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Explore Puglia on foot with us on our exciting walking tour and enjoy breathtaking sea views along a rugged coastline dotted with Trulli vast expanses of ancient olive groves seemingly untouched by time. Our journey in Puglia is one of our well-loved walking tours in Italy with Trani & Otranto, Frederic II’s imperial Castel del Monte (UNESCO heritage site), the decorative baroque town of Lecce known affectionately as the Florence of the South, the spectacular Castellana Caves and two National Parks. We cross the fertile plain of the Tavoliere and the plateau of the Murge, exciting ecological diversity punctuated by Bronze Age, Greek and Roman archaeological sites, medieval castles and cathedrals. Before ending our beautiful journey we stop to explore the ‘Sassi’ cave dwellings of Matera.
DURATION: 8 days
PICK UP & DROP OFF: Bari Airport
Our small group walking tour in Puglia, Matera and Basilicata is located in the heel of the Italian peninsula surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea and blessed with sun, sea and dramatically changing landscapes.
This coastline boasts an ancient strategic importance and a rich historical heritage dating back to the Greeks and Roman civilisation and others seeking passage to the East across the Mediterranean Sea.
Among the highlights of our tour are the famous Trulli houses of Alberobello (UNESCO heritage site). Trulli are limestone rock buildings curiously cone-shaped to insulate against extreme summer heat, harsh winters and allow for the collection of rainwater.
Our journey in Puglia is one of the best hiking tours in Europe with Trani & Otranto, Frederic II’s imperial Castel del Monte (UNESCO heritage site), the decorative baroque town of Lecce known affectionately as the Florence of the South, the spectacular Castellana Caves and two National Parks. We cross the fertile plain of the Tavoliere and the plateau of the Murge, exciting ecological diversity punctuated by Bronze Age, Greek and Roman archaeological sites, medieval castles and cathedrals. Before ending our beautiful journey we stop to explore the ‘Sassi’ cave dwellings of Matera.
Hospitality in Puglia is a Trulli memorable experience! Our accommodations are in the region’s traditional “masserie” – agricultural estates where, during the 19th century, extended families lived and worked protected from pirates and brigands. We are welcomed with open arms by the locals and fed an abundance of delicious Pugliese specialties favouring ingredients like beans, figs, melons, grapes, olives and a whole variety of particularly delicious cheeses – leaving us satisfied and sometimes a little over-full! No problem, our walks are just vigorous enough to work up an appetite for each feast!
If you would like to speak with us to know more about our Puglia & Matera Walking Tour and to get help planning your trip, please write us an email. We would be happy to hear from you and help you planning your next adventure!
Rendezvous at 14.00 at Bari airport. Transfer by minibus to the old town of Otranto, the most eastern town in Italy. We walk from a colourful bauxite lake along the coast to the Tower of the Serpent, symbol of Otranto and enter the city gates to explore the delightful historic city centre. Once upon a time, it was the most prosperous trading port in the Mediterranean!
Meals: Dinner
Walk: walk 1 hr/3 km
Stunning walk from Otranto along a dramatic coastline of cliffs, fortified farms and watchtowers to reach the beautiful cove of Porto Badisco where the bay displays aqua marine reflections among fishing boats bobbing up and down in the water. According to Homer, Aeneas landed here on his escape from Troy!
Picnic lunch and free time in the afternoon to explore Otranto.
Note: In 1481 the Turks attacked and slaughtered the population. The bones are kept in the Duomo and a visit to see its amazing Byzantine mosaic floor portraying the tree of life is a must.
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner Walk: 4hrs/13km
We visit the baroque city of Lecce, sometimes called the Florence of the South. The historic center is a great place for strolling to admire handcrafts and spotting Roman remains.
We then head to the coast for a beautiful walk in a protected marine nature reserve known as Torre Guaceto. Along this short piece of coastland with exceptional sandy and rocky backdrops, we walk through maquis and olive groves and fresh water lagoons where migrant birds stop to feed.
At the end of the walk is a 16th-century Aragonese defensive look-out tower.
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner Walk: 3hrs/11km
Free morning to explore the narrow alleyways of the beautiful little town Ostuni known as La Citta Bianca ( White town) with lots of places to enjoy a bite to eat (lunch not included). A 24k year old skeleton of a prehistoric pregnant woman was recently found here.
In the afternoon we stop to admire the ancient olive groves where prehistoric stone Dolmen and crypts dating from the Neolithic Age (4000-3000 BC) can be found.
Meals: Breakfast / Dinner Walk: 2hrs/6km
A day spent in the Murge dei Trulli a landscape of olive groves, orchards, vines and trulli houses. A short drive brings us to Alberobello where the highest concentration of these dry stone huts with conical roofs is to be found – even a Trulli church!!
A visit to Locorotondo is the start of our walk through Trullo country to reach the beautiful whitewashed old town of Cisternino. Transfer to Matera.
A fascinating walk among Matera’s Sassi, the best surviving and most complete examples of rock-cut settlements in the Mediterranean basin. Developed in close harmony with the natural environments the caves here have been used since prehistoric times. At first bare cave dwellings, they were used as early Christian churches or to house flocks of sheep and later they were developed into house-like structures. This setting has inspired film directors for decades and was used for the film ‘The Passion’.
Enjoy a free evening to have dinner (dinner not included) in the old city of Matera.
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch Walk: 3hrs/10km
A half days’ walk in the National Park of the ‘Alta Murgia’ Mediterranean Prairie with a picnic lunch and then a visit to the mystical and interesting Castel del Monte (UNESCO). This 13th century castle built by Frederick II which stands out against the natural backdrop of the surrounding Apulian hills and one of the most sophisticated secular buildings of the middle ages.
