Things to Do in Puglia

Visit the vibrant local market and immerse yourself in a private dining experience at a local's home, enjoy an exclusive cooking demonstration and taste authentic recipes treasured in family cookbooks passed down by real Italian Mammas. Feel the warmth of Italian hospitality as you connect with local people. Enjoy a 4-course menu including starter, pasta, main course with a side dish, dessert with drinks included (water, selection of local wine and coffee). You’ll feel the warmth of Italian hospitality as you connect with friendly local people, who love to share their love of great local food with new friends. Every host serves local specialties from their family cookbooks to tell the story of their traditional regional cuisine. Cesarine is Italy’s oldest network of more than 1000 home cooks all over the country in more than 500 cities. They are passionate and welcoming hosts that open the doors of their own homes to curious travellers for immersive culinary experiences.

Dive into Italy like a local foodie. Explore your Cesarina host's most trusted artisanal food shops, tasting as you go. Visit a selection of small local shops, learn about the typical products of the city while tasting them. A delicious way to discover Italy and its gastronomy! Street food tasting tour Explore your Cesarina host's most trusted artisanal food shops Sample some typical street food staples Do some sightseeing as you walk from tasting to tasting Small-group tour with a maximum of 12 people for an authentic food experience This experience is held by Cesarine, the oldest Italy’s network of home cooks available in more than 500 cities all over the country. Cesarine stands for "home cook", they are passionate and welcoming local hosts that open the doors of their own homes to curious travellers for immersive culinary experiences. The Cesarine serve only local specialities from their family cookbooks to tell the great story of their traditional regional cuisine.

Protected for more than 150 kilometers between the two seas that have shaped its morphology and history, Salento has a highly evocative and enchanting coastal development. The Ionian coast is characterized by lower cliffs and stretches of sand, red soil and vineyards, interrupted by sixteenth-century towers and equipped beaches. With this full day tour you will have the chance to visit the most beautiful beaches of the Ionian coast and to swim in its crystal clear waters. Under the guidance of our expert driver, Salento coast will no longer have any secrets for you.

Start the tour from Lecce, the first stop after about 50 minutes of travel is Grottaglie, the city famous for its colorful ceramics. Near the famous "District of Ceramics", the Museum of Ceramics of Grottaglie tells the story of its craft tradition. Five sections and 400 artefacts: traditional use ceramics, with artifacts used for domestic services; the majolica, including dishes, jugs and devotional ceramic objects; the archaeological section, with finds dated between the 8th and 4th centuries B. C. Visit the historic center before reaching Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The famous city of the Sassi shows itself in all its ancient beauty. Here you will have some free time to visit the maze of narrow streets where worship and tradition create a unique atmosphere made up of churches and dwellings carved into the rock, the location of many famous films.

Protected for more than 150 kilometers between the two seas that have shaped its morphology and history, Salento has a highly evocative and enchanting coastal development. The Ionian coast is characterized by lower cliffs and stretches of sand, red soil and vineyards, interrupted by sixteenth-century towers and equipped beaches. With this full-day tour you will have the chance to visit the most beautiful beaches of the Ionian coast and to swim in its crystal clear waters. Under the guidance of our expert driver, the Salento coast will no longer have any secrets for you.

Alberobello, in the heart of the “Murgia dei Trulli”, a World Heritage Site with its 1500 trulloes. Visit to the Rione Monti, the oldest part the town, together with the Aia Piccola district. The trulli, typical limestone dwellings of Alberobello in the southern Italian region of Puglia, are remarkable examples of corbelled dry-stone construction, a prehistoric building technique still in use in this region. These structures, dating from as early as the mid-14th century, characteristically feature pyramidal, domed, or conical roofs. The extent and homogeneity of those areas, the persistence of traditional building techniques, together with the fact that trulli are still inhabited make this property an exceptional Historic Urban Landscape. Visit to the amazing Church of Sant’Antonio, the only trullo-shaped church in the world. At the end of the visit, a rich appetizer of the peasant tradition will be served in a private Trullo esclusively booked for customers, where they will have the opportunity to taste all typical local products, with a person who will take exclusive care of the customers. Natural, genuine and healthy products will be served and, to conclude, you will also taste some traditional liqueurs and sweets. Ostuni is perched on three hills and is called “the White City” because of the peculiar white lime washed houses of the old town. Visit to the old town with its 15th-century, Romanesque and Gothic Cathedral, and Piazza Beato Giovanni Paolo II (“piazzetta Cattedrale”) where the 18th-century buildings of Palazzo Vescovile and of the old Seminary face each other. Book your spot now get ready for this amazing experience!

