Your Puglia Experience
A European Experiences trip has an ideal balance of structure and flexibility, activities with the group and time on your own. Plans may be adjusted based on weather, the interests of group members, and unexpected opportunities.
We’ll describe a “typical” Puglia Experience week, but every trip can be somewhat unique. Your trip might be organized differently, and for various reasons, experiences may be added or not included. We’ll also surprise you with some special stops when we’re together.
Day One
Our group meets mid-afternoon at the Bari airport. We’ll travel about an hour down the Adriatic coast to Ostuni, our home base for the next week. Set on a hilltop with views extending to the sea, Ostuni is known as the “white city” because of its glistening whitewashed houses. Our hotel is in a beautifully-restored historic building dating back to the 13th century, located on a pedestrian street in the medieval center.
The “white city” of Ostuni
You’ll have time to settle into your room before we head out for an introductory walk around Ostuni. Later we’ll gather for welcome drinks and then walk to a nearby restaurant for a special Puglian dinner.
Day Two
We’ll enjoy breakfast every morning in the hotel dining room, offering a buffet of breads and pastries, cheeses, meats, fruits and more.
We’ll spend our first full day in the area around Ostuni with free time in the morning. In the afternoon and evening we’ll visit three different “masserias.” A masseria (a concept unique to Puglia) is a fortified and self-contained farm, dating back hundreds of years.
Ancient olive trees in our picnic place
We’ll first travel to the grounds of a masseria below Ostuni, where we’ll enjoy a casual picnic lunch and wine tasting in the olive groves of the masseria, hosted by a local couple. We’re surrounded by the ancient trees.
Next, we’ll visit visit an historic “masseria” near Fasano, a fortified 150-acre farm dating back to the 16th century. The primary activity today is olive oil production, and the complex is surrounded by 20,000 olive trees., 900 of which are over 1,000 years old! Our host Alessandro is passionate about olive oil. He’ll introduce us to his modern olive mill, as well as the oldest part of the masseria which showcases equipment used for hundreds of years.
Alessandro will lead a very interesting educational session about olive oil, including a tasting of his organic olive oil. You’ll learn so much about this important part of the culture and history of Puglia.
Our third masseria (also below Ostuni) offers a very special setting for our cooking class. Our teacher, Anna Maria, will help us prepare a meal of Puglian specialties, including fresh pasta. After our cooking, we’ll relax in the environment of this 17th century farm complex and enjoy the excellent meal we’ve prepared together.
Hard at work, making pasta
Day Three
Today we’ll travel to historic Lecce, known as the “Florence of the South” for its magnificent Baroque and Renaissance architecture. Vincenzo will lead us on a walking tour of the town where we’ll admire Roman ruins, churches, beautiful squares, and fascinating secret corners as we make our way through the winding streets. We’ll also discover the artisan craft of paper mache, a unique tradition in Lecce.
Beautiful Lecce!
Lunch is at a modern delicatessen-style restaurant near the duomo, popular with locals.
After lunch, we’ll visit Museo Faggiano, where we’ll learn more about ancient Lecce. The museum represents the fascinating story of a man and his sons who purchased a building planning to open a pizzeria and ended up discovering an ancient world—and a very different project– underneath their building.
You’ll have some free time in Lecce to explore this fascinating town on your own. There’s some very good shopping in Lecce, as well as many places to enjoy a beverage, pastry or gelato.
Later in the afternoon a family-owned winery located in the town of Guagnano will welcome us for a tasting of their Primitivo and Negromaro wine varieties. We’ll enjoy a private dinner at the winery, an antipasti buffet featuring focaccia breads, cheeses, salamis, and other local specialties.
Winery dinner in Guagnano… an incredible feast in a special setting
Day Four
This morning we’ll have a fascinating visit to the town of Grottaglie, the major center for the ceramics industry in Puglia with dozens of ceramics workshops. Some ceramics are produced for decoration and some for use in the home. We’ll visit a studio in an ancient grotto, where a mother and her three daughters carry on the work of her husband, a noted ceramicist. Their demonstration of pottery decoration is always fascinating. You’ll have time on your own to visit other workshops or to relax over a coffee in the nearby town center.
Decorating ceramics in Grottaglie (by Linda from California, from our 2024 photo contest)
We’ll return to the Valle d’Istria to visit Ceglie Messapica, one of the oldest towns in Italy (15th century BC), with a well-preserved historic center, including an imposing Ducal castle. Today Ceglie Messapica is known as the gastronomic capital of this area of Puglia. Our group will enjoy a lunch at a welcoming restaurant in the village center. You’ll have the opportunity to sample a variety of antipasti and select a main course, another opportunity to experience the delicious Puglian cuisine.
