text: April 14-22, 2018 $2795
  Trip # 1825
  Final Payment: 1/3/18
  Single Sup. +$495
  Rome Extension: +$895
  *Daily Breakfast, 2 Lunches, 3 Dinners
  *7 Nights at the 4 Star Hotel La Chiusa di Chietri
  *Deluxe touring coach for tours and transfers
  Apr 14 - Day 1 - Depart the U.S. to Italy.
  Apr 15 - Day 2 –Alberobello: Arrive at Bari airport. Upon arrival, proceed to the baggage claim and after clearing customs you will be met by our local tour manager who will be assisting you throughout the tour. Welcome to Puglia one of Italy's hidden treasures. This is the regions of fine weather, beautiful shorelines, lovely towns, baroque architecture and delicious cuisine. You will be transferred to our nice hotel Hotel close to central town. In the afternoon enjoy a walk with your tour manager in Alberobello famous for its stunning collection of unique houses with conical roofs the Trulli. Welcome dinner at Hotel. (Dinner)
  Apr 16 - Day 3 Alberobello / Ostuni / Martina Franca / Alberobello: We will have at breakfast at the hotel and afterwards we will depart for Ostuni known as the white capital, it is one of the most stunning towns of Southern Italy. Clinging onto three hills at the edge of Le Murge, the old centre is a spiral of whitewashed houses with dramatic views towards a sea of olive trees and further away, the blue Mediterranean sea. After we reach a fortified Masseria, an active farm of monumental centuries old olive trees still today producing supreme quality extra virgin olive oil, visit the farm and the amazing underground olive mill which dates back to Roman times. After proceed with a tour of Martina Franca a little baroque jewel built like a balcony overlooking the land of Trulli. We proceed than for our traditional Pugliese dinner at local Masseria. (Breakfast, Dinner)
  Apr 17 - Day 4 Alberobello / Lecce / Alberobello: Enjoy a relaxing breakfast at Hotel. After breakfast we depart for visiting Lecce, with its wealth of art, its elegance and culture, is named the "Florence of the South". Upon arrival meet the guide for a gentle walking tour of the historical centre of Lecce, the beautiful Baroque style monuments with such a wealth of embellishment and decorations to appear embroidered. Visit the Basilica di Santa Croce site of the most important local Roman ruins and the Duomo standing in one of the loveliest piazza of Italy. Have some free time to try one of the several restaurants and make some shopping before returning to Alberobello for evening at leisure. (Breakfast)
  Apr 18 - Day 5 Alberobello / Cheese Farm / Trani / Alberobello: After breakfast depart to visit an ancient farm still producing today delicious dairy products. This is the land of the Mozzarella, Burrata and Rricotta cheese, learn about the production and enjoy a demonstration. Learn how to make the Orecchiette pasta, tradition of the region, enjoy a country style lunch at the farm. After the visit we reach the pretty fishing town Trani. we take our walk in Trani often called the pearl of the Adriatic sea, a city known for its 19th century architecture and medieval art. See the castle and continue to the magnificent Cathedral one of the most beautiful and evocative Romanesque-style cathedrals in Apulia which stand towering over the sea. Return to the Hotel for evening at leisure. (Breakfast, Lunch)
  Apr 19 - Day 6 Alberobello / Matera / Alberobello: After breakfast we depart for visiting Matera, home to those cave dwellings called the "Sassi", declared a Unesco Heritage in 1993 and now one of Italy's most fascinating icons. For millennia people of this area have carved dwellings directly into ravines and gullies made of tufa, a characteristic honey-colored soft stone. Today the area still evokes ancient times, providing the backdrop for Mel Gibson's film, "Passion of the Christ" filmed here. The guided tour is developed through a complex and unique location within the characteristic districts of Sassi.. We will visit a rupestrian Church, cut into the rock of hillsides and ravines. We will also explore a Cave House a fascinating opportunity to see the typical layout of an inhabited cave, as they would have been until being deserted in the 1950s. The furnishings and design are all very standard, and it is both impressive to see how families adapted to these restrictive living conditions, and shocking to think how recently people lived like this. Enjoy free time for personal discovery. Return to Hotel for evening at leisure. (Breakfast)
