Flavors of Puglia

Your Puglia adventure begins the moment you land. A private transfer takes you to the Grand Hotel delle Nazioni on Bari’s elegant seafront promenade. Settle into your sea-view Panorama room, then join your fellow travelers for a welcome dinner at a beloved local trattoria. There, fresh Adriatic seafood meets hearty countryside recipes, all paired with regional wines. It’s a perfect first taste of the flavors to come.

This morning a local expert leads you through Bari’s old town, a maze of whitewashed lanes, ancient churches and everyday Pugliese life. Enjoy lunch and free time at your own pace. In the late afternoon, head down the coast to Polignano a Mare, a postcard-perfect town perched on limestone cliffs above the turquoise Adriatic. Stroll its terraces at golden hour, then gather for a three-course dinner with wine.

Drive into the rolling Murgia countryside, a landscape of olive groves, stone farmhouses and dry-stone walls. At a historic estate surrounded by 39,000 olive trees, you’ll tour cellars carved into tufa rock. Then taste estate olive oil and Castel del Monte DOCG wines over a traditional farmer’s lunch. Afterward, explore the iconic Castel del Monte, Frederick II’s enigmatic 13th-century fortress, before an evening free in Bari.

Head into the Valle d’Itria to Alberobello, a storybook town famous for its trulli, the whitewashed stone houses topped with cone-shaped roofs. A local guide reveals their history and secrets on a leisurely walking tour, followed by lunch at your own pace. In the afternoon, travel south to Masseria Caretti Grande, your fortified farmhouse home for the next four nights. You’ll be welcomed with a three-course dinner and wine.

Savor a slow morning at the masseria before rolling up your sleeves for a hands-on cooking class. You’ll learn to shape orecchiette, Puglia’s signature “little ears” pasta, then sit down to the farm-to-table feast you helped create. In the afternoon, visit Masseria Li Veli for a premium tasting of Salento wines. The evening ends with a traditional dinner at a nearby agriturismo.

Discover Lecce, the “Florence of the South,” on a guided tour of its honey-colored baroque churches and piazzas, followed by lunch and free time. In the afternoon, stroll Galatina with your tour manager and taste the pasticciotto, a warm custard-filled pastry that has made the town famous. End the day at Schola Sarmenti winery in Nardò with a wine tasting and light dinner.

Travel to Grottaglie, a town with centuries of ceramic tradition, and step inside an artisan’s workshop to watch local masters at work. Continue to Agricola Felline, one of Puglia’s most respected wineries, for lunch with wine pairings. Return to the masseria for a free afternoon by the pool or among the olive groves. In the evening, your hosts pour a farewell tasting paired with local products.

Begin in Ostuni, the dazzling “White City,” which crowns a hilltop above olive groves stretching to the sea. A local expert guides you through its sun-bleached lanes before lunch at your leisure. In the afternoon, descend into the spectacular Castellana Caves for a private tour with a speleologist, among cathedral-like caverns of stalactites. Return to Bari for a festive farewell dinner.

Enjoy a final breakfast overlooking the Adriatic and one last stroll along Bari’s seafront promenade. Then a group transfer takes you to Bari airport. You’ll head home with a suitcase full of memories, new friends, and perhaps a few bottles of Primitivo. Arrivederci, until next time!