| Day 1: Dublin-Naples
Take a direct flight from Dublin to Naples. Your Topflight tour
manager will greet you on your arrival at Naples airport from
where you will be transferred by luxury coach to Vieste. Check
in at your hotel, the 4* Hotel Forte or similar for three nights.
Dinner is at your hotel this evening.
Day 2: Discover the Magic of Gargano
Perched upon a 800m hilltop, the UNESCO World Heritage Site
of Monte Sant’ Angelo has a long history, with its pilgrimage
sites and historic centre dating back to the 13th Century.
After a guided walking tour, we move to Peschici, a
picturesque whitewashed town overlooking a beautiful sandy
cove. The afternoon is at your leisure. An optional excursion to
the Foresta Umbra is available. In the evening, enjoy a seafood
dinner and a typical folk music show at your hotel. After
dinner, a little shopping might hit the spot.
Day 3: The Tremiti Islands
After breakfast we board a ferry from Peschici and enjoy an
hour-long boat ride to the Tremiti Islands.
Following a visit of the 1000-year-old Benedictine Abbey
and a brief tour of San Nicola island, we take a boat and head
to San Domino to spend the rest of the day at leisure on the
beautiful beach of Cala delle Arene. Alternatively, you can rent
a small boat and cruise round the islands. Later, your ferry will
take you back to your hotel. (In case of bad weather and/or
rough sea, this excursion will be replaced by other activities).
Day 4: Bari, Castellana’s Caves
A smooth drive across the flat coastline of the Adriatic sea
takes you to Bari, the capital of Puglia, also known as Apulia.
Check in at 4* Hotel Sierra Silvana or similar for two nights.
Spend the morning at your leisure, or take a sightseeing tour
of the town’s key attractions: the Basilica of San Nicola,
Castellana’s Caves, the alleys of Bari Vecchia (the Old Town),
the Swabian Castle and the Archaeological Museum.
Day 5: Matera, Alberobello
Today starts with a visit to the world-famous Matera, a unique
city where you come face to face with a strong, powerful image
of southern Italy’s lost culture. See the famous Sassi district, a
huge complex of cave dwellings which is one of the oldest
inhabited human settlements in the world, and a UNESCO
World Heritage Site since 1993. After a guided tour of the
Sassi district and a hiking excursion at the rocky Murgia
Plateau, we travel back to Alberobello, the“Trulli” town.
A dense mass of more than 1500 cone-shaped white
houses, the Trulli were once inhabited by local people. Walk
through the narrow streets and soak up the atmosphere of
this unique place. In the evening enjoy dinner at a typical
Apulian night.
Day 6: The Salento and Lecce
On our journey to the Salento, you can enjoy the fascinating
landscapes of the sunny, flat countryside.
Following a brief tour of Porto Cesareo and Gallipoli, move
towards Lecce, to start the sightseeing tour of the baroque
capital of southern Italy. The historic centre, rich in art and
architecture, is a unique example of the “Leccese” baroque
style, which flourished between the 16th and the 18th
Centuries. After checking into the 4* Grand Hotel Tiziano or
similar for one night you can enjoy the afternoon at your
leisure, or join other optional activities. In the evening, enjoy
dinner in a typical restaurant with the best Salentine dishes.
After dinner, explore the lively city by night.
Day 7: Ostuni, Castel del Monte, Trani
This morning we take a short drive to the beautiful ‘White City’
of Ostuni.
Take some time to explore the beautiful historic centre of
this unique town, with its maze of narrow streets and small
whitewashed houses. After the visit, your bus will be waiting to
take you to the world-famous Castel del Monte. Built on a
hilltop in the 13th Century by Emperor Frederick II, the
octagonal castle is one of the Apulia’s most prominent
landmarks, and is visible for tens of miles around.
In the afternoon we move to Trani, the well-known “Pearl of
Apulia.” Shaped from gleaming limestone blocks on the curve
of an elegant port, Trani’s medieval centre is one of the most
beautiful in the whole region.
The wonderful Cathedral, a stunning example of Apulian-
Romanesque style, rises on the open space of a small
peninsula, with a backdrop of dark blue sea. Just 200m west of
this, the Medieval Castle is another major landmark in town.
Optional activities are available (payable locally).
Check into our final hotel the 4* Nicotel or similar. Before our
farewell dinner in the beautiful port, enjoy a typical Italian
aperitif in a small bar of the historic centre.
Day 8: The Tour Ends
After breakfast this morning we say goodbye to Puglia and
make our way to Naples Airport for our return flight to Dublin.
Alternatively, you may choose to extend your stay by spending
a few nights in Naples or perhaps a second week in the nearby
town of Sorrento.
Whichever you choose, we’re sure you will have memories
to treasure from your Grand Tour of Puglia. |