to tour intinerary
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to tour intinerary
Best of Puglia Tour – Itinerary ….crafting wonderful tours of Italy Day 1 – Buongiorno Puglia! We meet in Bari, and from here we start our discovery of Puglia. Our first stop is at Ostuni, known as “la città bianca” (the white town). Ostuni is a cluster of whitewashed buildings on a hilltop overlooking the coast, with a maze of narrow streets and steps. The fortified citadel dominates the surrounding areas, looking out over an expanse of olive trees. Towards evening we reach our first destination, Martina Franca. We stay for the next six nights in the charming historic centre of this town, where narrow alleys wind through whitewashed buildings. Martina Franca boasts some wonderful buildings and churches with elegant baroque decorations – we advise keeping your camera at the ready! Over the next few days you'll have plenty of time to explore this town at your own pace. Ostuni Martina Franca Tonight we dine together, having our first introduction to the cuisine of Puglia. Meals: Dinner (4 courses including wine) Day 2 – Into The Fairytale The piazza in Martina Franca We depart from Martina Franca to our first stop, Alberobello. Alberobello, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the only town with streets lined with the unique 'trulli'. In fact it is known in Italy as the “Capital of trulli”. Trulli are small houses with a distinctive conical roof. By walking along its narrow streets, you will be fascinated by the www.italywithpleasure.com Alberobello magical and fairytale atmosphere of this place. Most of these trulli are 300-400 years old. We explore this town together, and learn about the history of these buildings and about the cryptic symbols painted on the roof-cones. The trullui are made from limestone dry-stone walls, and often have several roof cones joined to form one dwelling. Before lunch you have some free time to browse the shops of Alberobello and to wander around. ….crafting wonderful tours of Italy We have lunch on the nearby coast in a town called Polignano a Mare, a town clinging to a promontory suspended above the Adriatic’s turquoise waters. This is a lunch focussed on seafood, with the local produce from the Adriatic Sea being a key part of the cuisine here. Alberobello Polignano a Mare Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (3 courses including wine) Day 3 – The Marvels of Elegant Baroque Today we travel to Lecce, a city that flourished in the 17th century when extravagant baroque buildings were built by the ruling classes. The baroque style features ornate decorations covering the building facades, carved from the local cream coloured limestone. We take a private tour around Lecce with a local expert guide to have the key sights explained to us. As well as the architectural and historical features, Lecce is an elegant town in which to indulge in more modern pleasures – there are many interesting boutiques and cafes, and piazzas full of life in this important southern Italian centre. After some free time in central Lecce and lunch in a local restaurant, we return to Martina Franca late www.italywithpleasure.com Santa Croce, Lecce Church interior, Lecce ….crafting wonderful tours of Italy afternoon. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (3 courses including wine) Day 4 – A Step Back In Time This morning we travel to the town of Matera in the neighbouring Basilicata region. Visiting Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is like a step back in time. The town consists of houses carved out of the rock face along the side of a steep ravine. We have a guided tour here which takes us into a 'sassi', one of the typical houses built into the rock. Some of these cave houses have multiple levels and a labyrinth of tunnels in the rock face. The oldest cave dwellings go back to the Bronze Age. A peasant population lived in these dwellings right up until the 1950s when the final residents were moved to modern houses. We also visit a cave church hewn out of the rock. There are several of these cave churches in Matera, featuring Byzantine frescoes and complete with their own legends that we will learn about. Matera was used for the filming of Mel Gibson's “The Passion of the Christ” - you'll see why it is so easy to imagine Matera as being completely removed from the modern age. After a meal of Basilicata cuisine, we return to Martina Franca for the evening. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (4 courses including wine) www.italywithpleasure.com Church, Matera Inside a house, Matera Touring Matera Day 5 - A Visit to Castel del Monte ….crafting wonderful tours of Italy Today we travel to a place called Castel del Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Literally meaning 'castle on the hill', this is a very fascinating building. Built by an emperor called Frederick II back in the thirteenth century, it really served more as a hunting lodge than a castle. The most fascinating thing about this building is the design, imbued with symbolic significance and laid out with mathematical and astronomical precision. The castle is built to an octagonal pattern, with an octagonal tower on each corner. Castle del Monte is really an impressive sight. For lunch we stop at Trani. Known as ‘the pearl of Puglia’, Trani is a lovely town situated on the coast. Having a natural harbour, Trani has long been an important centre. We see this today in the Norman castle, the Romanesque cathedral, and the fortified entrance to the harbour. We see where the Knights Templar would depart for the east from, now the church Chiesa di Ognissanti but originally the final point for missions to leave these shores. Many people visit Trani to see the stunning Romanesque cathedral perched right on the waterfront. Today the harbour in Trani is a fishing port ringed by waterfront restaurants. We take advantage of the fresh catch with a seafood meal. Castel del Monte Trani cathedral Trani We return to Martina Franca for the evening. