The valley is ideally situated for day-trips and excursions to the favourite attractions of Apulia. All of the accommodation we offer is only about an hour's drive from the historic centres and stunning beaches around Bari and Lecce. To the south, in the heart of the Salento peninsula, lies the city of Lecce with its remarkable Baroque architecture; or Otranto with its endless sandy beaches and its Cathedral which houses the marvellous mosaic representing the Tree of Life. To the north lies the land of Romanesque mystery: Trani, Ruvo and Molfetta with their imposing Romanesque cathedrals; Minervino, with its magnificent views across the Murgia hills, and the nearby mysterious Castel del Monte, built by the great medieval Emperor, Frederick II; to the west (in the Basilicata region) lies Matera, the canyon city with its houses, cafés and even hotels built into the sandstone rock face.

Here are 3 unforgettable alternatives to visit deeply places of cultural, artistic and gastronomic interest.
The one day itineraries suggested include visit in local shops, confectionery shops, wineries, olive presses in which our guests will taste the local productions and, on request, lunches in restaurants characterized by our typical cuisine can be arranged.

1) The Itria Valley and the withe towns of the trulli: Alberobello and Ostuni

Programme

09:30 departure;

10:15 arrival in Alberobello, visit of the town and tasting of typical local foods at the Concetta’s food shop (foreseen at 11:30)

13:00 arrival at the restaurant, lunch;

14:30 departure for Ostuni;

15.15 arrival, guided visit of the historical centre with tasting of craft Italian ice-cream or “granita di caffè con panna” coffee crushed-ice drink with whipped cream.

17:15 conclusion of the visit and departure for the accommodation

2) Salento, the land of two seas – visit of Lecce and Otranto

Programme

09:00 departure;

10:15 arrival in Lecce, guided visit of the historical centre and tasting of typical pastries from Lecce at the famous confectioner’s shop Alvino, situated in the most important square of Lecce “Piazza Sant’Oronzo”

12:15 gathering of the group and departure for Otranto;

13:30 arrival at the restaurant, lunch;

15.00 guided visit of Otranto;

16:15 conclusion of the visit and departure for the accomodation

3) Medieval age, between holy and profane  – Castel del Monte,  Trani and the Romanic Period

Programme

09:00 departure;

11:00 arrival in Castel del Monte and guided visit of the castle;

12:15 gathering of the group and departure for Trani;

13:00 arrival at the restaurant, lunch;

14.30 guided visit of Trani historical centre;

16:00 conclusion of the visit and departure for the accomodotation;

You will be accompanied on the tours by specialist, highly-experienced native-speaker tour guides

Price for a minimum of two people  € 80 per person

Price for a minimum of 4 people  € 50 per person

Transport (car or driver hire), meals and food not included

On request, half-day tours and alternative routes available

SOMES NOTES FOR YOUR TRIP

The valle d’Itria is geographically situated between the three provinces of Bari, Brindisi and Taranto in countryside dotted with sparse architecture and fortified farm houses (masserie fortificate) surrounded by greenery. The valley is a slight depression which is karstic in origin and characterised by red earth and low dense vineyards but also by holm-oak woods, carob-tree scrub and olive trees, some centuries old. Man’s mark has been left on the landscape in the form of never ending dry stone walls (an ancient technique involving construction using local stones without mortar) that retain the soil and mark out the cultivated fields as well as the larger and deeper dolina (depressions). This impressive itinerary passes through the greenery  and focuses on the details of rural architecture, on single groups of trulli ( bee hive-shaped stone constructions), between the small and larger towns that especially in the summer create a cultural and artistic movement of notable regional importance.

Alberobello is among the most famous frequently visited UNESCO sites due to the unique presence of the Trullo architecture, entirely constructed in stone from the conical roof with its pinnacle and exterior often decorated with magic primitive and Christian symbols. It grow up as an agricultural village set in a vast oak wood from which its name derives (Alberobello = Beautiful tree) which was originally  Silva Arboris Belli , Beautiful Tree Wood in Latin. In the Fifteenth Century  it was the fief of the Acquaviva di Conversano family, but its real growth the early 1600s. The walk takes us around the Aia Piccola the oldest part of town and the Rione Monti, where the craftwork shops are concentrated, mainly dedicated to the production of lace pillows (tombolo).

Ostuni, la Città Bianca (the White City) gets its nickname from the colour of the houses, huddled together in a maze of alleyways and squares, a gleaming patchwork of stone buildings and Baroque town-houses linked by staircases, cul-de-sacs and artisan’s workshops. At the top of the city, which you can get to after a fascinating walk up a gentle slope, stands the 15th century Gothic Romanesque cathedral, dominated by its unusual curved tympanum and original 24-petal rose window. Just six kilometres from the sea, as well as being the perfect place for exploring the Itria Valley, Ostuni also has a lively nightlife scene. 

