Puglia & the South - Undiscovered Italy - Italy's Adriatic Coast

Italy's Adriatic Coast

Enjoy rest and relaxation on the shores of the Adriatic, and take in the often-overlooked delights of Italy’s sun-kissed southern 'high heel'. Full of included highlights, this hugely enjoyable holiday is based on the shores of the Adriatic and lifts the veil on a fascinating region of Italy. Discover the stunning, ancient, whitewashed hill-town of Ostuni, Alberobello and its conical trulli houses, and visit the extraordinary caves at Matera, as well as Monopoli and Polignano a Mare on an optional excursion. A visit to Baroque gem Lecce – the Florence of the South – and the opportunity to discover Castellana's famous cave network, wine-producing Locorotondo and elegant Martina Franca, on an optional excursion, complete a wonderful stay.

Highlights

Spend seven nights beside the brilliant blue Adriatic Sea
Join an optional excursion to enchanting Monopoli and Polignano a Mare
Discover the UNESCO-listed wonders of Matera's Sassi cave-dwellings
Witness hilltop Ostuni’s white walls gleaming in the Italian sun
Take in Alberobello’s traditional, conical trulli houses
Explore Lecce's Baroque buildings and Roman ruins
Visit the medieval village of Cisternino
Discover the UNESCO-listed wonders of Matera’s sassi cave dwellings, inhabited from the Paleolithic Period right the way up to the 1950s
Have the chance to visit the Castellana Caves and Locorotondo on an optional excursion

Inclusions

Seven nights' dinner, bed and breakfast accommodation at the four-star Hotel del Levante, Torre Canne
A tour of Apulia, Cisternino, Ostuni and Alberobello
Tours of Lecce and the cave network at Matera
Return flights to Bari
Coach travel and transfers throughout
Fully escorted by a friendly, experienced tour manager, with specialist local guides where applicable

Day 1

Fly to Bari, meet your tour manager and board the coach to transfer to your comfortable beachside hotel in Torre Canne. Settle in, and depending on your flight time, perhaps enjoy a refreshing drink on the terrace before dinner.

Day 2

Today, you're free to rest, relax in the hotel and make the most of your waterside location. Take a dip in the pool, pay a visit to the hotel’s fitness centre or simply curl up with a book on a terrace or in a lounge. If you feel like exploring further afield, you can rent bicycles from the hotel, or stroll into the nearby fishing port and the small resort of Torre Canne to see its tiny harbour and lighthouse. Alternatively, you can join the optional excursion to visit the white-washed houses and the imposing Bell Tower of Monopoli. After which, it is on to breathtaking Polignano a Mare, perched on a cliff edge overlooking the crystal-clear waters of the Adriatic, it offers some of the best beaches in Italy.

Day 3

The first of our included excursions is a perfect introduction to the unique region of Apulia, or Puglia. It begins with a visit to the stunning hill-town of Ostuni, one of Southern Italy’s most spectacular locations, its whitewashed houses and cobbled streets set on three hills. The town’s maze of alleyways is perfect for wandering and opens out to reveal some spectacular views, while the old town's beautiful squares offer several bars and cafés from which to watch the world go by. Leaving Ostuni, we'll travel back, across the vine- and olive-covered landscape dotted with conical trulli houses, to Alberobello. Here, hundreds of the whitewashed buildings with their tapered roofs cluster together to create one of Italy’s most arresting sights. Return to Torre Canne for dinner, at the end of a fascinating day.

Day 4

The Baroque treasure-chest of Lecce is one of Southern Italy’s most appealing cities. Today’s included tour will include the opportunity to soak up the atmosphere of this historic trading centre, where elegant buildings, ornate churches and marbled courtyards reflect the town’s past importance. Explore the old town, which surrounds the ruins of a great Roman amphitheatre, one of several Roman remnants in the city, before we return to Torre Canne in time for dinner.

Day 5

Spend another day relaxing at your hotel, perhaps enjoying a dip in the pool or the sea, or catching some sun in the hotel’s gardens.

Day 6

Saving the best of our included excursions till last, today you'll head into the neighbouring province of Basilicata, to Matera. This enthralling labyrinth of a town is a cultured oasis in an otherwise sparsely populated landscape, and is famed for the extraordinary Sassi. This maze of ancient cave-dwellings was inhabited as recently as 40 years ago, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Arriving in Matera in time for lunch (payable locally), you’ll have the opportunity to discover the history of this fascinating place, with its chiese rupestri (churches hewn from the rocks), and to wander through its ancient streets and colourful piazzas. After a fascinating day you’ll head back into Puglia and return to the shores of the blue Adriatic.

