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Puglia, the Land of the Trulli
offered by supplier M18955 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 7
day(s)
Group Size: 2
- 10
people
Destination(s):
Italy
Specialty Categories:
Walking Tours
Season: September - October
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: Yes
Minimum Per Person Price: 2375 Euro (EUR)
Maximum Per Person Price: 2375 Euro (EUR)
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Puglia is located on the heel of the Italian peninsula, is surrounded by the Adriatic & Ionian Seas and is blessed with sun, sea and dramatically changing landscapes. A traveller exploring on foot can enjoy breathtaking sea views, rugged coastal scenery, and vast expanses of ancient olive groves, glistening meadows and abundant crops – everything seemingly untouched by time.
This coastline boasts an ancient strategic importance and a rich historical heritage dating back to the Messapii people, the Greek & Roman civilisations and others seeking passage to the East across the Mediterranean Sea.
Among the highlights of our trip are the famous Trulli houses of Alberobello (UNESCO heritage site). Trulli are limestone rock buildings curiously cone-shaped to insulate against extreme summer heat, harsh winters and allow for the collection of rainwater.
Our journey in Puglia covers the most beautiful and interesting areas and starts on the Adriatic coast with visits to the little sea port of Trani and to Frederic II’s imperial castle, Castel del Monte (UNESCO heritage site). We visit the beautiful historic town of Lecce known affectionately as the Florence of the South for its decorative baroque architecture. As we travel from the fertile plain of the Tavoliere, across the undulating plateau of the Murge to the dry Salento southern coast, this exciting ecological diversity is punctuated by Bronze Age, Greek and Roman archaeological sites, medieval castles and cathedrals, and unique towns with conical shaped houses. On the southern most tip, we find gems like Gallipoli and Otranto, the spectacular Castellana Caves and to walk in the National Park of Porto Selvaggio. Before ending our beautiful journey we stop to explore the Roman ruins of Egnazia.
Hospitality in Italy almost goes without saying and in Puglia the experience is ‘Trulli’ memorable! Our accommodations are in the region’s traditional Masserie - large fortified agricultural estates scattered all over the region where, during the 19th century, extended families lived and worked the land protected from pirates and brigands. Here we are welcomed with open arms by the locals and fed an abundance of delicious Pugliese specialities favouring ingredients like beans, figs, melons, grapes, olives and a whole variety of particularly delicious cheeses - leaving us satisfied and sometimes a little over-full! No problem, our walks are vigorous and very varied, we go through forests of oak and beech trees, along unspoilt coastlines, and amid a profusion of olive groves, orchards and vineyards – quite sufficient to work up an appetite for each feast!
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Bari airport; excursion to see Castel del Monte
We rendezvous at 14.00 at Bari airport and travel just a short distance to the 13th century Swabian castle of Frederick II at Castel del Monte, (a UNESCO world heritage site) one of the most sophisticated secular buildings of the middle ages. We also stop in the small mercantile port town of Trani to visit the beautiful 12th century Norman Duomo and enjoy its unique setting by the sea. We continue to the outskirts of Ostuni where we stay in our first charmingly restored masseria.
