Grand Tour Apulia & Basilicata - The 5 Senses 2026-27

Day-by-day itinerary

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1. 1Day 1Rome – Trani “the cathedral rising from the sea” – Castel Del Monte…

   Bari, 480 km. Departure from the meeting point of your choice – lunch on your own – in the afternoon, guided visit of Trani (the Romanesque cathedral that seems to rise straight from the sea, dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Pilgrim) and of Castel del Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Frederick II’s castle, built on the model of the Palatine Chapel in Aachen and inscribed on the World Heritage List) – tasting of Moscato di Trani at a wine shop – arrival in Bari – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, Bari by night: walking tour with your tour leader – overnight stay.

2. 2Day 2Bari “the labyrinthine old town” – Polignano A Mare – Martina Franca…

   80 km. Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, guided visit of Bari (the historic center with the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, a walking tour through Bari Vecchia, the Cathedral of Saint Sabinus and the Swabian Castle – exterior visit) – street-food lunch on your own in Bari, where the specialties to look for are focaccia barese, sgagliozze and octopus sandwiches – in the afternoon, guided visit of Polignano a Mare (a walking tour through the lanes of the old town, with the chance to savor some excellent artisanal gelato) – free time for shopping – arrival in Martina Franca – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, walking tour with your tour leader – overnight stay.

3. 3Day 3Alberobello “the trulli, a UNESCO World Heritage Site” – Martina…

   Franca “the heart of the Itria Valley”, 30 km. Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, guided visit of Alberobello and its famous trulli, a UNESCO World Heritage Site – traditional lunch – in the afternoon, guided visit of Martina Franca, a 14th-century town celebrated for its Baroque architecture – visit to a producer of Capocollo di Martina Franca DOP, with tasting – return to the hotel in the evening – dinner at the hotel – free evening, tour leader at your disposal – overnight stay.

4. 4Day 4Ostuni “the white city” – Lecce “the Florence of the South”, 100 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, guided visit of Ostuni, the white city, and extra-virgin olive oil tasting at a working mill – traditional lunch at a masseria that produces its own cheeses – in the afternoon, guided visit of Lecce, known as the Florence of the South (Basilica of Santa Croce, Church of the Gesù, San Matteo, the Cathedral, Sant’Irene, along with a great many patrician palaces, the Theater and the Amphitheater) – visit to a traditional Lecce papier-mâché workshop – free time for shopping – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, Lecce by night: walking tour with your tour leader – overnight stay.

5. 5Day 5Galatina “cooking class” & Nardò “between art and anthropology”, 70 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion – in the morning, transfer to a masseria for a cooking class centered on a traditional Apulian lunch, which you will then sit down and enjoy together – visit of Galatina (the magnificent Basilica of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, dating from 1391, a masterpiece of Gothic art with frescoes of the Umbrian-Marche school – a monument that alone is worth the journey) and of Nardò, one of the capitals of Italian and European Baroque (a splendid Romanesque-Norman cathedral, the exuberant, theatrical Piazza Salandra, and the not-to-be-missed Prehistory Museum, home to the extraordinary milk teeth whose discovery proved that Homo sapiens sapiens lived in the Grotta del Cavallo 40,000 to 45,000 years ago) – in the afternoon, a stop for a pasticciotto with coffee and almond milk – return to the hotel in the evening – dinner at the hotel – free evening, tour leader at your disposal – overnight stay.

6. 6Day 6Gallipoli “the beautiful city” & Otranto “the martyr city”, 160 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, guided visit of Gallipoli, the beautiful city, a distinctive village where fishermen’s cottages stand beside patrician palaces – visit to the fish market, where you can sample delicious hot fried seafood and the celebrated Gallipoli prawn, eaten strictly raw – street-food lunch on your own – in the afternoon, guided visit of Otranto (the Romanesque cathedral of 1480, home to the famous Pantaleone mosaic, the ossuary of the martyrs canonized by Pope Benedict XVI, and the crypt below, built on the remains of an ancient Roman tribunal) – return to the hotel in the evening – dinner at the hotel – free evening, tour leader at your disposal – overnight stay.

7. 7Day 7Lecce – Brindisi “the ancient city at the end of the regina viarum”…

   Taranto – Matera, 180 km. Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Brindisi – guided visit of this ancient city, the terminus of the Appian Way, settled by the Greeks even before the Romans, the port from which the Crusades set sail, and a center of naval power and maritime trade thanks in part to the roads built here, the Via Appia and the Via Traiana (its highlights include the Virgil Staircase with its Roman columns, the small Temple of San Giovanni al Sepolcro, and the beautiful cathedral where the wedding of Frederick II of Swabia and Isabella of Brienne was celebrated on November 9, 1225) – street-food lunch on your own – in the afternoon, guided visit of Taranto (historic center) – arrival in Matera in the evening – dinner at the hotel – overnight stay.

8. 8Day 8Matera “the City of the Sassi”, 30 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – full day devoted to a guided visit of Matera, the City of the Sassi, the ancient cave dwellings now inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Piazza Vittorio Veneto, a walk through the Sassi districts of Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano, the Cathedral of Madonna della Bruna, the Palombaro Lungo cistern, a rock-hewn church, and a cave house where the daily life of our ancestors comes back to life; in Petrapenta, 14 km from Matera, visit of the Crypt of Original Sin, known as the Sistine Chapel of rock-church wall painting) – free time for shopping – lunch at a traditional restaurant – return to the hotel in the evening – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, Matera by night: walking tour with your tour leader – overnight stay.

9. 9Day 9The Lucanian Dolomites – Castelmezzano & Pietrapertosa “the Arabata”…

   200 km. Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion – visits to the villages set in the heart of the Lucanian Dolomites: Castelmezzano (every corner of the village holds the stories of the peoples and events that passed through it, from the ruins of the Norman-Swabian castle to historic palaces of remarkable beauty with finely carved portals, churches and small chapels, and stairways that climb ever higher through the village) and Pietrapertosa (its name means pierced stone and comes from the great perforated crag above it; in the highest part of the village lies the Arabata, the oldest quarter, which reveals its origins in all their spectacular beauty) – lunch at a traditional restaurant – return to the hotel in the evening – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, Altamura by night: excursion by private coach and walking tour with your tour leader – overnight stay.

10. 10Day 10Matera – Melfi “Frederick II’s Castle” – Rome, 450 km

    Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Melfi – guided visit of Melfi (Frederick II’s castle, historic center) – lunch on your own – tasting of local specialties – continuation of the return journey – arrival in the evening. Please note: the scheduled visits may be rearranged among the various days depending on museum opening hours or operational requirements, but the program itself remains unchanged.