Highlights Of Puglia

Arrive in the Adriatic port city of Bari. The old town area of Bari Vecchia is located next to the harbour and is a tangled maze of old streets. One of the main highlights is the Basilica of San Nicola, which legend has it, contains some of the bones of jolly old Saint Nick. For those arriving on time our Leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 6pm for the welcome meeting and for those that wish, there is the chance to go out for dinner. There are no other activities planned today, so you are free to arrive in Bari at any time. If you would like to receive a complimentary airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive into Bari International Airport - Karol Wojtyla (BRI), which is around 20 minutes' train journey from the city centre. Should you miss the welcome meeting, your Leader will inform you of any essential information as soon as you catch up. The transfer from Bari Airport to the Bari Central will be by train. Our Leader who is normally at the airport from 10.30am to 4pm will meet you at the arrival gate and give simple instructions on which train to catch. It is then a short 5-minute walk from the train station to our hotel. If your flight is arriving before 10am or after 4pm then you will need to make your own way to Bari Central by train and walk to our hotel. It is a very straightforward journey and details of the route will be provided in your final documentation. Please note that according to the current timetable (which is subject to change), the earliest train from Bari Airport departs at 5.54am and the latest train departs at 11.24pm. If your flight arrives earlier in the day, perhaps you might choose to take a walk along the Lungomare seaside promenade. In Puglia the food revolves around local produce, so the dishes on offer will vary depending on what's in season. A lot of the cuisine is vegetable or cheese based and of course, they make good use of all the olive oil produced from the 60 million olive trees in the region. Over the next week you could sample a range of dishes such as fried polenta, tubs of ricotta, mozzarella balls stuffed with cream, orecchiette pasta (known as small ear pasta due to its shape), which is normally served with a sauce made from turnip tops, meat and rice stuffed peppers or a large array of seafood dishes. The wine is also delicious with Primitivo red wine being a popular choice.

This morning we leave Bari and drive to Altamura, which is a city famed for its bread and we'll get the chance to try it along with a selection of other specialities like taralli savoury biscuits flavoured with fennel seeds, focaccia, pizza and wine. Pane di Altamura is a very filling bread and loafs on average weigh a kilo and traditionally would have been eaten by workers out in the fields. The bread is cooked in 'forni' stone oven using oak wood. Next we have a guided visit of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Castel del Monte. It is one of the best preserved medieval castles in Southern Italy and is an unusual octagonal shape with a tower in each corner and there's no roof over the large central courtyard. The architectural design suggests Arabic influences as well as more classical Italian features. It was built by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and was of huge importance to the region. It is believed to have been a cultural centre for ancient scholars coming from all over the world and that each part of the castle conceals philosophic and alchemical meanings within its unique design. Later this afternoon we arrive in Matera, which is just over the regional border in Basilicata and where we will spend the next two nights. The town is impressively located on the side of a gorge eroded by the Gravina River and is famous for its ancient sassis, a UNESCO-Listed troglodyte quarter, which originates from prehistoric times. Stepping into the city is like stepping back in time, and it feels as though the cobbled narrow streets and meandering buildings have changed little over the past 7,000 years. It's a place that has to be seen to be believed and we have the wonderful experience of staying in a hotel within these ancient sassi cave dwellings. Note: Depending on the size of the group we may be accommodated across two properties 5 minutes walk apart.

This morning a local guide will takes us on a walking tour of the sassi quarter which is split into two halves - Sassi Caveoso and Sassi Barisano, with the cathedral sitting between them. The city is so unchanged over the centuries that it has frequently been used as a film set for biblical scenes. It's hard to believe it now, but in the 1950s Matera was an embarrassment to the Italian authorities, as many families were living in one room caves, in poor conditions and poverty was rife. The families were helped and re-housed and the city cleaned up and it's now a treasured historic city that was the European Capital of Culture in 2019. After spending the morning exploring the cobbled lanes, rock carved churches and caves we have the afternoon free to discover more or you might choose to take a train to neighbouring Gravina (the journey is around 45 minutes each way). Gravina is a historic town that has retained much of its character. The buildings here line the sides of a deep river gorge with a Roman bridge connecting them. The highlight of the town however is the Gravina Sotterranea, which is an underground network of meandering passageways that run beneath the city through caves and cellars where you can find rock carved churches under the houses above. This remarkable underground labyrinth has only recently discovered.