Puglia: Discover the Heel of Italy - Reverse

From baroque Lecce to the cave town of Matera: Uncover the highlights of this culture-rich slice of Italy

Discover the very best of Puglia: the heel of Italy and, until recently, its best-kept secret. Starting in the magnificent baroque city of Lecce – known as the Florence of the South – we travel to the medieval coastal town of Otranto, then onto the elegant white city of Ostuni, visiting two farms for an olive oil tasting and pasta-making demonstration. It ends in the cave town of Matera, a favourite for film directors thanks to its crumbling beauty and jaw-dropping spot on the edge of a deep ravine.

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that have a positive impact on the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Learn more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People: How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• Local guides keep you well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels, restaurants, and other enterprises, and by championing locally produced food wherever possible. Two hotels on this trip are family owned – Hotel Sassi in Matera and Trulli Holiday in Alberobello.
• We visit a winery in Alberobello and olive oil tasting in Masseria Brancati which supports the local economies.
• At Masseria Morrone, we have lunch with a local family at their farmhouse which encourages cultural exchange.
• Read more about our other initiatives here.

Places: How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• By travelling in a small group, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively reduce waste; this includes eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles by providing refills for re–usable bottles.
• With our partners, Rewilding Apennines, we rewild 100 square meters (1,075 sqft) of land per passenger who travels with us.
• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels with us.

Planet: How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: Please bring a reusable water bottle on this trip, also consider avoiding single-use hotel toiletries, which generate a large amount of plastic waste.

Is this trip for you?

This trip is rated Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate).For more information on our trip gradings please visit our Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.

This is a busy week in which you enjoy real Italian hospitality and sightsee on foot in the best towns and areas of Puglia. All transfers are by private air-conditioned vehicle. Some walking is necessary to reach hotels and restaurants when vehicles cannot pass closer.

This trip includes one optional coastal walk of approximately 4mi (6km). Although the distances covered during the sightseeing are not too long, the days can feel busy and you will be climbing a lot of steps, sometimes uneven, in Matera and Ostuni while sightseeing.

Puglia can be very hot, reaching high 30Cs (around 100F) in summer. Overall, this trip is suitable for everyone who is fit, healthy and comfortable with busy days on their feet.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Vaccinations and Health

Italy

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, rabies and tick-borne encephalitis. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Visa

Italy

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Italy. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/italy
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/italy
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy/entry-requirements
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Italy.html

Please note: it is compulsory to carry ID with you at all times in Italy.

Food & Drink

All breakfasts, one lunch/cookery demo and one wine tasting

A selection of food on offer includes: bread from the Murge; durum wheat pasta; olives; the pasta delicacy orecchiette, which is served with a sauce of turnip-tops or fresh tomato and sheep’s ricotta-cheese; cavatelli with pulses; aubergine (eggplant) and parmesan bake; grilled fish and seafood; burrata (soft mozzarella and cream cheese); plus excellent wines.

This region is a food lover’s paradise and the abundance of delicious vegetables makes it a perfect destination for vegetarians. On this trip, there are many opportunities to taste local specialties, in particular during the wine tasting and pasta-making demonstration.

Weather

Puglia has a Mediterranean climate with year-round sunshine and just enough rainfall to ensure the green is never too far away. Although Puglia covers a large area, it is long and narrow – not more than 18mi (30km) across. This means you’re never far from the sea, which has a moderating effect on the weather. Despite this, Puglia can get very hot, particularly in summer when temperatures can reach the high 30Cs (around 100F).