

A Week in Puglia
The A Week in Puglia tour is an 8 day journey through an area of Italy that far too often goes overlooked. This small group luxury tour winds through some of the most gorgeous seascapes and charming villages you’ll find in all of Europe. It's time to discover there's nothing quite like a week in Puglia.
Escape the tourist traps of the big destination cities in Italy for a taste of the local and you’ll be rewarded with amazing tasting food, wine and art that would please even the most discerning traveler. Your A Week in Puglia tour begins in Matera at the Palazzo Gattini where cuisine in culture clash. This time in Matera is an excellent way to set the stage for your 8 day adventure as Tauck’s expert guides take you from top-shelf destination to top-shelf destination. You’ll stay in luxury accommodations throughout your trip. From Lecce and Galatina to Alberobello and Polignano you’ll be experiencing Puglia, in all the great Italian glory you could imagine.
8 Days • fr. $4,990
Tour Highlights & Offers
Tour Includes
- ALL SMALL GROUP DEPARTURES averaging 24 Tauck guests! A small group size means a more personal travel experience highlighted by stays at chic smaller hotels in fabulous locations.
- A two-night stay in Matera in Basilicata, with sightseeing by tuk-tuk and guided exploration of the Sassi cave-dwelling settlement, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Guided tour of Castel del Monte, one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Southern Italy
- Two nights in the Baroque city of Lecce, known as the “Florence of the South”
- Lunch at a winery known for Puglian Primitivo wine
- A visit to Alberobello’s famous limestone trulli houses
- Guided walking tours of Galatina and Otranto
- Airport transfers upon arrival and departure as detailed
- All customary gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff and local guides are included.
Not Included
- The customary gratuities for the Tauck Director and local drivers are not included. We ask that gratuities be extended on a voluntary, individual basis and not as a group.
- All items of a personal nature (room service, beverages, telephone charges, laundry, dry cleaning, special food requests, etc.) and meals not specified on the tour itinerary are not included and must be paid by the client.
- Airline excess luggage charges, vaccinations, visa fees and services, airport arrival and departure taxes, individual airport transfers (when applicable), and other optional or incidental extras are not included.
- All rates exclude airfare unless expressly noted.
Meal Inclusions
- 7 breakfasts
- 3 lunches
- 5 dinners
Hotel Details
- Palazzo Gattini in Matera, Italy (2 nights)
- Risorgimento Resort in Lecce, Italy (2 nights)
- Masseria Torre Maizza / Masseria Torre Coccaro in Savelletri di Fasano, Italy (3 nights)
Day 1
Arrive in Bari, then welcome to Matera Location Information Description
Matera, Italy
Tour begins at 6:00 PM at the Palazzo Gattini, Matera. We will meet you upon arrival at Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport on your trip to Puglia, Italy and transfer you to your luxury hotel, set in a 15th-century stone palace in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Matera in Puglia.
Nestled on the tip of Italy’s boot, Puglia welcomes with seaside delights, mouthwatering cuisine and entire cities resplendent in art, architecture and warm hospitality. Join us this evening for a rooftop welcome reception, followed by dinner in a local restaurant, and experience your first taste of Puglia’s enticing cultural delights.
Dinner
PALAZZO GATTINI
Day 2
The Sassi of Matera & a 13th-century castle Location Information Description
Matera, Italy
Today you'll hop aboard a tuk-tuk for a ride through the winding streets of Matera in Basilicata, home to a settlement of cave dwellings that dates back to Paleolithic times – and one that starred in Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion of the Christ. As you explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site, our local guide shares insights about Matera's famous rock dwellings, known as Sassi (for "stone"), which you'll see piled haphazardly atop one another across the sides of a steep ravine; they began back in antiquity as natural caves and grottoes, and over the centuries were adapted as homes, and were lived in until 1960.
Go inside a typically furnished cave home, before driving to Alta Mura, the “City of Bread” for a taste of local life. Take a guided tour inside 13th-century Castel del Monte this afternoon, one of the best-preserved castles in southern Italy and a UNESCO World Heritage Site; it also is featured on the Italian version of the one-cent euro coin! Spend the evening at leisure back in Matera.
Breakfast
PALAZZO GATTINI
Day 3
Baroque treasures of Lecce Location Information Description
Lecce, Italy
Drive through the countryside to Lecce today, stopping en route at a winery known for its Puglian Primitivo wine. Enjoy a tasting tour and lunch and continue on to your hotel in Lecce. A guided walking tour of the city's 300-year-old cobblestone streets includes a close look at its Baroque monuments and architectural sites that give credence to Lecce's nickname as the “Florence of the South" – the ornate 15th-century Chiesa di Santa Chiara; the 2nd-century Roman Amphitheater, unearthed in 1901; the Piazza del Duomo; and the allegorically dressed Basilica de Santa Croce, a must-see site inside and out. Spend the remainder of the day exploring as you wish.
