Apulia – Food, beaches and the typical white towns

Arrival of clients at Bari or 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.

This day will be all about appreciating the beautiful Adriatic coast of central Puglia. With our private driver we will move to Polignano a Mare, a beautiful village built on a cliff overlooking the sea; on one side of the cliff there are panoramic caves that host excellent restaurants. After a leisurely stroll through the town, which is also a great place to go shopping, we'll move with our car just outside the town to enjoy a half-day boat cruise (on request you can also go fishing or snorkeling or kayaking) that will let us admire the town from the sea, along with the entire picturesque coastline to the other pearl of the area, Monopoli. We'll end our boat tour here, after enjoying an aperitif in the middle of the sea, and we'll walk freely around this lovely fishermen’s town. With our private driver we will return to the hotel in the afternoon.

By private car we will move north to visit with our guide the capital of Puglia, Bari. Undisputed masterpieces of the city are the Cathedral of San Sabino and the Basilica of San Nicola, together with the Norman-Swabian Castle. Intense experiences will also be the visit to the old port, where we will see the fishermen at work, and the street of Orecchiette, where the elderly local ladies try their best daily at preparing this delicious pasta. From Bari, we'll move on to Trani to admire not only the marvelous cathedral lying a few steps from the seashore, but also the Jewish heritage of this commercial city, which boasted as many as four synagogues, two of which are still preserved. We will also discover a spectacular stone Aron. We will end the day visiting Castel del Monte, a Swabian fortress from the 13th century shrouded in mystery. A real masterpiece with a very particular shape and a function never clearly understood ... our guide will be able to give us interesting details about it. Return to the hotel in Monopoli in the late afternoon.

With a guide and private car, we will start the day with a visit to a farm in the area that will reveal to us the production of typical Apulian cheeses: a tasting of mozzarella and burrate, local specialties exported all over the world, will be the best way to appreciate the quality of these excellences. Speaking of excellences, we will not forget to let you taste the famous bread of Altamura, in this interesting historical city near the Murge plateau, where a local baker will tell us the secrets of his work. After visiting the majestic cathedral of the city, we will go to enjoy the unique beauty of Matera, romantic and enchanted city, film set of memorable movies such as "The Passion of the Christ" by Mel Gibson. We will get lost in its "sassi", the historic houses renovated to perfection in recent decades, discovering how the inhabitants of the city lived in everyday life until about half a century ago. Matera will surely excite us with its picturesque stone houses and churches against the barren unspoiled valleys. Only a few years ago the remains of one of the oldest synagogues in Italy and Europe were brought to light in this city. Return to the hotel in Monopoli.

We will leave our hotel and move to a new hotel in Salento. Free day to enjoy the Adriatic beaches near Otranto, such as San Foca, Baia dei Turchi, Torre dell'Orso and Torre Sant'Andrea. At the end of the day, return to the hotel.

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 Lecce, a wonder of Apulian baroque with its cathedral, Santa Croce and Santa Chiara. 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 or explore the city's craftsmanship by meeting local artisans). After lunch we will move to 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. At the end of the visit we will drive back to the hotel.

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 we'll meet our guide who, 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. Next we will go to Gallipoli, with its picturesque old town that stands on a limestone island, admired since the time of Magna Graecia. We'll visit the Aragonese Castle, the Cathedral and walk through the ancient Jewish quarter. The afternoon will be free to enjoy the beaches of the Ionian coast near the city, such as Rivabella, Punta Pizzo and Lido Conchiglie. Finally, we will return to the hotel.

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