Also called “The Florence of Southern Italy”, Lecce is the city of Baroque churches and old palaces located among small alleys surrounded by the three old entrances: Porta Rudiae, Porta San Biagio and Porta Napoli. Visit to the Cathedral of Santa Croce and the amazing Piazza Duomo; you can admire the castle of Charles V (from the outside), the Roman amphitheater and Piazza Sant’Oronzo, which give a suggestive view on the history of this city. During the walk, a small moment of pleasure awaits us , tasting a typical Salento sweet, the “pasticciotto leccese”, made with shortcrust pastry and filled with custard and other variations accompanied by a drink. After free time, our guide bring us to an historical building for an aperitif with an enchanting view. Departure to Ostuni Ostuni is perched on three hills and is called “the White City” because of the peculiar white lime washed houses of the old town. Visit to the old town with its 15th-century, Romanesque and Gothic Cathedral, and Piazza Beato Giovanni Paolo II (“piazzetta Cattedrale”) where the 18th-century buildings of Palazzo Vescovile and of the old Seminary face each other. Book your spot now and get ready for this amazing experience!

Gallipoli welcomes every visitor with the sculptures of Biblide, Dirce and Salmace scratched in the Greek fountain at the entrance of the old town. It connects to the mainland through a 20th century arch bridge. The walls, the ramparts and the towers, which once protected the city from invaders, today shelter it from the storms giving it an old-time charm. At the end of the visit, you will have an aperitif by the sea, in a café like in a postcard with the typical warm colors of the Mediterranean and surrounded by the intense blue of the Ionian Sea. You will taste the red shrimp of Gallipoli (known as violetta di Gallipoli) and raw seafood, both with a special flavour , Santa Maria di Leuca, with its “De Finibus terrae” shrine and the 47-meter-high lighthouse, dominates the whole city, before the intersection of the two seas, the Ionian and the Adriatic. On the waterfront, there is a succession of elegant Art Nouveau villas, such as Villa Episcopo, Villa Daniele and Villa La Meridiana.

Bari, the capital of the region, is divided between the elegant Murat district and the hypnotic old city. The ancient area is dominated by the magnificent Norman-Swabian Castle designed by King Roger II and later fortified by Frederick II of Swabia. Along the ancient streets, you can see the Romanesque Cathedral of San Sabino and the majestic Basilica of San Nicola, both considered the core of the city. Being in these places is like living in a Qasba because of its walls that will surround us and its many markets. In the Murat district, outside of the old town, we find many different and important streets and palaces such as the Petruzzelli, Piccinni, and Margherita theatres, the Fizzarotti and Government Palaces and the Town Hall. Bari is also a city rich in gastronomic traditions. You will take part in the life of the city, tasting its typical food. You will find stalls and kiosks where you can taste fried polenta (sgagliozze), the typical focaccia barese, panzerotti (a closed fried pizza stuffed with mozzarella and tomato) and fresh raw fish. In the famous Nicolai, Montegrappa, Japigia and Mazzini markets that take their names from the streets or from the neighborhoods where they are situated, we can find food or other products which are ideal souvenirs to take home.

SUP is in the middle between Surf and Canoe, SUP is synonymous with a new way of living the sea . Recognised and qualified instructors will provide participants with the basics to enable them to Climb on the SUP board and learn to paddle standing. The tour starts from a spectacular white pebble cove in the center of Polignano a Mare, then we dive into the Blue waters of the cliff of Lama Monachile and enjoy a breathtaking view from the sea, having fun in the reach its sea caves including the well-known Palazzese Cave. At the end of the experience and at the first light of sunset , we reach a charming terrace suspended between sea and sky, perched on the cliffs and sea caves, where your gaze will tend to get lost along with your taste, for the delicacies tasted. It will not only be an aperitif, but an explosion of sensations! Book your spot now and get ready for this amazing experience!

