7-Day Puglia Gourmet and Wine Tour

This seven-day private tour offers a tasty introduction to Puglia's locally produced food and wines and exploration of the region's stunning historical towns.

Day 1: Arrival in Masseria

Day 2: Bari – Alberobello

After breakfast, enjoy a guided tour of the beautiful city of Bari, capital of Apulia region. While strolling around the old town, you will have the chance to watch women in the streets making strascinati and orecchiette, two typical pastas of the area.

You will have lunch on your own and in the afternoon, transfer to the Murgia area. Its main characteristic is the geology it presents, in fact, the landscape is riddled with holes and ravines through which small streams and rivers gurgle, creating what is in effect, a giant sponge.

Next, discover Alberobello, a small town and the capital of the Trulli. These small, white buildings with conic roofs are unique just to this region in Italy and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Tour the Trulli with a guide and then sit down for dinner at a nice  restaurant in the area.

Day 3: Locorotondo - Fonello Dinner in Cisternino

After breakfast visit a local olive oil mill that has been operated by the same family for almost 100 years. The farmers will teach you everything you need to know about olive oil, and you will taste some of the best oils produced at the mill.

Enjoy lunch on your own and then return to the Masseria for a short rest.

Later, visit Locorotondo, a jewelled hilltop town considered to have the best views of the Valley of Itria and Murgia. The day will end in Cisternino, another beautiful hill town with stunning views. You will indulge in the town's traditional dinner, which is held at the butcher shop with an annexed wooden oven. You will choose between lamb, veal, or sausages that will be cooked "al Fornello" just for you. An experience you can only have in Cisternino!

Day 4: Gioia del Colle - Matera

Today you will travel to Matera, with a stop in Gioia del Colle at a terrific winery to taste Primitivo and other indigenous wines. You will have lunch at the winery and then, in the afternoon continue the drive to Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Meet your local guide upon arrival at the hotel and, after checking in, have a walking tour of the Sassi, to learn more about these fascinating dwellings. The Sassi district is the ancient heart of the city and still has existing prehistoric dwellings from thousands of years ago that are carved out of the face of the calcareous rock.

Dinner will be served in Matera at a charming restaurant. You will enjoy food with different flavours that belong to the Basilicata region.

Day 5: Matera - Altamura - Ostuni

After breakfast, proceed to Altamura, a town famous for making one of the best breads in Italy. Here you will have the chance to visit a 100-year-old bakery where you will see how bread, focaccia, and other delicacies of the region are made. Taste this excellent bread combined with some local wine.

In the afternoon, you will reach your Masseria in Ostuni area. After some time to relax and freshen up, have a walking guided tour of  "the white town”; in fact, Ostuni is a gleaming white hilltop town with sun-bleached streets and cobbled alleyways.

Back at the Masseria enjoy a fabulous seafood dinner at the property’s restaurant.

Day 6: Ostuni - Wine Tasting in Brindisi - Lecce

After breakfast, leave the countryside and head south to the Salento area.  Stop on the way in Brindisi, where you will visit a winery for a tasting of local wines.

Arrive in Lecce in the early afternoon. This lively university city is considered one of the most interesting cities in the region for its typical XVII century architecture. Your deluxe hotel in Lecce is close by the city centre. After checking in, you will have an aperitif in the heart of the city followed by a delicious seafood dinner.

Day 7: Arrivederci Italia