A highlight of our week is always our late afternoon visit to Alberobello, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where Vincenzo will introduce us to these incredible, white cone-shaped trulli houses. There are over 1,500 truilli houses in Alberobello, split between two districts on opposite hills. You’ll definitely want your camera for this memorable visit.
Alberbello (by Kelly from Texas – from our 2023 photo contest)
Dinner tonight is on your own. There are many options in Ostuni, including possibilities for a light meal.
Day Five
Today we’ll travel south to the area known as Salento, a narrow peninsula between the Ionian and Adriatic seas…. the end of the “heel of the boot.” Our first stop is the ancient town of Otranto, located on the east coast and with lovely views across the sea. Originally a Greek town and later an important Roman city, Otranto has a small harbor and a beautiful 11th century cathedral.
Lunch today is at a rural masseria offering a true “farm to table” meal in a memorable environment, in an isolated situation in the countryside. The sprawling property also includes an ancient olive mill underneath the large stone farmhouse. Surrounding the main house are hundreds of olive trees, fruit trees, fields of vegetables, and stables and pens for animals. Everything we eat comes from this farm, and we’ll be offered an array of dishes, whatever is in season. This is an experience you’ll remember for a very long time!
A memorable masseria!
Dinner tonight—if you’re still hungry!— is on your own in Ostuni. It’s another chance to try out that interesting little trattoria you spotted earlier in the week.
Day Six
Today is a day on the sea. We’ll travel north along the Adriatic coast, beginning our morning in the tiny fishing village of St. Vito, where we enjoy morning coffee in a café overlooking the sea. Everyone always likes watching the colorful fishing boats returning with their morning catch.
Colorful fishing boats in the tiny fishing port of St. Vito
A few miles south, we’ll visit the famous town of Polignano a Mare, dramatically-situated on a rocky promontory jutting out into the sea. Known as the “balcony of Puglia,” the town offers traces of its Arab, Byzantine, Spanish and Norman past, but is especially recognized for its breathtaking views. It’s also famous as the hometown of Domenico Modugno, composer of the song “Volare,” honored with a joyful statue by the sea.
Domenico Modugno statue in Polignano a Mare
We’ll enjoy lunch in the small fishing village of Savelletri at a typical trattoria known for its fresh fish and seafood.
After lunch we’ll visit the seaside ruins of Egnazia, one of the most important Roman sites in Italy. The Via Traiana, the ancient Roman road linking Rome to Bari and Brindisi, passed through Egnazia and remains of the road are still visible today. Established in the 13th century BC, this site was first a Bronze age settlement, then a Greek colony, and finally a Roman city and port for trade and commerce. Abandoned in the 10th century, it was re-discovered in 1912. We’ll visit an impressive underground tomb from the 4th to 2nd century BC, the necropolis (cemetery), and an impressive archaeological museum.
For dinner tonight we’ll have a casual meal at a pizzeria in Ostuni.
Day Seven
We’ll spend our last full day together in Puglia in the Valle d’Itria near Ostuni. This is the major area for trulli houses in Puglia, and we’ll spot many of these unique dry-stone huts as we travel through the countryside.
We’ll begin our morning at a 17th century masseria near Ceglia Messapica, where the the owner Cosimo farms 200 acres that once belonged to his grandfather. Cosimo has a herd of cows, a small cheese production dairy, and a busy farm shop. We’ll have a tour of the farmyard and a demonstration of the cheese-making operations. We’ll then enjoy a picnic lunch with samples of local salamis and the farm’s fresh and aged cheeses, including caciocavello, buffalo mozzarella, and burrata.
We’ll eat this mozzarella cheese at our picnic!
After lunch we’ll visit Locorotondo, another picturesque hilltop town in the Val d’Itria, exploring the tiny white-washed streets decorated with flowers. There are panoramic views of the surrounding countryside from the Belvedere.
Wandering the narrow streets of Locorotondo
To end our day in the countryside, we’ll travel below Locorotondo to visit a family-owned winery. We’ll tour the winery and enjoy tasting of several of their excellent wines.
After our return to Ostuni, we’ll gather for an apertivo at our hotel, followed by a special farewell meal at a local restaurant. It’s always a special time to share our favorite experiences of the week.
Day Eight
After breakfast at our hotel, it’s sadly time to say goodbye to this special place and to our travel companions.
We’ll travel by bus back to the Bari airport, where you can continue your travels in Italy or begin to make your way home. We know you’ll take with you wonderful memories of your experience in Puglia!