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (4 courses including wine) Day 6 – Food Glorious Food We visit a winery, where we taste the typical wines of Puglia. The winery is family run, and focussed on making quality wines expressive of the area. The www.italywithpleasure.com Vineyards, Puglia traditional varieties that are grown include fiano minutolo and susumaniello. The winemaker takes us through the vineyard, and we taste a range of wines. ….crafting wonderful tours of Italy In the afternoon we visit a 'masseria'. A masseria is a historic farm centre, originally with all the estate's workers living in the fortified buildings. Nowadays some of these estates are still working agricultural enterprises, while others have been converted into boutique hotels. The masseria that we visit still produces superior extra virgin olive oil from trees that are many centuries old. This land has been worked for thousands of years - we are shown the remnants of the ancient Roman agricultural production here, along with items from habitation from the middle ages through until modern times. In the evening we have a special experience, taking a cooking lesson from a local chef. The focus will be on cooking local dishes, first taking you through the types of ingredients used and their provenance. The cuisine of Puglia has developed based on the produce at a very local level, so is different to the food from other Italian regions. Vegetable based dishes such as grilled zucchini predominate, as well as foccaccia and other breads. All these are based on the abundant fresh ingredients as well as the everpresent olive oil. The purity of flavour expressed in this cuisine is gaining it a reputation internationally, such that you’ll now find Pugliese dishes in top international restaurants. The session is hands on and we are all involved in making a series of dishes, and we finish off the session by dining on the meal we’ve prepared. Meals: Breakfast, Dinner (4 courses including wine) www.italywithpleasure.com The Olive Grove Cooking lesson ….crafting wonderful tours of Italy Day 7 – Arrivederci Puglia! Today is our last day in Puglia, we organise transport to you to your departure point in Bari and bid you “buon viaggio”. Departure from Martina Franca: 9 a.m. Meals: Breakfast www.italywithpleasure.com ….crafting wonderful tours of Italy Best of Puglia Tour Puglia is a southern Italian region boasting wonderful food, a rich history, beautiful towns to visit... and a few surprises! Puglia is becoming more and more recognised in the boutique tourism market due to its unique characteristics, but being the road less travelled can still be challenging to navigate independently. This seven day tour is a chance for you to fully experience this fascinating region, with each day including organised activities, visits to all the key sights and a progressive discovery of the local cuisine. We also leave some free time so that you can experience Italian living at your own pace. Highlights Lecce, famous for the ornate century baroque buildings carved from the local stone. Alberobello, where we see the distinctive trulli, conical houses built centuries ago and still in use today. Castel del Monte, the unique octagonal castle designed with geometrical precision and a marvel of architectural innovation. Romanesque churches, typical of the region with their Norman influences and intricate rose windows. Matera, a town built into a hillside where caves and houses merge together, the setting for Mel Gibson's “The Passion of the Christ”. Locorotondo, voted as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Ostuni, the ‘white town’ with a commanding hilltop presence. Polignano a Mare, perched above the turquoise waters of the Adriatic. How to cook like a local, in your hands-on cooking lesson. You’ll take back home the insider’s knowledge to add to your kitchen repertoire! ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ Best of Puglia Tour Dates: 9 – 15 April 2017 7 – 13 May 2017 21 – 27 May 2017 4 – 10 June 2017 11 – 17 June 2017 18 – 24 June 2017 27 August – 2 September 2017 10 – 16 September 2017 24 – 30 September 2017 And our Puglia Culinary Tour: 6 – 12 September 2017 Best of Puglia Tour includes: 'Italy With Pleasure' provides a tour manager for the duration of the trip. All accommodation is included. Meals as listed in the itinerary. All costs/entry fees for activities are included. All transport during the tour is included. Best of Puglia Tour Price: €2300 ( GBP£1900 / US$2500 / AUD$3300 / NZ$3450 / CAD$3300) www.italywithpleasure.com ….crafting wonderful tours of Italy Accommodation During this tour you stay in the heart of the elegant hilltown Martina Franca. The historic centre of Martina Franca is lined with elegant baroque palaces of the noble families, evocative lanes amongst the whitewashed buildings, and piazzas where the traditional ‘passeggiata’ is in full swing every evening. You stay in what is known as a ‘scattered hotel’, this is a new concept that is becoming very popular in some Italian historical centres. With a central reception (& free wifi, etc.), the rooms are in beautiful 18th century palazzi. The rooms are tastefully presented, spacious, with high vaulted ceilings and the ubiquitous limestone paving adding to the sense of history. For this week, you live amongst it. Staying in the historic centre of town also aligns with our responsible tourism charter, being supportive of local and historic initiatives. Here you can feel immersed in the local lifestyle, and it is easy to wander out in the evening for dinner and gelati. By the end of the week, you’ll be greeting your neighbours with a ‘buongiorno’ every morning! www.italywithpleasure.com ….crafting wonderful tours of Italy ITALY WITH PLEASURE Small Group Tours of Italy ITALY WITH PLEASURE is a specialist provider of small group tours to Italy. We would like to take you to some of our favourite destinations and unveil to you some of Italy’s best kept gems. We take you to the places that we like visiting – we've travelled extensively throughout Italy, and the itineraries that we've put together allow you to maximise your experience of the best that Italy has to offer. TOURS : PUGLIA – SICILY – AMALFI Some features of our tours are: Contact with local people: Careful selection of a range of activities and visits allow you to have genuine experiences in contact with local people... this is what memories are made of! All our tours are organised directly by Italy With Pleasure: Not by third party tour operators. Our guided tours are in small groups: Tours are always fully guided and in a small group context, giving a more personal touch and flexibility where needed. Experience Italy like a local: As well as organised excursions, we leave some time each day for you to explore at your own pace so you can get a sense of how it is to live like a local. See you in Italy - a presto! www.italywithpleasure.com Our Recent Tours: ….crafting wonderful tours of Italy www.italywithpleasure.com ….crafting wonderful tours of Italy www.italywithpleasure.com ….crafting wonderful tours of Italy www.italywithpleasure.com ….crafting wonderful tours of Italy www.italywithpleasure.com ….crafting wonderful tours of Italy www.italywithpleasure.com
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baroque buildings were built by the ruling classes. The baroque style features ornate decorations covering the building facades, carved from the local cream coloured limestone. We take a private to...
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