Arriving in Lecce is like being awaited in the salon of a rich seductive noble woman. The Latin city of  Lupiae cannot forget its classic past. The Roman amphitheatre interrupts the Renaissance and Baroque atmosphere of Piazza Sant’Oronzo where you breathe the elegance of  the Lecce of Anjou and Spain in the Palazzo del Sedile, the adjoining chapel of San Marco and the Statue of Sant’Oronzo, standing on one of the columns of the via Appia. Arriving in front of the Basilica di Santa Croce or in Piazza del Duomo, gives you the sensation of being part of a performance, the musical score of  a celebration, of a generous and fertile mother nature. Despite the catechetic dictates of the Counter-reformation certainly obliging them to follow precise canons in the representation of the saints and their sacred works, the tastes of local artists were allowed to reinterpret the works of compassion that the faithful needed. This is true of the paintings and statues inside the innumerable churches in the centre of Lecce.

The trip from Otranto is a must if you want to live and breathe the air of our orient  to feel like you belong, aside from the historical sequences, rooted in the soul, language and traditions. The ancient Hydrunptum  was a Messapic city and then a Greek and Roman centre, but its links to the orient were affirmed during the Byzantine époque when it became an important religious centre. The cathedral, that was only finished in the second half of the Twelfth Century, bears witness to that past and was the reconstructed after 1481.  The story of the massacre of the eight hundred Idrontini  occurred  in July 1480 and has never left the memory of the city that dedicated an entire chapel to them in the right apse of the Duomo. Entering the church takes the visitor into a biblical, mythological and astrological world narrated by the magnificent mosaic floors. Here the history of man, of sin and redemption through work and prayer alternates with even more mysterious symbols, imaginary animals speak of a not always understandable nature and a truly dismal vision of hell. Outside, with the sun playing on the rocks, the world appears to been released and to enjoy the smell of the sea, alternating with that of the culinary delicacies that tempt us from the windows in the alleys. Many tourists are attracted every year by the leather workers, potters and stone masons.

The faded colours of the medieval era shown in frescos crypts and churches and the holy mystic feeling that sustains this historical period seem overshadowed by the overbearing eclecticism of the Baroque.

The strategic position of Puglia in the course of the centuries has favoured the construction of Towers and castles surrounding the cities in fortifications necessary to protect them from constant incursions mainly by Saracen and Turkish pirates. These works were carried out above all during the Norman-Swabian period, throughout the Thirteenth Century, thanks to the forward-looking Emperor Federico II of Svevia who recognized in Puglia a privileged place in which to express his indisputable temporal power through the construction of superb palaces and castles. This is not to say that there is a lack of  fortification from the Anjou époque as well as noble residences from the Aragon period and the Baroque. The most important castle built by Federico II of Svevia is Castel del Monte. It stands on a hill 540 metre above sea level. Today it is clearly visible from a long distance. It is unique in its austere regal appearance and looks like a large crown laid on the earth by a supernatural hand.

Its construction dates back to the first half of the Thirteenth Century and embodies in its mathematical, architectural and artistic details the intelligence and varied cultures with which the Emperor liked to surround himself. It is not lacking in classical references, preludes to a return to naturalism in the pre-gothic sculptures, indicating its oriental and Cistercian origins. Its structure is truly unique with an octagonal plan and eight octagonal towers set at the vertices of the polygon. The total absence of defence mechanism and cells supports the hypothesis that the castle was not constructed for defensive purposes but simply residential or even esoteric, as it also lacks kitchen facilities.

Ecclesiastical power in the medieval epoch  gave rise artistically to a style that following on from classical architecture, was the fusion between mystic tension and constant recall of the transient nature of existence: the Romanic Period.

The term Romanic was coined by historic archaeologists only at the end of  the Eighteenth century to indicate those churches that, though built in the medieval period, were characterized  by elements such as columns, arches and beams similar to the architecture of classic Rome. In a splendid coexistence between east and west, the cathedrals are found in different contexts and with different requirements but have a common Longobard Byzantine origin and bloomed  from the thirteenth century onwards. In reality the Romanic Period  despite having clear classic roots and a common style, varies from region to region and above all in Puglia it is a style that follows the alternating conquest and the social and religious history in which the churches and cathedrals were built. The places chosen for this itinerary, especially involve the land around Bari, the historic key to understanding the events that from Byzantine times sustains the Romanic Phenomena.

Trani cathedral is a timeless symbol of superb architecture that is dedicated to San Nicola Pellegrino. The city is noted in the history of Puglia for its cultural depth partly attributable to the love for this land of Federico II, but also to the constant presence of exchange with the Adriatic and Venice, to the relationship with the Holy Land at the time of the Crusades and to the creation of the University of Law. These ancient events are echoed in the atmosphere that welcomes visitors to the truly beautiful cathedral with its position on the sea next to the Castello Federiciano, its charming high campanile, and magnificent apses. The story of the Dome is recounted by its stratification a cave dedicated to San Leucio (C.VII), The church of Santa Maria  (C.VIII) that developed below the crypt of the upper church dedicated to San Nicola Pellegrino and dated 1099.  The exterior is rich in carved images either biblical in nature or linked to the medieval tradition of animal husbandry, informative work that treated the qualities of animals mythically and legendary with moralizing intent. The bronze door of the cathedral is dated 1180 and decorated with panels of biblical and mythological scenes