Day 7

The final day of your holiday offers a last chance to rest and relax at the hotel or in Torre Canne, or to join a last optional excursion – this time into the Apulian countryside. First stop on the tour will be the extraordinary caves at Castellana, an underground network of towering stalagmites and stalactites and vast, cool caverns formed over the centuries. Wrap up warm in the cool temperatures then emerge to and head to your second stop – the majestic, whitewashed, circular hill-town of Locorotondo. Here, the surrounding vineyards are famed for their crisp white wines, and you'll visit a local cellar for the opportunity to taste the local vintages, as well as some other regional specialities, before you round off an enjoyable day with a short call in the historic town of Martina Franca, where an enthralling Baroque heart is hidden behind the modern buildings of the new town.

Day 8

Say goodbye to your Apulian hosts, and board the coach to begin your journey back to Bari airport where you'll check in for your flight home at the end of a fascinating, relaxing tour of Puglia.

Further Information

Hotel transfer times

The transfer time from Bari Airport to the hotel is approximately one hour.

Dining and meals in Italy

Guests on half-board arrangements will be served a three-course evening meal, and can expect a first course of traditional pasta or soup, a main meat or fish course accompanied by one or two types of vegetable, and a simple dessert of fruit, cake or Italian ice cream. Breakfasts will usually consist of bread rolls, jam, cereal, ham, cheese, fruit juice, tea and coffee. Menus will vary from hotel to hotel, but choice will be more limited than in a normal restaurant. In some instances, individual guests who have booked with the hotel independently may be offered a different menu from those who are staying at the hotel as part of a package tour. An authentic dining experience in Italy can often be a bit different to the Italian food that international tourists might be used to, but it’s one of the best ways to truly appreciate the finer cultural differences of this tourist hotspot. From simpler, but more frequent, courses to regional dishes, here are some points to note when dining in Italy. The first major difference you’re likely to notice is that the dining experience as a whole is much longer; you’ll enjoy a much more social experience than the average dinner back home with multiple smaller courses spread across a longer period of time. While each meal will be prepared to order, you may notice that dishes are served cooler than you might be used to – Italian dishes are rarely served piping hot to preserve the more delicate flavours of each ingredient and to provide a more enjoyable dining experience. The final thing to bear in mind is that it may be tricky to find Italian classics in the same form as they are at home. For instance, while Spaghetti Carbonara is a staple in historic Rome – and made traditionally using egg yolks rather than cream – you’ll often find it replaced with a wild boar ragù in Tuscany.

Combining hotel transfers

We sometimes need to combine transfers to and from your hotel. We always try to keep any wait to a minimum, but you may be asked to wait at the airport for up to an hour, while other incoming flights arrive, before the transfer to your hotel. Similarly, we may need to transfer you back to the airport up to three hours before your flight home departs.

Disabled access

The majority of our tours involve a certain amount of walking, including a short walk from the coach stop to the town, attraction or venue you're visiting. If you are bringing a wheelchair, please let us know at the time of booking so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Italian hotel room tax

Some regions of Italy have introduced a room tax of between 1€ and 3€ per person per night, payable directly by the guest to the hotel on check-out. You will be advised by your tour manager in resort if a particular hotel is implementing this charge.

Itinerary changes

Occasionally, for operational reasons, we may have to change the order of the excursions on your holiday. The final day-by-day itinerary will be confirmed on your Final Travel Documents, which you will receive approximately three weeks prior to your departure.

Foreign Office Travel Advice

Visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice to find out the latest Foreign And Commonwealth Office travel advice for your holiday destination, as well as information about passports and visas.

Travelling to Europe

Rules may have changed since you last travelled to European Union countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The following are useful guidelines which will help you prepare for your next adventure. You do require government issued passport to travel. Names - It is very important that all passenger names are exactly as per your passport although we do not require middle names. Passport - Your passport must meet two requirements to travel to an EU country and to Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. It must be: Less than 10 years old on the day you return home (please check the "date of issue") and valid for at least 3 months after the day you return home (please check the "expiry date"). Visa - You do not need a visa for short trips to most EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. You’ll be able to stay for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. European Travel Information & Authorisation System (ETIAS) - Due to commence in 2025, all citizens of the United Kingdom will require a ETIAS electronic form completed prior to their arrival into the EU and Schengen member countries. The cost for this travel authorisation will be €7.00 per person with exceptions for under 18’s and over 70’s. The latest information and further details can be found at www.etias.com.