Puglia & Matera, Italy
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Overview
Highlights
- Explore Alberobello, location of the world famous UNESCO World Heritage Trulli Houses
- Discover Italy
- See Imperial Puglia with its rich history, DOC wines, and artisanal mozzarella
- Enjoy a private guided tour of the Archeological Park
- Explore Alta Murgia National Park, a limestone plateau and perfect setting for the UNESCO World Heritage site of Castel del Monte
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Details
Travel Themes
Destinations
Attractions
Activities
Trip includes
- Round trip airfare from New York or Boston (airfare can be deducted)
- 11 nights elegant accommodations: 4 nights in Montegrosso; 2 nights in Matera; 3 nights in Otranto; 2 nights in Bari
- All breakfasts, 4 lunches, 9 dinners
- 1 winery visit with wine tasting
- Visit to a burrata and mozzarella cheese producer with tasting
- Altamura bread tasting
- Cooking class focused on Apulian food such as pizzelle and orecchiette
- Visit to a Lecce Stone quarry
- Visit to an olive oil mill
- Full-time English-speaking tour leader
- All transfers in comfortable air-conditioned mini-coach or mini-van
- All tour guides, all museum and monument entrance fees, tips, and taxes
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Itinerary
Depart the United States, flying overnight to Bari.
Meals: Dinner
Our Puglia adventure begins upon arrival at Bari Airport, where you are greeted by your driver and whisked to an ancient ‘masseria’, a typical manor farm, for four nights. Time to relax and unwind. Tonight we will enjoy a welcome dinner with the owners.
Overnight: Montegrosso
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Enjoy your first full day in Imperial Puglia with its rich history, DOC wines, and artisanal mozzarella & burrata cheese producers. We start our day with a drive to the seaside town of Barletta and visit the magnificent Norman Ca...
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
This morning we set out for Canne della Battaglia, the largest Bronze Age archeological site in the area. We enjoy a private guided tour of the Archeological Park, where famously Hannibal led the Carthaginians to victory over the Rom...
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Today we head to the Alta Murgia National Park, a limestone plateau and perfect setting for the UNESCO World Heritage site of Castel del Monte. This awe-inspiring 13th Century citadel contains a rare octagonal castle. After taking a ...
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
After breakfast we say goodbye to Montegrosso and head to Altamura, where we visit the ancient Cathedral that was built by Emperor Frederick II in 1232. We also visit the National Archaeological Museum, which hosts the remains of the ...
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
This morning we visit a troglodyte settlement in Matera. Our private guide shows us fascinating evidence from the Bronze Age of underground cisterns, tombs, and stone churches with frescoes. Back in Matera, you will have lunch at you...
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Today we depart Matera and head for Otranto, the most easterly point of Italy. We pause our journey near Taranto, a picturesque town of Greek origins, where we learn how mozzarella and burrata cheeses are handmade at a cheese factory...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Wear your apron and become chef for a day as we learn how to cook Apulian food. We will feast on local specialties of our own making, such as pizzelle and orecchiette. This afternoon we have time at leisure. Maybe you will rel...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
This morning we visit a quarry of Lecce Stone and learn about ancient tools using in stone carving. We have a chance to try stone carving ourselves using the same techniques as passed on through the ages. We lunch together at ...
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
This morning we say goodbye to Otranto and head for Bari, the regional capital of Puglia. Along the way we stop in Alberobello, location of the world famous UNESCO World Heritage Trulli Houses. These houses of typical white dry stone...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Today we spend a day exploring Bari. We stroll on the breathtaking seaside promenade, visit the Old Town, the historic Teatro Petruzzelli and the Basilica of St. Nicholas. In our private guided tour of the city we will discove...
Meals: Breakfast
This morning we head to Bari Airport for our return flights home.
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Dates & Availability
Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Olde Ipswich Tours.
The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
Olde Ipswich Tours Reviews & Ratings
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Everything about Olde Ipswich gets high marks, including helpful, personal attention prior to selection of the trip, and successful efforts to accommodate personal ...
This tour was an all time favorite.
Traveling with Olde Ipswich is full of daily delights. The itineraries are varied and off that beaten path. The group size is small. The Dordogne had just seven part...
Have always been professional and first rate
My daughter's school has booked a tour to Paris in 2014 with this company, and my dealings with their travel team have always been professional and first rate. They ...
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Tour Operator
Unique Among European Tour Companies
More than twenty years ago, Jean Moss began Olde Ipswich Tours, which occupies a unique niche among European tour companies, motivated by her love of travel, history and fine culinary experiences. She is proud of the detailed, and carefully planned itineraries that have offered so many clients unique travel experiences over the years.
These escorted, small tours (groups of 6 to 16) are designed to offer an intimate, quality experience of our favorite regions of Central Europe, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, England, Ireland and our own New England. We are always looking to add to our offerings of skillfully created tours for our loyal friends and customers.
Small Group Tours
We travel in small group tours of six to sixteen. This allows us the flexibility to customize each trip to your specific interests. Many have also found that it strikes the perfect balance between the planned activities and adventures of group travel and the flexibility of traveling alone. (After all, how many of us are acquainted with the owner of a winery in Umbria or know a friend eager to use his hot-air balloon in Rocamadour?) We plan the trip of a lifetime, so that you can make it your own.small group tours of europe - local
Local Culture
Our small group tours of Europe are aimed at experiencing and enjoying regional culture. As such, we do not pick destinations off a map at random. Rather, we hand-select the most fascinating, fun, and culturally rich destinations and activities that a given region has to offer. On our Europe tours, you experience the region’s history, art, architecture, food and drink. What’s more, the experience is not of outsiders looking in, but as the guests and friends of our local hosts and expert guides. These, truly, are memories you will treasure for years to come.
Exceptional Value
And, while we are pretty proud of our philosophy, what you may appreciate most of all about our small group tours of Europe is the exceptional value. All of our Europe tours include:
Deluxe accommodations
All breakfasts, some lunches, gourmet dinners
Full-time escort
Small groups of six to sixteen
All tour guides, museum and entrance fees
All tips and taxes
Round trip airfare from Boston or New York (except where specified)
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Logistics
What's excluded
- Personal insurance
- Most lunches except where indicated
- Wine or alcohol with meals unless specified
- Activities indicated as “optional”
We recommend that you purchase cancellation insurance. If you must cancel your tour for any reason, medical or otherwise, you will be charged as follows::
Within 30 days of our receipt of your deposit, you will be refunded in full, minus a $100 administrative fee.
Between 30 days of our receipt of your deposit and 80 days before tour departure you will be charged a $500 cancellation fee, plus any non-recoverable expenses, such as airline tickets.
Less than 80 days from departure, you will be charged full tour price.
If you sign up within 80 days of departure, full payment is required immediately.
Please note that we will not refund the cost of any unused portion of your tour package. If because of low participation, Olde Ipswich Tours cancels your tour, you will receive a complete refund of all payments made to us.
11 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches and 10 Dinners
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