  Apr 20 - Day 7 – Castellana Caves - Braceria & Bakery experience: After breakfast at Hotel depart for visiting the Castellana Caves. The tour winds along a distance of 3 km, a unique guided tour of the caves to more than 60 meters deep in an amazing scenario made of stalactites, stalagmites, concretions, incredible shapes, fossils, canyons and caves with fantastic names; calcifications from conformations and amazing colors solicit the imagination of children and adults. (Not suitable for people with hearth or mobility problems – gentle half tour is available). After this nice walk we deserve today a special lunch, we have lunch today at the "Fornelli" also called Braceria a local butcher where the customer chooses by himself the meat that the butcher will grill and jugs of local full-bodied red wines. In the afternoon before going back to Hotel we will stop at a bakery to see the production of the Focaccia Pugliese and the taralli and of course we will try some. Evening at leisure. (Breakfast, Lunch)
  Apr 21 - Day 8 – Bari & Polignano a Mare: Have a relaxing breakfast at the Hotel. Depart to visit Bari the capital of Puglia, with its elegant waterfront, Murat district, streets and boulevards adorned with elegant and refined buildings. The old city is an area of rare beauty and a perfect example of medieval architecture. Guided visit to the Basilica of San Nicola that houses the relics of San Nicolas: stands imposingly in the Old Town of Bari. Continuation of the guided visit to the Norman Castle, Piazza Ferrarese e Mercantile and the historic center. Time at leisure in Bari. In the afternoon we will make a stop in Polignano a Mare, the tiny old town built on a cliff, reached through the Porta Vecchia gate, combines charming, white-washed streets with beautiful old churches such as the Chiesa Matrice. You may find yourself getting lost in the winding streets, but you won't mind at all. Before you know it, you will have reached one of three panoramic terraces offering breathtaking views of the beautiful Adriatic Sea and coastline. This is the native city of the world famous singer Domenico Modugno, who wrote and sang numerous classic songs, including the massive international hit, Volare. As you wander through the streets that inspired such a wonderful song, you might well find yourself involuntarily singing or whistling, "Volare, oh,oh… Cantare, oh,oh,oh,oh… Farewell dinner at the Hotel restaurant with some nice entertainment of local folk music and dancers, la Pizzica is the local dance since generations! (Breakfast, Dinner)
  Apr 22 - Day 9 Depart: After breakfast we depart by private motor coach to the Bari airport for our flight to US. (B).
  ROME EXTENTION
  Apr 22 - Day 9 Puglia / Rome: After breakfast check out and depart for Rome. We proceed to Rome where we will arrive in the afternoon. Along the way we will stop at a local winery in Campania region to enjoy the local flavors and taste some delicious dishes. Afternoon arrival in Rome Enjoy three days to discover the ancient and modern aspects of this cosmopolitan city. Romans say the "Rome wasn't built in a day", nor can Rome be seen in a day. One could live in the Eternal City for years and still not see everything. It's hard to say what you'll find most breathtaking: Etruscan tombs, Republican meeting rooms, imperial temples, early Christian churches, medieval bell towers, baroque basilicas or Renaissance palaces. Stop at a "trattoria" in Trastevere to try the local cuisine, sit outside of a caffé on elegant Via Veneto or maybe shop in fashionable Via Condotti or, for a wonderful range of art, antiques and antiquities shops, visit Via Margutta. After check free time for dinner and evening on own. (Breakfast, Lunch)
  Apr 23 - Day 10 Rome Vatican Museums & Imperial Rome: After breakfast at Hotel depart for a guided of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Church. The Vatican Museums and their immense wealth of art, resulting from centuries of papal collections, offer an extraordinary experience. Amongst others, see the great masterpieces of Michelangelo, "The Last Judgment" in the Sistine Chapel. End the tour visiting St. Peter's Basilica to admire the art treasures of the largest Roman Catholic Church in the world including Michelangelo's Pietà. Enjoy typical Roman lunch at local Trattoria. Later depart for a guided tour to discover the splendor of the classic Roman Empire. Your experienced local guide will introduce to the history of Imperial Rome walking along Via dei Fori Imperiali. Visit the Roman Forum, the most important archaeological area in the city and once the center of the public life; and see the Colosseum, the most famous monument of ancient Rome and an impressive testament to her past greatness (Breakfast, Lunch)
  Apr 24 - Day 11 Rome: After breakfast day at leisure in Rome. (Breakfast)
  Apr 25 - Day 12 Depart Rome: After breakfast we depart by private motor coach to the Rome airport for our flight to US. (B)