Compare Puglia and Matera Cycling Tour by Tourissimo vs A Week In... Puglia 2023 by Tauck
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| Trip |
5 | Excellent
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4 | Great
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| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Price From | $ 4,195 | $ 4,990 |
| Price Per Day | $ 524 | $ 624 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | Group tour | Small group tour |
| Lodging Level | Standard | Premium |
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| Travel Themes |
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| Countries Visited | ||
| Cities and Attractions |
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| Flights & Transport | Ground transport included | No |
| Activities |
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| Meals Included |
7 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches and 6 Dinners |
N/A |
| Description |
From the Adriatic Sea to the stones of Matera, enjoy the most beautiful riding destination in Southern Italy! Bordered on two sides by the Ionian and Adriatic seas, Puglia is a long sliver of land that stretches along the heel of Italy. In between you'll find some of the best riding in all of Italy, along peaceful backroads. Rolling through this farmland rich in Greek, Norman and Arab influences feels like a mystical odyssey through time. Start from Savelletri as fig trees, blooming cacti, and herb gardens fill your path with delightful fragrances. We ride through one of the gems of Puglia: the Valle D’Itria. In Alberobello, the trulli region, spin by clusters of fantastic conical dwellings surrounded by enormous, gnarled olive trees. Spicy handmade orecchiette, bruschetta covered with juicy tomatoes, roasted red peppers and grilled calamari satisfy our palates. Warm hospitality and friendly conversation greet us at every turn. While many regions of Italy boast of having “the best food,” Puglia could humbly claim this title due to using simple preparations that allow the true flavors of the food to stand out. Slow Food has over 300 chapters here (called Presidi) to protect biodiversity and traditional production. The program has a spectacular ending in Matera (City of Stones), in the region of Basilicata. |
Smaller groups, averaging 24 Tauck guests, explore one of Italy's most fascinating regions, from ancient cave dwellings to Baroque architecture, cosmopolitan resort towns and unique villages, full of remarkable and unexpected sights and flavors... like the fairy-tale trulli houses... |
Day 1: Egnazia
Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Tenuta Monacelle
Terrain: Flat
Ride:11 mi or 17 km (longer option available)
Your guide will meet you at the Bari airport at 12 pm for a transfer to the first hotel (approximately 1 hr). We will gather at the hotel for introductions, bike fitting and a short ride. On this first ride, we pass through ancient olive groves and pedal down to the coast to the Greek ruins of Egnazia, the ancient Messapian town of prehistoric origins. We will enjoy our first dinner together at the hotel restaurant.
Day 2: Selva di Fasano – Ostuni
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodation: Tenuta Monacelle
Terrain: Hilly
Ride: 37 mi or 60 km (longer option available)
We will ride to Ostuni, an area that has been inhabited since the Stone Age. Bike to one of the loveliest towns along the Mediterranean where white houses, piled like sugar cubes against an azure sky, remind you of the Greek Islands. The brightness of its whitewashed houses, set against a sea of stately olive trees, provides a spectacular perspective of this rich seaside farmland. On the way back, we ride by centuries-old olive trees that are like amazing natural sculptures. We'll have a close look at those monumental trees during a visit planned at an olive oil producer. Pass by dry stone walls and more olive groves, and pedal along the coast before going back inland to Selva di Fasano. Dinner is a seafood lover’s delight right by the water.
Day 3: Alberobello
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodation: Grand Hotel Olimpo
Terrain: Rolling
Ride: 28 mi or 45 km
Today's ride make a stop at the famous grottoes of Castellana (it's a great underground tour but it's not recommended if you are claustrophobic). We will then continue on to Alberobello, which takes its name from the forests that once covered the area. Nowadays, this is where more than 1,000 trulli (conical-shaped houses) can be found. This is a must-see, one of the most emblematic sights in Puglia. A walk through the town is followed by a dinner that will feature the typical, flavorful dishes of the region.
Day 4: Alberobello - Valle d'Itria
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Accommodation: Grand Hotel Olimpo
Terrain: Rolling
Ride:25 mi or 40 km (shorter option available)
Today we ride through a fantasy land of trulli via tiny roads that roll through Valle d’Itria (Itria valley) to arrive in Locorotondo, where we will have a picnic lunch. We will then continue our ride onto Martina Franca where we’ll get to enjoy some of the best examples of Italian Baroque architecture. Back in Alberobello, you’ll have free time to continue exploring this magical city on your own. Dinner is on your own.
Day 5: San Basilio
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodation: Casa Isabella
Terrain: Rolling
Ride: 35 mi or 57 km
Today we say goodbye to Alberobello and pedal to our lunch spot in Mottola, a charming Pugliese town. Mottola is located on a hill above the sea and has a view of the Gulf of Taranto and the green mountains of the high Sila; for this reason, the town is also called “the Balcony of Southern Apulia.” In the evening we’ll enjoy an interesting, hands-on mozzarella making demo and an exquisite dinner at the hotel, a restored Ducal villa built in honor of Isabella de’ Medici.
Day 6: Matera
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodation: Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita or Il Belvedere
Terrain: Rolling
Ride: 33 mi or 53 km (shorter option available)
We spin along the Murgia plain through a bucolic terrain of rolling fields of “grano duro” (the wheat used for pasta) and shady oak groves. We climb to Matera, the city of caves and one of the most extraordinary spots on Earth. UNESCO lists Matera as one of its Official World Heritage sites for its Sassi cave dwellings. In the rock churches, the mystic past is palpable, and in the afternoon we will discover even more of Matera’s secrets on a guided visit. This evening we will have a pizza dinner and you can choose between regular dough or toasted grain (grano arso) dough - an ancient recipe. Our hotel is a unique site that you will not forget.