Day 2: Ostuni, Caves, Hermitages and Mediterranean vegetation
Our circular walk from the masseria heads out into century old olives groves. Following mule trails and dry stone walls, we pass abandoned masserie and Trulli houses with views of the Adriatic sea. We see cave shelters where the body of a prehistoric pregnant woman (24000 years old) was found and visit the small hermitages of San Biagio and Sant’Oronzo. We return in the afternoon for an olive oil tasting. Evening excursion to historic Ostuni known as La Citta Bianca, a beautiful little town full of narrow alleyways and whitewashed houses, perched on a hilltop and overlooking the Adriatic. (3hrs/8miles)
Day 3: Alberobello – Bosco delle Pianelle nature reserve
Our destination today is the enchanting Bosco delle Pianelle, 120,000 acres of precious forests containing centenary evergreen oaks and other rare species. In this southern part of the Murge we encounter Dolmen, evidence that ancient and probably nomadic people used to hunt in the forests. But its past doesn’t end here, for only last century fossils found in another cave were dated back to the Upper Paleolithic, more than 15,000 years ago. After a relaxing mixed grill barbecue lunch, we make our way through the Murge dei Trulli and a profusion of olive groves, orchards, vines and trulli. However, the highest concentration of these buildings is in Alberobello where in the oldest neighbourhood we see the Siamese Trulli (2 cones), the Sovereign Trullo (the tallest) and the only Trullo church of Sant Antonio. (3hrs/8miles)
Day 4: Lecce and the Prehistoric monuments of Giurdignano
This morning we drive south to the Salento peninsula for a walking tour of the beautiful historic city of Lecce, a centre of tradition and scholarship and also an important harbour town during the Greek and Roman periods. Scattered among its ornate 17th & 18th century Baroque architecture is the pretty church of Santa Croce. Older remains are the Roman amphitheatre and Colonna of S.Oronzo, the latter of which marks the end point of the Appian way. Free time to have lunch and stroll around. We continue to Otranto and the megalithic gardens of Giurdignano, an ancient sacred area with Menhirs (upright stone monuments), Dolmen (tombs) and pre-Christian crypts. This is the highest concentration of prehistoric stone monuments in Italy – it is a truly fascinating end to our day.
Day 5: Gallipoli; Parco Regionale Porto Selvaggio; among towers and lagoons.
This morning we awake on the Ionian coast of the Salento Peninsula. We begin a spectacular coastal walk in the Porto Selvaggio at the Uluzzo tower, built in1563 to defend against Turkish invasions. The trail is lined with wild brush and as we walk we come across odd stone mounds called Specchia which are the ruins of watch towers and were built by the Messapi people in the 5th century BC. On route to the second watchtower, Torre Inserraglio we pass an ancient Roman road marker, another reminder of the region’s historic importance. We continue our walk along the coastal path until we reach an unusual lagoon phenomenon known as Palude del Capitano. Tonight we dine in Gallipoli - Kole-polis means beautiful town in Greek. It is indeed a charming little harbour town with a Moorish Kasbah, medieval fortress and built on an island connected to the mainland by bridge.
Day 6: Otranto; Valle dei Cervi & Porto Badisco
We cross back to the east coast to visit Otranto, the most eastern town in Italy with a fascinating Byzantine history. It was a prosperous trading port between Mediterranean Europe and Asia Minor. In 1481 the Ottoman Turks crossed the narrow straights, and attacked and slaughtered most of the population. The bones are kept in the Duomo, which has an amazing floor with a Byzantine mosaic portraying the tree of life. After lunch we head south to the Bay of Orte to visit the fascinating emerald green lakes formed in abandoned Bauxite quarries. Our coastal walk starts in Porto Badisco where, according to Homer, Aeneas landed on route to Rome. The cliffs are dramatic and crowned by ancient watch towers; sea erosion has created beautiful caves and coves with aqua marine reflections in the sea and ancient rivers have shaped the landscape eroding the limestone leaving huge channels known as canaloni. In clear weather we should be able to sea the Albanian mountains and the Greek island of Corfu. On our way back we stop at a masseria to taste the locally produced cheeses and marmalade/ chutneys.
Day 7: Egnazia and Grotte Castellane; afternoon departure from Bari
Morning excursion to Egnazia (ancient Gnathia), one of the most important archaeological sites in southern Italy with extraordinary Roman and Messapian finds. There are mosaic floors, an amphitheatre, basilica and the Via Traiana, which still preserves the original polygonal limestone blocks and deep wheel ruts made by the chariots and carts of the people who passed this way over 2000 years ago, including people like Virgil and Horatio in 38bc. Visit to the Grotte Castellane an underground world of stalagmites, stalactites and natural sculptures and enormous caverns scooped out of soft limestone by underground rivers. The total underground walk is 2 miles and the White Cave is reputed to be the most beautiful in the world. Afternoon departure from Bari.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
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