Do you know why Ostuni is all painted white? So white that it is known as the “White city” – La Citta Bianca - a tradition its inhabitants have kept alive for 400 years.

Extra virgin olive oil tasting like the Italians do it. Learn how to taste the oil, if it’s smooth or spicy, and what it should be paired with.

 

Open wide your ears! The big ones, not the small ones! For this activity promises to be a fun one! We learn all about the orecchiette – its meaning, and why it’s considered the best pasta out there.

 

Lunch with yummy local food.

Walking tour of Cisternino, one of the pearls of the Itria Valley, also known for the quality of its welcome and the number of restaurants. What has made Cisternino famous above all among lovers of good food are the taverns where meat bombettes, roulades, and chops skewered on a spit are cooked at all hours of the day, and which are the gastronomic pride of the entire valley, but of which Cisternino is proclaimed the undisputed capital. Of course, you will be able to decide by yourself if they are worth it since we will experience it all.

Famous for its unique small 14th-century stone houses with a round shape and a conical roof called trullo (plural trulli), Alberobello is "the capital of the picturesque Trulli houses", a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name of the city originated from the medieval Latin name of the region “siva arboris belli” (The wood of the tree of war).

Then we will visit a local farm famous for the production of Apulian cheese. You can see how to make the fresh and hand-made mozzarella and typical burrata. The owner of the farm will cook a traditional family lunch (wine and water included).
 

Walking tour of Locorotondo, a village built between the 9th and 7th century BC. The name of the town means round place, due to its round-shaped layout. 

Dinner at the hotel (3 courses with 1/2 l of water and 1 glass of wine included)

 

Matera is an ancient city that seems to have existed forever. It is the third oldest city in the world, after Aleppo and Jericho, with over 10,000 years of history. This is where we start our day, visiting this UNESCO World Heritage, either walking or in the typical 3-wheeled local tuk-tuk (better known as Ape Calessio, an iconic vehicle made by Piaggio, an Italian company famous for the production of light vehicles and scooters). Please don’t tell anyone we named them tuk-tuks!

Matera is famous for its houses and dwellings and other buildings carved into the rocks. 

Rupestrian churches, houses, caves and ancient streets create a unique and suggestive landscape.
 

Called “the Lioness of Puglia” for the epic resistance to the papal troops in the late 18th century, Altamura is famous for its several important archaeological findings, like the so-called “Man of Altamura” one of the Neanderthals, who lived in the area between 128.000 and 187.000 years ago.

However, it is not a mommy we will see but the medieval heart of the town, famous for its prehistoric and Roman ruins. We visit also a traditional bakery and learn all about the famous bread and typical apulian focaccia – so famous that it is known as the Altamura Bread” (including a light lunch with wine and water)

 

Transfer to Lecce, the main city of the Salento area and the capital of the Baroque art in the South. "The Florence of the Southern Italy, it is famous for its 17th century exhuberant Baroque architecture. But there are more than 1 reasons to visit this town, and we will see them all while walking through the historical center with the Duomo, the Roman amphitheater and the beautiful Basilica of Santa. We might also see some papier mache artisans/boutiques since Lecce is famous for this medium.
 

And since in Lecce, we take you to a few typical tasting stops Lecce is known for – because why not. 

· Caffe + Pasticiotto: Caffe Leccese was invented here, in the 1950s. It is a traditional iced coffee that quickly became the specialty of the Salento region. The Pasticciotto a wide, thick, brick shaped baked bread filled with an abundant pastry cream filling is usually served with the iced coffee… 

· Rustico + Spitz: Rustico is a typical Salento snack made with puff pastry and various stuffings such as tomato, or mozzarella. It is part of the Salentine street food tradition.

· Puccia + wine: Puccia is a typical street food of Salento, a round flat bread stuffed with a variety of ingredients. 

· Ice Cream: do we need to write anything explaining the Italian Gelato here? 

Free afternoon to walk around, digest, eat more, nap, or follow your fancy.

Dinner in the old town in a restaurant that combines the typical cuisine of Lecce with a modern twist on the dishes.

 

We transfer to Salento and enjoy a hike above Capo d’Otranto, the easternmost point of Italy. En route we will make a stop at the gorgeous Bauxite lake: It is a quarry used between 1940 and 1976, later totally abandoned, and reclaimed by nature. The intense emerald color lake is the peculiarity of this site. It is probably generated by the infiltrations from the aquifers nearby. The characteristic dark red color of the rocky walls is determined by the minerals contained in the Bauxite rock, which is the main element for aluminum composition.

After lunch break (not included) in Otranto, we will visit this little charming town and get an insight into its history and its ancient cathedral famous for its grandiose mosaic floor. 

Dinner (included) at the hotel 

Free day – but Tourleb is working on a few amazing stops because it’s Tourleb. Prepare to enjoy fresh see foods, and discover an interesting church. 

Free day in Otranto

Transfer to Lecce in the afternoon.

Free afternoon in Lecce.

Transfer to the airport of Bari