We end the day in the coastal town of Trani with its stunningly located 12th century Norman cathedral. Time to enjoy this unique seaside setting and explore this historic port town before dinner.
Scheduled drop off at Bari airport at 10.00am (or earlier as long as this accommodates everyone in the group). Trani station is only a short walk.
Meals: Breakfast
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Enjoy Puglia and its heritage
A nice hotel and a good night’s sleep are an important part of your overall travel experience!
When considering a hotel, we look at more than just the rooms. We look for hotels or bed and breakfasts which are committed to ensuring their guests are well looked after and pay attention to detail, for example offering locally sourced breakfast produce, or a special selection of toiletries, or tea and coffee making facilities in the room. Wherever possible your hotel* will be perfectly positioned for exploring and will have a historical charm or maybe a new and innovative design. We choose the best possible places to stay ensuring that each night you are comfortably settled in a place that is welcoming and full of authentic local charm. We are on a mission to find the ingredients you need to wake up feeling rested and looking forward to each day of your Caspin Journeys tour!
Take a closer look at some of the places we have chosen for you…
*H0tels may vary
Click here to send us an email with your enquiry. If you prefer us to call you back, please provide also your telephone number and the best day and time suite you to receive a call from us.
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Pick up and drop off for this tour are at Bari International Airport (private groups may choose Brindisi airport). You can easily find connecting flights to Bari from Rome, Milan and many other airports you may be flying in to.
If you plan on arriving a few days early you ay wish to visit Polignano sul Mare. Ask if we can collect you from there if you like!
Yes, it’s possible.
Once you have chosen your tour, click on the Book Now button. It will redirect you to our online booking form. Once you have payed a 25% deposit out of the total tour price, you can consider your booking confirmed.
Feel free to decide the best payment method for your needs! We accept credit/debit cards and bank transfer.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any other requirement.
When it will be time to pay the balance, we will send you an email with the payment request. We will assist you through all the steps and we will be available to answer to all your questions.
We believe that where you sleep is an important part of your overall travel experience. So, we put a lot of effort into carefully choosing the hotels for each tour.
Our priority is to find attractive, clean, and quiet rooms with private bathrooms in the best possible accommodation. We make sure that each night you are comfortably settled in a place that is welcoming and full of authentic local charm.
The result is a fabulous selection of delightful hotels, medieval palaces, family-run hotels, country residences, manor houses, historic inns, luxurious alpine hotels – sometimes with a spa, sauna, or swimming pool facilities – and all with character, tasty food and a friendly atmosphere.
You will have to keep coming back to experience them all! Sweet Dreams!
We love our jobs and personally lead all our small group tours. Italy, Spain and England are our homes and our passion. We bring that excitement with us on all our tours so that you too share our favourite places.
We are very experienced and handle all the logistics while you relax and become immersed in the local culture, history and traditions.
We know the locals on all our trips and they love meeting our groups. We are small enough to get into private homes, chat to villagers, fit in small restaurants and enjoy all kinds of unexpected events that aren’t accessible to large groups of tourists following a red umbrella.
Our customer reviews say that Caspin Journeys takes the best care of you. We are a sustainable travel company and the only thing we leave behind is our footprints!
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Getting out and about on foot is a wonderful way to slow down the pace, relax and get some healthy exercise.
When we walk we see so much more – grapevines, wildflowers, ancient oaks, wheat fields, avenues of cypresses and pine, time resistant hills and valleys.
As we stroll through historic towns we learn about the culture of the people; as we stand in the splendour of the countryside, beneath the soaring columns of ancient temples, abbey walls and turrets of medieval castles we marvel at man’s ability to conceive of and construct such monuments.
Food is an all important part of each and every one of our journeys. We are foodies, we love to savour the authentic flavours of each destination we visit. And let’s not forget the wine “the drink of the gods” which will accompany every meal, even picnics!
Picture yourself eating Buffalo mozzarella from a farm in Amalfi, tasting a Sicilian cannolo with fresh ricotta cheese, home-made pasta, organic vegetables, fresh fish and so on.
Or why not consider a Gourmet Cooking Holiday in Tuscany, where you will learn directly from the locals?
If all this sounds mouthwatering then look no further, you are in the right place 😉
On our small group tours we use a combination of gourmet restaurants, local trattorias, traditional pubs, tapas bars and farmhouse meals, to give you the best overall experience!
Each adventure combines fantastic hikes and authentic cultural experiences which make for a phenomenal and enriching travel experience. – admire Giotto’s frescoes in Assisi – walk in the Castle gardens of Henry VIII – stand at the tomb of St James in Compostela – gaze at and touch the columns of a Greek temple – visit the birthplace of Napoleon Buonaparte – see how a Duke lives at Blenheim Palace – tread the streets of Pompeii – admire mosaics in a Norman cathedral – understand more about the Roman Empire Travel in the richest artistic heritage in the world, many of which are part of UNESCO. What are you waiting for? Don’t miss out on an unforgettable trip.
Our travel style attracts a similar type of people, outgoing, interesting, adventurous, cultured and curious.
You’ll enjoy the company of your fellow travelers on our small group tours. Italy’s food and wine, England’s local pubs, and Spain’s meditative and spiritual pilgrim route are best experienced amidst the camaraderie of the group.
Guests who join our small group tours become our friends. They return again and again to share new adventures as we explore these unforgettable destinations with like-minded travellers and build ever-lasting memories together.
