Tour Itinerary: Day 1: Bari airport - Matera. We rendezvous at 14:00 at Bari airport and travel just a short distance to Matera's Sassi, the best surviving and most complete examples of rock-cut settlement in the Mediterranean region. They have been developed in close harmony with the natural environments. The caves here have been used since prehistoric mes. At first they were bare caves, later these developed into house-like structures. Day 2: Castel del Monte - Trani. 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 farmhouse - Masseria. Day 3: Ostuni, caves, hermitages and Mediterranean vegetation. Following mule trails and dry stone walls we head out into century old olives groves, pass abandoned farmhouses and enjoy extensive views of the Adriatic sea as we climb gently to reach the hermitage of San Biagio for a picnic lunch. Time permitting we visit a museum cave to see the skeleton of a prehistoric pregnant woman (24000 years old). Evening excursion to historic Ostuni. Known as La Citta Bianca, a beautiful little town full of narrow alleyways and whitewashed houses (3 hours/8 miles). Day 4: Lecce and the Prehistoric monuments of Giurdignano. We drive south to the Salento peninsula visit the historic city of Lecce, famous for its ornate 17th and 18th century Baroque architecture and a Roman amphitheater and theater and statue of Saint Oronzo perched on a column taken from the Appian Way. After lunch 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 – a truly fascinating end to the day. We stay in Otranto, the most eastern town in Italy with a fascinating Byzantine history. Day 5: Otranto and Porto Badisco. Otranto was a prosperous trading port between Mediterranean Europe and Asia Minor. In 1481 the Ottoman Turks crossed the narrow straights, 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. Our walk is along a dramatic coastline passing cliffs crowned by ancient watch towers, an emerald green lake formed in an abandoned Bauxite quarry. According to Homer, on route to Rome, Aeneas landed in Porto Badisco a beautiful cove with aqua marine reflections in the sea. Day 6: Gallipoli and Parco Regionale Porto Selvaggio. Starting at the Uluzzo tower, built in 1563 to defend against Turkish invasions, we follow another coastal trail in the Porto Selvaggio park. As we walk we come across stone mounds (Specchie) which are the ruins of watch towers built by the Messapi people in the 5th century BC and pass an unusual lagoon phenomenon known as Palude del Capitano. There is usually time for a gelato reward in Gallipoli a charming little harbor town with a Moorish Kasbah, medieval fortress and built on an island connected to the mainland by bridge. Day 7: Grotte Castellane - Alberobello. Visit underground world of stalagmites, stalactites, natural sculptures and caverns at the Grotte Castellane. The total underground walk is 2 miles and the White Cave is reputed to be the most beautiful in the world. After a relaxing picnic lunch we make our way through the Murge dei Trulli a landscape of olive groves, orchards, vines and Trulli. The highest concentration of these buildings is in Alberobello where in the oldest neighborhood we can visit the only Trulli church dedicated to Saint Antonio (3 hours/8 miles). Day 8: Departure from Bari airport. Scheduled departure from our hotel at 9:00 a.m. If you wish, we can help you to extend your stay or make other independent departure arrangements. Notes: Price Includes: 
Vacation Poll
Also see tour packages in: Europe Italy Outdoor: Land Rambler Hiking & Trekking Archeology/History |
|||||||||||||||
