Craftsmen and Traditions of Apulia and Salento

Arrival of clients at Brindisi airport, transfer by private car with driver to the hotel in Monopoli area. After settling in the hotel, we will have the afternoon free to enjoy the local beaches such as Porto Bianco, Cala Susca and Cala Verde. Night in hotel near Monopoli.

Together with a local guide and our private driver we will visit the wonderful villages of the Itria Valley and Central Apulia. Alberobello is a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to its characteristic Trulli, limestone dwellings, extraordinary examples of dry stone construction, famous worldwide for their white color and cone-shaped gray stone roof. We will then move on to Locorotondo, a white town perched on a hill overlooking the Itria Valley, considered among the most beautiful villages in Italy. A relaxing walk with our guide will make you appreciate even more the beauty of the place. We will then move on to Martina Franca, where picturesque streets intersect with splendid squares, such as the Plebiscito. Here an important Jewish community developed between the 14th and 15th centuries, victim of the abuses of the local inhabitants in the Aragonese era. Finally, we will visit Ostuni, a wonderful hill town overlooking the Adriatic Sea, an explosion of white color in its alleys of the center, full of trendy places to have aperitifs or dinner. On the way back to the hotel, we will stop at a local farm to discover the production of the famous Apulian olive oil: we will be lucky enough to enjoy a visit where we will admire historical underground oil mills dating back to thousands of years ago, with a tasting of local oil at the end. Afterwards, return to the hotel near Monopoli.

In this interesting day we will leave with our guide and private car to discover the Jewish traces in Salento. We will start from Otranto, one of the major Jewish centers in Apulia in the Middle Ages, mentioned by Beniamino of Tudela who found more than 500 Jews there. We will not miss the beautiful Norman cathedral, with a Byzantine mosaic floor, inspired by Jewish art; an impressive work of art full of symbolism that our guide will carefully reveal to you. The second stop will be Santa Maria al Bagno, sadly known for its deportation camps where many Jews who escaped the Holocaust were housed even after the war. We will visit the Museum of Memory and Hospitality and the beautiful murals of the painter Zvi Miller. Finally we will head to Lecce, a wonder of Apulian baroque with its cathedral, Santa Croce and Santa Chiara churches. Obviously we will also visit the important Jewish Museum of the city and its synagogue (upon request it will also be possible to enjoy an aperitif at the home of a local nobleman). At the end of the visit we will drive to our hotel in Lecce.

This day will start in the sweetest way possible: by private car we will transfer to Galatina to taste the delicious "Pasticciotti", typical sweets made of cream and shortcrust pastry, in the city where they were invented. In Galatina our guide besides explaining the birth of these sweets known throughout Italy, will reveal the church of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria, an undisputed masterpiece of 14th century art. Its interior will leave you speechless as it is completely frescoed in every corner by artists who were inspired by the great Giotto. After lunch (not included) we will walk with our guide around Lecce to admire the local artisans up close: we will discover the ancient art of papier-mâché and the typical sculptures made with Lecce’s Hard Stone, a local excellence handed down for generations. Return to the hotel in Lecce.

Check out from the hotel and departure by private car to the airport of Brindisi. Possibility, upon request, to have an Apulian cooking class with final lunch.