Day 7: Matera
Meals: Breakfast, Lunchand Dinner
Accommodation: Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita or Il Belvedere
Terrain: Rolling
Ride: 14 mi or 22 km (longer option available)
Today’s ride takes us to the countryside in the fertile Metaponto Valley where we’ll stop at a beautiful organic farm where our host Cinzia will proudly serve vegetables grown on their land. In the afternoon, you can opt to climb back or to take advantage of our van for the ride back to Matera. You will have some spare time for shopping before dinner at I Baccanti with typical Lucanian delicacies (Lucania was the ancient name of Basilicata).
Day 8: Matera
Meals: Breakfast
Terrain: Departure
Ride: None
After breakfast, we will arrange a transfer that will take you to the Bari Airport in time for your connecting flights.
Day 1 Arrive Bari / Matera
Tour begins: 6:00 PM, Palazzo Gattini, Matera. We will meet you upon arrival at Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport on your trip to Puglia, Italy and transfer you to your luxury hotel, set in a 15th-century stone palace in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Matera in Basilicata. Nestled on the tip of Italy's boot, Puglia welcomes with seaside delights, mouthwatering cuisine and entire cities resplendent in art, architecture and warm hospitality. Join us this evening for a rooftop welcome reception, followed by dinner.
MEALS : D
LODGING : Palazzo Gattini
PORTOFCALL : Matera, Italy
Day 2 The Sassi of Matera
Wake up for an early morning private visit to Casa Noha, an Italian National Historic site. After a short stop back at the hotel, meet your local guide to explore this unique city, home to a settlement of cave dwellings that dates back to Paleolithic times – and one that starred in Mel Gibson's film, The Passion of the Christ. As you explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site, our local guide shares insights about Matera's famous rock dwellings, known as Sassi (for "stone"), which you'll see piled haphazardly atop one another across the sides of a steep ravine; they began back in antiquity as natural caves and grottoes, and over the centuries were adapted as homes, and were lived in until 1960. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant; the rest of the day is yours to explore as you wish.
MEALS : B, L
LODGING : Palazzo Gattini
PORTOFCALL : Matera, Italy
Day 3 Primitivo Wines & Baroque Lecce
Drive through the countryside to Lecce today, stopping en route at a winery known for its Apulian Primitivo wine; you'll have a tour of the wine museum that's followed by lunch, that's paired with a wine tasting, then travel to your hotel in Lecce. Join your Tauck Director for an orientation tour of the city, regarded as the "Florence of the South" before some time at leisure exploring as you wish; dine this evening at a local restaurant.
MEALS : B, L, D
LODGING : Risorgimento Resort
PORTOFCALL : Lecce, Italy
Day 4 A day in Lecce & a special evening
A guided walking tour of the city's 300-year-old cobblestone streets includes a close look at its Baroque monuments and architectural site – the ornate 15th-century Chiesa di Santa Chiara; the 2nd-century Roman Amphitheater, unearthed in 1901; the Piazza del Duomo; and the allegorically dressed Basilica de Santa Croce, a must-see site. Dinner tonight is at an authentic masseria, where you'll enjoy a family-style farm-to-table menu that showcases ingredients grown on site and "Officina Zoe" pizzica folk music and dance.
MEALS : B, D
LODGING : Risorgimento Resort
PORTOFCALL : Lecce, Italy
Day 5 Galatina and seaside Otranto
Head to nearby Galatina, home of the "Tarantella," for a tour of the Basilica di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria where you will view impressive frescoes depicting biblical stories. On a visit inside the Baroque Chiesa di San Paolo, see the church well that was reputed to have healing powers from magic spiders. After lunch, drive to the fortified seaside town of Otranto for a guided walking tour of its historic sites. See its famous castle and visit its medieval cathedral, home to a magnificent floor mosaic (and wooden coffered ceiling) along with its macabre crypts. Return to your hotel, where your evening is free to spend as you please.
MEALS : B, L
LODGING : Risorgimento Resort
Day 6 Trulli Houses in Alberobello
Regulated by an edict enforced by the Kingdom of Naples in the 15th century, mortarless buildings and homes in the southern region of Puglia called trulli were constructed only of stone during that time, with many still standing distinctively intact today. Today, visit the "barnyard district" of Rione Aia Piccola in the town of Alberobello, tightly packed with alleys lined by whitewashed trulli once inhabited by the farmers who built them. There are no shops or cars here, lending to the authenticity of this unique experience. See the Trullo Sovrano, the town's only two-story trullo, built in the 18th century for a local priest and today a museum. You'll have some time at leisure to explore more on your own and sample a taste of local fare. This afternoon, drive to your masseria hotel in Savelletri di Fasano; all Masseria hotels are inland as they were original farmhouses, not on the sea.
MEALS : B, D
LODGING : Masseria Torre Coccaro
PORTOFCALL : Alberobello, Italy
Day 7 Seaside Polignano a Mare & a farewell dinner
Built into a rugged ravine pitted with caves and painted with deep blue grottoes, the seaside town of Polignano a Mare is renowned for its cliff diving; for inspiring the 1958 international hit song "Nel blu dipinto di blu" (a.k.a. "Volare") by Italian singer, songwriter, actor and Parliament member Domenico Modugno (who was born here) and known for its special coffee. Enjoy time to wander in town before returning to your resort. Join us for a farewell reception and dinner tonight.
MEALS : B, D
LODGING : Masseria Torre Coccaro
Day 8 Journey home
Trip ends: Savelletri di Fasano. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from Masseria Torre Coccaro to Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport or Brindisi Airport, regardless of time or day of departure. Ask at booking about extending your stay with additional hotel nights in Savelletri di Fasano or in Bari at Grande Albergo delle Nazioni. You should allow three hours for flight check in.
MEALS : B
