Travel through Puglia, the heel of Italy

Hi everyone, my name is Inti, and I am from Italy. My next trip will be to the gorgeous south of Italy. The 'heel of Italy' is more densely populated by olive trees than by people; it has a relaxed atmosphere, sunny climate and rolling countryside. This trip offers the perfect balance of culture, food and the Adriatic coastline. We will visit Matera in Basilicata and discover the fascinating UNESCO-Listed ancient troglodyte sassi quarter. Alberobello where we'll explore the beehive-shaped trulli houses that are unique to Puglia and enjoy a wine tasting and on our last day go to the turquoise beaches near Bari. When you arrive to Bari, I will pick you up at the airport we'll check in to our apartment and then visit the old town area of Bari Vecchia which is located next to the harbour and is a tangled maze of old streets. One of the main highlights is the Basilica of San Nicola. In Puglia the food revolves around local produce, so the dishes on offer will vary depending on what's in season. A lot of the cuisine is vegetable or cheese based and, of course, they make good use of all the olive oil produced from the 60 million olive trees in the region. Over the next week you could sample a range of dishes such as fried polenta, tubs of ricotta, mozzarella balls stuffed with cream, orecchiette pasta (known as small ear pasta due to its shape), which is normally served with a sauce made from turnip tops, meat and rice stuffed peppers or a large array of seafood dishes. The wine is also delicious, with Primitivo red wine being a popular choice. We will visit Matera on a walking tour of the sassi quarter, which is split into two halves - Sassi Caveoso and Sassi Barisano, with the cathedral sitting between them. The city is so unchanged over the centuries that it has frequently been used as a film set for biblical scenes. It's hard to believe it now, but in the 1950s Matera was an embarrassment to the Italian authorities, as many families were living in one room caves, in poor conditions and poverty was rife. The families were helped and re-housed and the city cleaned up, and it's now a treasured historic city that was the European Capital of Culture in 2019. Our first stop in the UNESCO World Heritage Listed town of Alberobello is in the Cantina Albea Winery and Museum. After learning about the different wines of Puglia we'll then get to sample the award-winning wines that they produce. The small town of Alberobello is famous for its unusual trulli round houses with their whitewashed dry stone walls and pointed 'witches hat' tiled roofs, and we spend the next two nights in these unique buildings. After our wine tasting, we will take a pleasant walk through the trullis. They are either built singly or in groups of up to five, which would have originally been occupied by a single family. We will also go to the best beaches in Southern Europe with crystal clear water What is included: - Accommodation in an apartment in Bari and a typical trullo hut in Alberobello - Bus and trains - Insurance for German and Austrian residents - Museum entry Not included: - Food and drinks