🇮🇹 Puglia & the South of Italy
11 Days · Rome · Otranto · Matera · Monopoli · Alberobello
✦ The Italy most people never find ✦
Your Journey
| Rome | |
| Rome Edition | |
| Otranto | |
| La Fiermontina | |
| Lecce day trip | |
| Polignano a Mare | |
| Matera | |
| Monopoli | |
| Trulli delle Sette | |
| Bari day trip | |
| Alberobello | |
| Home |
Arrive & Let Rome Do What Rome Does
Arrive in Rome and check into the Rome Edition -- one of the city's most beautifully designed boutique hotels, steps from some of the world's greatest food, art and history. One open day to wander, eat and exhale before heading south into a part of Italy most travelers never reach.
South by High-Speed Train
Board the Frecciarossa high-speed train from Rome to Bari -- a first-class journey through the Italian countryside in just over four hours. Drive south to the tip of Italy's boot and check into La Fiermontina Luxury Home, an extraordinary private residence turned luxury retreat near Lecce, surrounded by ancient olive groves and Puglian gardens. Dinner on arrival.
Otranto by Tuk-Tuk
Explore Otranto the best possible way -- by private tuk-tuk. Wind through the whitewashed old town, past a cathedral that houses one of the most extraordinary medieval mosaic floors in the world, and out to the Cava di Bauxite -- a vivid red bauxite lake hidden in the countryside that looks like it belongs on another planet.
Lecce -- the Florence of the South
Day trip to Lecce, a city so ornate and golden it has been called the Florence of the South. Baroque churches and palaces line every street, all carved from the same warm local stone that glows in the afternoon sun. Wander at your own pace -- this city rewards the slow traveler.
Market, Kitchen & a Long Lunch
A morning private market tour followed by a hands-on cooking class -- this is Puglia, so expect orecchiette, burrata and a whole lot of olive oil. Lunch at the table you cooked at, then a lazy afternoon back at the villa.
Polignano a Mare
Day trip to Polignano a Mare -- a clifftop village perched dramatically above the Adriatic, with houses that hang over the sea and turquoise water below that doesn't look real. Walk the old town, have lunch with a view and take approximately one thousand photos.
Through the Ancient Cave City
Drive through Matera on the way north -- one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth, a UNESCO World Heritage site where entire neighborhoods of cave dwellings (sassi) are carved into dramatic limestone ravines. It is unlike anything else in Italy and most people have never heard of it. Stop, walk and let it sink in. Arrive at your trulli villa near Monopoli in the late afternoon.
Welcome to the Trulli Villa
Check into Trulli delle Sette -- a private villa made up of traditional trulli, the iconic cone-roofed stone dwellings unique to this corner of Puglia and found nowhere else in the world. A private chef cooks dinner at the villa tonight. This is the kind of evening you will talk about for years.
Bari's Nonnas & a Dinner in a Sea Cave
Morning drive to Bari to find a hidden street where local nonnas set up on their doorsteps every day to hand-shape pasta the same way their grandmothers did. Watch, learn and buy fresh pasta to take back. Evening dinner at Grotta Palazzese -- one of the most extraordinary restaurants in the world, built inside a sea cave carved into a cliff above the Adriatic. Yes, it is as spectacular as it looks.
Alberobello & a Cheese Making Class
Day trip to Alberobello -- the trulli capital of Puglia, a UNESCO-listed village where hundreds of the iconic cone-roofed dwellings cluster together in a scene that feels entirely out of time. Afternoon hands-on cheese making class -- Puglia produces some of Italy's finest burrata and mozzarella, and you will leave knowing exactly why.
One Last Ride & Arrivederci
Morning bike tour through the Puglian countryside -- olive trees, dry stone walls and a landscape that moves slowly and beautifully. Afternoon transfer to Bari airport for the flight home. You will already be planning your return.
Where You Will Stay
Hand-selected for an unmatched experience
Rome, Italy
Rome Edition
One of Rome's most beautifully designed boutique hotels -- sleek, warm and perfectly positioned in the heart of the city.
Otranto, Puglia
La Fiermontina Luxury Home
An extraordinary private residence turned luxury retreat near Lecce, surrounded by ancient olive groves and Puglian gardens.
Monopoli, Puglia
Trulli delle Sette
A private villa of traditional cone-roofed trulli dwellings, found nowhere else in the world. With a private chef.
