The 9-Day Puglia tour includes Alberobello, Bari, Lecce, Martina Franca, and Ostuni. This affordable trip through southern Italy’s Puglia region delights all the senses.
Puglia is a paradise for food and wine lovers. Savor freshly made orecchiette pasta, artisan cheeses, world-renowned olive oils, locally cured meats, and robust Primitivo wines while experiencing the region’s rich culinary heritage. You’ll even roll up your sleeves during a hands-on cooking class, learning authentic recipes to recreate long after your journey ends.
With its warm hospitality, relaxed pace of life, stunning scenery, and exceptional cuisine, Puglia offers an authentic Italian experience that feels both undiscovered and unforgettable. From historic towns and breathtaking coastlines to unforgettable meals shared with new friends, this journey showcases the very best of southern Italy.
For the southern Italy tour price with airfare from your preferred departure city submit the form or call ItalianTourism.us 800.227.1577.
Highlights
Puglia Sightseeing Highlights:
- Bari – Orientation tour of city
- Ostuni – Visit the “White Town”
- Lecce – Visit the baroque town
- Alberobello – Visit the truly houses
- Optional Tours to Altamura, Locorotondo, Matera, Monopoli, Polignano al Mare
Affordable Southern Italy Tour Includes:
- 7 nights accommodations
- Italian city hotel taxes
- Hotel porterage
- Breakfasts daily, 1 lunch, and 4 dinners
- Sightseeing per itinerary in modern deluxe luxury air-conditioned motor coach
- Services of English-speaking tour manager throughout
- Services of local guides in all major cities
- Entrance fees per itinerary
Hotels
Affordable Southern Italy Tour Accommodations:
- 1 Night Bari – B&B Bari
- 5 Nights Martina Franca – Hotel Villa Rosa
Video
Southern Italy Tour Video
Optionals
Puglia Hidden Charms and Flavors
The fairytale landscapes of the Itria Valley await on this delightful day trip featuring some of Italy’s most captivating scenery, culture, and cuisine. Travel past ancient olive groves, dry-stone walls, and quaint masseria (farmhouses) dotting the countryside, stopping for free time in Locorotondo, considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Then, continue to a local masseria where you will immerse yourself in the rich flavors and aromas of Italy’s finest local products. Wrap up the day with an incredible dinner made with fresh-from-the-field ingredients as talented performers dazzle you with pizzica and tarantella, the music of Apulia!
Matera and Altamura with Bakery Lunch
Join us for unforgettable taste of Southern Italy’s history and culinary delights of Matera and Altamura.
Monopoli Coastal Splendor A Farewell to Remember
Celebrate your time in Puglia with an unforgettable evening in the charming coastal town of Monopoli. Explore the historic streets, soak in the sea breeze along the waterfront, and experience the authentic spirit of this picturesque town. The evening concludes with a farewell dinner featuring the best of local flavors, warm hospitality and inviting atmosphere. A perfect way to conclude your tour with lasting memories.
Puglia Daily Itinerary
Escape to Italy’s sun-drenched southern coast and experience the timeless beauty of Puglia, the enchanting “heel of Italy’s boot.” Far from the crowds, this affordable small-group journey invites you to discover a region where centuries-old traditions, spectacular landscapes, and unforgettable flavors come together.
Spend your week immersed in the whitewashed villages, rolling olive groves, and dramatic Adriatic coastline that make Puglia one of Italy’s most captivating destinations. From the vibrant streets of Bari to the elegant hill town of Martina Franca, you’ll explore charming medieval towns, UNESCO World Heritage sites, and picturesque countryside dotted with the iconic trulli stone houses.
Day 1: DEPART THE UNITED STATES OVERNIGHT FLIGHT TO BARI
Board overnight flight from Naples, Italy
DAY 2 ARRIVE IN BARI, ITALY
welcome to Italy! Check into your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to explore.
Tonight, meet your Tour Director and travel companions.
DAY 3 BARI & MARTINA FRANCA
Start your Puglia discovery with a guided sightseeing tour of Bari. This seaside city skirting the Adriatic Sea boasts Italy’s longest waterfront and an interesting maze of alleyways, courtyards, and historical palaces. When strolling through the narrow streets of Bari Vecchia (old Bari), pause to marvel at the local women preparing typical Apulian orecchiette pasta, made traditionally by hand.
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
DAY 4 MARTINA FRANCA
Get to know the host town of your Puglia foodie adventure on an orientation tour. Discover local cheese and “Capocollo” ham. Of course, you will have an opportunity to taste some of these traditional delicacies.
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 5 ALBEROBELLO
On the included half-day excursion to Alberobello, discover the iconic Trulli. These dwellings, dating from as early as the mid-14th century, are made of roughly worked limestone boulders collected from neighboring fields. Characteristically, they feature pyramidal, domed, or conical roofs built of corbelled limestone slabs. These remarkable Trulli houses were included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites in 1996.
The rest of your day is at leisure but consider saving your appetite for this evening’s optional dinner at a local “masseria” (farmhouse) in the Apulian countryside. Enjoy authentic Italian dishes made with ingredients fresh from the farm.
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 6 MARTINA FRANCA
Spend free time to relax or explore Martina Franca on your own or delve into classic Italian customs with an optional excursion to Altamura, known for its bread-baking traditions using the ancient method of wood-burning stoves in a city of ancient palaces, churches, and cloisters. Also, on optional tour discover Matera, one of the oldest, still inhabited cities in the world preserving evidence of human settlements since the Paleolithic period in its natural caves carved into the rock.
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 7 LECCE
One of the highlights of this tour is the included day trip to Lecce. This seaside city enchants visitors with an unmistakable style, boasting monuments dating back to Roman times and, most notably, extraordinary baroque buildings that proudly bare the characteristic blonde color of the local stone. The city center’s vibrant and bustling atmosphere will entice you with its elegant, timeless alleyways and delicious local delicacies, such as the “Pasticciotto,” made with sweet short pastry and typically filled with a delicious Italian custard.
Learn more about regional food by joining the exciting, included cooking class. Learn hands-on how to prepare traditional orecchiette pasta and savor it with other local specialties, paired with local wines, and good company.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
DAY 8 CISTERNINO & OSTUNI
Learn about olive oil and acquire a taste for different olive oil flavors on the included tour of a local family-owned olive farm.
Continue the exploration of local towns with great traditions by spending time in Ostuni, where the ancient citadel was built on top of a hill and fortified by walls. The town is commonly referred to as “the White Town” (“La Città Bianca” in Italian) for its white walls and its typically white-painted architecture.
Quaint medieval alleyways, stunning sea views, exquisite cuisine, and ancient remains, along with a magic atmosphere, are all features of tonight’s optional discovery of Polignano al Mare, which is a great way to bid farewell to Apulia.
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 9 MARTINA FRANCA
Your affordable Southern Italy tour ends with breakfast this morning.
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