Winter trails around Puglia

1st DAY: welcome to the “Masseria” which is a manor farm and discovery of the rural world of our land.

• Arrival and welcome to the hotel.
• Afternoon: visit to a historic manor farm:
  - Welcome coffee with sample of Apulian sweets characteristic of Christmas time;
  - The farm owner welcome the guests and explain the history of the manor farm. It is possible to find out how our ancestors have cleverly used the limestone for the construction of shelters, superb work of local stonemasons as Trulli traditional buildings with shaped domes. Moreover, in the masseria there are many other architectural structures that still arouse fascination and curiosity as the neviere, the oil mills, the jazzi etc.
  -Workshop a in manor farm: depending on the farmer availability is possible to organize different activities such as baking bread (and other baked goods) and cooking it in a wood oven, making fresh cheese or discover the world of wine and oil through demonstrations and visits to places of processing of these products. Moreover, it is possible to learn some ancient techniques to make objects like straw chairs or little straw baskets.
• Return to hotel and dinner. 

2nd DAY: trekking walk in the “Bosco delle Pianelle” wood to discover historical places among nature, colours and smells.

• Morning: The proposed route will involve the visitor in the history tale of highwayman groups that founded shelter in these places during the XVIII century. The tale explains the famous figure of “Sergente Romano” the leaders of the banditry phenomenon in Puglia that took shelter with other highwayman in a cave of this wood and then… you will discover the entire tale!
• Tasting of typical products of a farm adjacent to the forest.
• Afternoon: return to the hotel.
• Evening: visit to the Christmas market in Martina Franca and dinner in a typical restaurant of the city.

3rd DAY: visit to two UNESCO sites: Castel del Monte and Alberobello.

• Morning: visit to the “Castel del monte”, one of the most picturesque XIII century castles built by Federico II di Puglia. It is characterized by its octagonal shape and for its architectural features resulting from the fusion of cultural elements from northern Europe, the Muslim world and classical antiquity.
• Lunch in a typical restaurant in the city centre of Andria.
• Afternoon: visit to the “Mucci museum” where you will learn about one of the masterpieces of pastry Puglia: the “confetto”.
• Walk in Alberobello, UNESCO city famous for its picturesque old town, consists of trulli. During the winter season Alberobello offers a spectacle games of lights that illuminate the façade of trulli; furthermore you can buy typical souvenirs in the narrow streets of the old town, or sample local dishes.
• Dinner and return to the hotel.

4th Day: Discovering the coast, along the “Via Francigena” from Polignano until Monopoli.

• Morning: bicycle ride along the ancient “Via Francigena”. In the past centuries it was a Christian place of pilgrimage from Puglia to Jerusalem, the holy land.
• Lunch: in Monopoli.
• Afternoon: visit to the old town of Monopoli.
• Return to the hotel and dinner.

5th Day: Excursion on a bicycle along the “Acquedotto pugliese cycling route”.

• Morning: bicycle tour along the “water cycleway”. The “Acquedotto pugliese” is the most important aqueduct in Europe and it is an engineering masterpiece by extension and capacity. Today it is accessible thanks to a project financed by the Apulia region and realized by the Apulian aqueduct, to make walks and bicycle tours. The “water cycleway” cross the Itria Valley giving the visitor a unique view surrounded by luxuriant vegetation enriched by trulli, and some forest vegetation typical of Mediterranean scrub.
• Lunch in a manor farm.
• Afternoon: return to the hotel.
• Evening: visit to one of Christmas crib most characteristic of the area.

6th DAY: wellbeing and relax among trulli.

• Morning: wellness path in a characteristic spa of the area.
• Afternoon: free.
• Evening: stroll in a Christmas market in one of the villages of Itria Valley.

7th DAY: walk in the olive trees park of Fasano.

• Morning: excursion in the one of the most beautiful natural park of Puglia for the expanses of fields, olive groves and manor farms. The park reaches the sea and offers various ecosystems characterized by fauna and flora typical of the Mediterranean scrub.
• Lunch in a manor farm.
• Afternoon: return to the hotel.

[The cost is per person]