Would you like to discover the most authentic side of Italian gastronomy and share it with other enthusiasts of the “cucina italiana”? Enjoy this shared market tour and typical dining experience. Visit the vibrant local market and learn about seasonal produce and secret ingredients. Then, head to your Cesarina host’s house to enjoy a 3-course dining experience, showcasing the authentic regional dishes stored in the cookbooks of your host. You will take part in an experience which is so much more than just lunch or dinner. You will make new friends, feel like one of the family and live as the Italians do. This experience is held by Cesarine, the oldest Italy’s network of home cooks available in more than 500 cities all over the country. Cesarine stands for "home cook", they are passionate and welcoming local hosts that open the doors of their own homes to curious travellers for immersive culinary experiences. The Cesarine serve only local specialties from their family cookbooks to tell the great story of their traditional regional cuisine.

Visiting wine cellars in Puglia means to discover the hospitality and beauty of our territory. Surrounded by the beauties of the Itria Valley, hectares of vineyards and green hills, the “Winery” you are going to visit is a familyrun business since

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Altamura, the famous city for its Bread DOP , which boasts many ancient bakeries with wood-fired oven, we participate with the help of an expert master baker in the preparation of Bread and Focaccia, two excellences of the Apulian tradition. We will become experts and we will learn all the secrets to produce these delicious pastries, so that you can make them back home. Everything that will be created, as well as being tasted, will become yours and you can take it with you returned from the experience. Also called the “Land of the high Murgia”, in recent years Altamura has been rediscovered as an important place to visit for its historical, cultural and gastronomic attractions. Visit to the old town to admire the Cathedral, in Apulian Romanesque style and the whole village, while we wait the bread cooking. Matera is one of the oldest city in the world. Its territory preserves old settlements dating back to the Paleolithic Age. Matera is, the so-called, city of the “Sassi” (Stones); the original town developed from natural caves dug into the rock, then shaped into even more complex structures such as the two big natural amphitheaters, Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano. Visit a cave-house entirely and typically furnished to understand the customs and traditions of the inhabitants of the ancient Sassi districts, before their abandonment. Also, visit to a Cave Church, dating back to the 8th Century, the most important in the history of Matera. Book your spot now and get ready for this amazing experience!

To the north-west of the Salento peninsula, there is SALICE SALENTINO. An area of ancient winemaking tradition and a small rural town that hosts an ancient cellar for more than three centuries: the "Leone de Castris". It is the year 1665 and the winery was born among the fertile vineyards of that time. The wine tour starts with the presentation of the company from its origins. Visit to the Bottaia and to the winemaking area, with an illustration of the wine industry from receiving the grapes to bottling and to the Museum “Piero and Salvatore Leone de Castris ”, dedicated to their memory. At the end of the visit, we will taste 3 labels of the company's “must” wines including: Messapia Verdeca Igt Salento, Five Roses Anniversary Rosato Igt Salento, 50th Harvest Salice Salentino DOC Riserva. Then, transfer to Manduria, the "Cathedral of Primitivo". A journey into the land of “Primitivo di Manduria” awaits us, a fascinating journey that allows us to relive the history of a millenary vine. The producers of the"Cantina Produttori di Manduria" await us in their cellar. We are welcomed by the majestic nineteenth-century'star' vaults of the oldest wing of the building. We will be wrapped in heady scents and then we will continue our visit to the ancient hypogeum cisterns, where it is located the Museum of the Primitivo wine civilization. At the end, tasting of some prestigious labels such as Primitivo di Manduria DOC, DOCG and Negroamaro IGT. We continue the wine journey with a typical lunch in a restaurant, tasting products of the Apulian tradition. Book your spot now and get ready for this amazing experience!

Enjoy a private tour to discover Bari through its labyrinthine old town, narrow streets and majestic buildings. Bari is the capital of the region and will surprise you with its modern and lively centre, full of shops and attractions. Its picturesque old town is a maze of alleys and you will see Arco Basso, the famous "orecchiette" street , where women still make the typical pasta as it used to be. At the end of the tour, you will be offered a gastronomic tasting to conclude the visit by tasting local specialities. Don't miss out on this unforgettable experience!