Breakfast, Lunch
RISORGIMENTO RESORT
Day 4
Galatina, Otranto & Zoe entertainment Location Information Description
Galatina, Italy
Head to nearby Galatina, home of the “Tarantella,” for a tour of the Basilica di Santa Caterina d’Alessandria where you will view impressive frescoes depicting biblical stories. On a visit inside the Baroque Chiesa di San Paolo, see the church well that was reputed to have healing powers from magic spiders.
Location Information Description
Otranto, Italy
After lunch, drive to the fortified seaside town of Otranto for a guided walking tour of its historic sites. See its famous castle and visit its medieval cathedral, home to a magnificent floor mosaic (and wooden coffered ceiling) along with its macabre crypts.
Location Information Description
Lecce, Italy
Dinner tonight at an authentic masseria delights with a family-style farm-to-table menu that showcases ingredients grown on site and “Officina Zoe” pizzica folk music and dance.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
RISORGIMENTO RESORT
Day 5
Through Puglia to Ostuni & on to your Masseria Location Information Description
Ostuni, Italy
Spend the morning at leisure, before driving to an Apulian masseria for a tour of its grounds and a lunch featuring locally produced ingredients. En route to your masseria hotel in Savelletri di Fasano, explore the multi-level medieval city of Ostuni, charming with whitewashed houses.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
MASSERIA TORRE MAIZZA / MASSERIA TORRE COCCARO
Day 6
Trulli in Alberobello Location Information Description
Alberobello, Italy
Regulated by an edict enforced by the Kingdom of Naples in the 15th century, mortarless buildings and home in the southern region of Puglia called trulli were constructed only of stone during that time, with many still standing distinctively intact today. Today, visit the "barnyard district" of Rione Aia Picola in the town of Alberobello, tightly packed with alleys lined by whitewashed trulli once inhabited by the farmers who built them. There no shops or cars here, lending to the authenticity of this unique experience. See the Trulli Sovrano, the town’s only two-story trullo and its most impressive, built in the 18th century for a local priest and today a museum of religious relics. You'll have some time at leisure to explore more on your own and sample a taste of local fare.
Breakfast, Dinner
MASSERIA TORRE MAIZZA / MASSERIA TORRE COCCARO
Day 7
Seaside Polignano a Mare & a farewell dinner Location Information Description
Polignano a Mare, Italy
Built into a rugged ravine pitted with caves and painted with deep blue grottoes, the seaside town of Polignano a Mare is renowned for its cliff diving; for inspiring the 1958 international hit song "Nel blu dipinto di blu" (a.k.a. “Volare”) by Italian singer, songwriter, actor and Parliament member Domenico Modugno (who was born here); and, according to the locals, for its ice cream. Enjoy time to wander in town before returning to your resort. Join us for a farewell dinner tonight.
Breakfast, Dinner
MASSERIA TORRE MAIZZA / MASSERIA TORRE COCCARO
Day 8
Journey home Location Information Description
Fasano, Italy
Your trip ends in Savelletri di Fasano. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from Masseria Torre Maizza or Masseria Torre Coccaro to Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport or Brindisi Airport, regardless of time or day of departure. Ask at booking about extending your stay with additional hotel nights in Savelletri di Fasano or in Bari. You should allow three hours for flight check in.
Breakfast
Important information:
Important Information
Cancellation Policy
- 60 days or more before departure: $600.00 per person
- 59-8 days before departure: $900.00 per person
- 7-1 days before departure: $1500.00 per person
- On departure day and later: 100% of total price
- Any changes or cancellations to airline reservations made through Tauck either before or after departure are subject to the cancellation / change policies of the individual airlines. In n some instances these cancellation / change fees may be up to 100% of the ticket price.
- Cancellation fees may also apply to any additional services, including extra night accommodations, independently supplied services, and optional excursions reserved prior to, during, and after the tour. If flight changes, including, but not limited to, flight cancellations or name changes, are requested after full land and air deposits are received, revision fees, change fees, or airline cancellation fees will apply.
- All cancellations must be received in writing prior to tour departure. The cancellation policy will apply according to the date that the cancellation notification is received. The MINIMUM cancellation penalty is the deposit amount.
- The purchase to trip cancellation insurance is strongly recommended.
Terms and Conditions
- Land only “from price” is per person based on two people sharing a room together and does not include airfare unless expressly stated.
- All prices are in US Dollars.
- A $600 non-refundable, non-transferable, per-person, per-vacation deposit is required to reserve space for you. Payment of the deposit indicates you have read and accepted all Terms & Conditions. Your booking is not confirmed until the deposit payment is processed and you receive a confirmation invoice.
- Final payment is due 75 days prior to departure. Within the final payment date, payment in full is required at time of booking to reserve space. Reservations (land, cruise, and air) are canceled if final payment is not received by the due date.
- Additional deposits or payments are required for international air added to the start and/or end of your vacation.