Basilicata regions, offers trails through olive groves and towns seemingly plucked from a storybook – ideal for a culture-packed walking adventure.
This trip begins among the fairytale trulli houses of Alberobello and continues to the highlights of the region: the Itria Valley hills; the white city of Ostuni; and the cave town of Matera − 10,000 years old with a spectacular ravine-edge location.

Option 2B Tour From the cave town of Matera to baroque Lecce, enjoy the best of Italy in a week
Puglia is the best of Italy crammed into the heel of the boot: twisted olive trees, World Heritage towns, full-bodied primitivo wine, and sun-kissed beaches. Experience it for yourself, spending two nights in the spectacular cave town of Matera, before wandering among the fairytale trulli homes of Alberobello. There's also time to sample olive oil in a traditional Apulian farm, explore the white city of Ostuni, visit the medieval coastal town of Otranto, and end in baroque Lecce, known as the Florence of the South.

What's Included
All breakfasts
One lunch
Six dinners
All accommodation
All transport and listed activities

Price starting from €1150

Tourists come to Alberobello from all over the world to see its unique urban landscape. The town has become famous internationally because of its "Trulli", cone shaped houses constructed in stone blocks known as chiancole.
Alberobello is sited on two hills, divided by a river. The Western hill is the oldest part of the town and here the largest number of Trulli can be found.
The old town is divided into two districts, Aia piccola and Monti, which are of national importance and have been granted special status by U.N.E.S.C.O. Profuse greenery, olive and almond trees cover the hillsides. Craft industry is particularly important, with all types of traditional products being made.
Not to be missed: the itinerant market, held every Thursday morning and the Saturday afternoon market, held in the Coreggia district. On Wednesday and Saturday evenings the town's butchers organise the Fornello pronto, a delicious barbecue. The celebrations for the Patron Saints Medici Cosma and Damiano are well worth attending.

On the extreme Eastern point of the Gargano, with its two long beaches, Vieste has become an international tourist destination. The Medieval historic center rises up on the rocks, dominated by the Castle built by Federico II, whilst the majority of the residential buildings can be found between the Castle and San Felice point, stretching out towards the Lanterna Tower of Vieste.

Among the natural beauty spots one can visit is the great white rock known as Pizzomunno or Faraglione di Vieste. Then there are the sea caves, the Grotta di St Michele at Monte St Angelo, the Grotta of Castellana and the immense Umbra Forest, where to take a pic-nic or set off on an excursion.

Because of its exposed position Vieste is a great place for wind-surfing. Vieste also has a busy calendar of events: musical performances, film festivals art and craft Fairs, ballet shows and much, much more. The typical cuisine includes orecchiette, ncapriata and the legendary wild onions otherwise known as lampasciuni.

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