7-Day Self-Drive Puglia Wine Road Trip in Autumn

This self-drive holiday is the perfect opportunity to discover Puglia, one of the most exciting destinations to go for a road trip in autumn. 

Starting in Bari, this tour takes you to the UNESCO city of Matera, the tiny town of Alberobello with its traditional Trulli huts, and the wine region of Salento.

Everything is arranged for you. All you have to do is get in the car, follow the itinerary, and enjoy the perfect road trip! Not every minute is scheduled, there is plenty of opportunity for serendipity – a local festival, a food stall by the road, a chance encounter.

Day 1: Bari and Fasano Area

Upon arrival at Bari airport, collect your FIAT 500 and drive to your accommodation in the Fasano area. Free time and welcome dinner in a traditional restaurant.  

Day 2: Martina Franca and Locorotondo

After breakfast, drive to a family-owned salumi factory to learn how the famous Capocollo di Martina Franca and other local salumi delicacies are produced. After a light lunch at the factory, drive to a winery near Locorotondo where you will meet the owner, visit the winery and enjoy local wines. Visit Locorotondo at sunset, enjoying its white alleys and a breathtaking sunset over the Itria Valley. Back to your accommodation.   

Day 3: Conversano and Polignano

After breakfast, drive to Conversano to experience a cooking class in a local family-owned Masseria. Enjoy your time at the Masseria, learn how to cook Puglia delicacies and take your time to relax between the millenary olive trees. After lunch, drive to Polignano to enjoy a walk in the pretty narrow streets of the village with its balconies overlooking the sea. Free time to enjoy a gelato, or the “caffè speciale” made only in Polignano a Mare. Drive back to your accommodation in the evening.  

Day 4: Alberobello and Cisternino

After breakfast, discover a renowned winery driving around the hills of Valle d’Itria, among olive trees, vineyards and white stone drywalls. Enjoy the visit to the winery and taste its famous award-winning wines. 

After lunch drive to Alberobello, the UNESCO site famous for its trulli, white stone huts where people live and have shops. Meet Francesco, a local guide, for a tour around the town. Then continue to Cisternino, another gem of Itria Valley where you can visit the small old town, have a coffee or an aperitivo enjoying the amazing view of the Itria Valley from its public terrace. Drive back to your accommodation in the evening.  

Day 5: Ostuni and Lecce 

After breakfast, check-out and drive to the Ostuni countryside. You will visit a Masseria with an old underground olive press mill where you will taste a selection of different olive oils produced locally.

Afterward continue to Ostuni, the so-called “white city”. Explore the medieval old town, with alleys and whitewashed houses that unfold in a maze similar to that of a kasbah. Go up to the hill to view the amazing panorama of millenary olive trees and the Adriatic sea. Arrive in Lecce and check-in at your accommodation.  

Day 6: Lecce  

Spend the day in Lecce, plenty of free time to walk around, exploring the quaint alleys and streets of this Baroque town also known as the “Florence of the South”. Meet your guide for a “Lecce Food Tour” to discover all the local food delicacies that the city has to offer and to learn the history and secrets of the amazing architecture of Lecce.  

Day 7: Salento and Bari

Drive back to Bari to return your vehicle and transfer to the airport to catch your flight back home. 

On the way to Bari, stop in one of the top wineries in the Salento area to indulge in another unforgettable wine tasting trying the local grapes that made Puglia and Salento famous for its wines.