Puglia: Discover the Heel of Italy

Most Inspirational Moment

A difficult choice as we had many. You do need to explore by yourself once the guide has left and be prepared for a lot of walking on uneven steep surfaces. The Museo Archeologico Faggiano in Lecce was fascinating and maybe should be added onto the itinerary.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Unfortunately, our original group leader was not available due to being ill. We were met in Matera and walked up to our hotel by a very helpful lady (I cannot remember her name) who recommended some restaurants for the evening. Our group leader would join us the next day and would be available from 1.30pm. Unfortunately, he did not arrange a briefing session and spoke to the group members individually, who received slightly different information. This continued throughout the trip and while being very pleasant, approachable and put in a lot of effort , resorted to Wikipedia for information and generally did not have the in-depth knowledge of the area that we have been accustomed to from Exodus guides.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Try to avoid the Italian holidays Lecce in particular was very busy. Ensure that you have sturdy comfortable footwear, there is a lot of walking required to get the best out of the trip

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many it's difficult to choose! But an unexpected highlight was a visit to the Museo Archeologico Faggiano in Lecce. Not on the itinerary, but a fascinating introduction to the history of Lecce - a chance discovery of Roman ruins under a house when undertaking sewerage works.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Unfortunately our original group leader became suddenly unavailable just as the trip was about to start. This was managed reasonably well by the tour company on the ground. However, we were not given an adequate explanation of what happened, though it was inferred that the tour leader had suddenly decided against doing the tour. The stand-in leader arrived on the afternoon of the second day. Unfortunately he had not taken an Exodus tour before and his knowledge of the itinerary was limited and he sometimes had to resort to reading from Wikipedia to relay information about places and events. His English was poor and this lead to a number of misunderstandings between him and the group, for example regarding costs and timings. The combination of these factors meant that we had a less than optimal experience and certainly were not as well-informed about the history and locality as we have been on other Exodus trips. On the plus side he worked very hard on our behalf and was approachable and accommodating.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Avoid Italian Bank Holidays! And take note of what so many reviewers have said about the need for sturdy footwear, particularly in Matera where the steps can be slippery as well as steep and numerous. The recent change in status from 'Easy' to 'Easy to Moderate' accurately now reflects the level of fitness required to comfortably manage and get the most out of the trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing the winding steps and visiting the cave houses in Matera, looking out over the edge of the hillside to see lush green and a beautiful river, flowing with the back drop of a rugged Matera behind it.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ioana was amazing. Caring, showed compassion for group members when they were finding anything confusing or stressful. She was obviously very passionate about the places visited and shared that with us. She made recommendations for meals really easy, and helped other clients book tables if needed. Above and beyond!

Advice for Potential Travellers

A good pair of boots/shoes to climb the steep and sometimes slippery Matera Staircases! Bring a light fleece, its sometimes very windy even in the sun!

Most Inspirational Moment

Matera, Monopoli, Otranto

Thoughts on Group Leader

5 stars+!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Highly recommend

Most Inspirational Moment

Learning the history in Matera on the guided tour! Our guide was so knowledgeable and had a personal connection to the city.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gabrielle was amazing! He was very personable, patient, and I enjoyed getting to know him throughout the week.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There was only a place to exchange dollars to euros in Lecce. I recommend exchanging money at the airport when you land or having a card to use ATM.

Most Inspirational Moment

Staying in a Trulli House was something so unique and special

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ioana - such an asset to Exodus. Really knowledgeable and personable!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring a swim costume for the coastal destinations - the sea is beautiful!

Most Inspirational Moment

Alberobello and staying in the trullo house and walking around Alberobello. But saying that I enjoyed everywhere we went on the trip and all the places we saw - Matera was also fascinating to wander around.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Generally good. Knowledgeable and helpful. Did some good guided tours around places we visited and suggested good places to go in free time. He dealt with a difficult (and quite frankly unpleasant and rude) client in a polite and professional manner - she was not the usual client you would expect on an Exodus trip and seemed to have completely unrealistic expectations of for example accommodation (asking if there would be a swimming pool in historic building in historic city centre!! (embarrassing)). The rest of the group felt sorry for her travelling companion (who was nice). He dealt well with the change of plan when we could not go to the masseria for the pasta making demonstration and lunch, finding a great local alternative restaurant and arranging the drink and buffet dinner at the Lecce hotel which was appreciated. Changed the itinerary for Lecce so guided city tour was in morning instead of afternoon (as it said in trip notes). This is the way it should be as you want to do a city tour before free time to get some ideas of places to go back to so the trip itinerary should be changed to reflect this. Areas for improvement - (1) it would have been helpful to have an overall summary of the trip and events on each day on the first briefing, (2) I would have liked more than 1 hours notice (on the bus) of the option for the free day - opportunity to go to both Monopoli and the caves by minibus and the cost of this. I think we should have also be advised of public transport availability (it seems that public transport is limited so it is likely I would have thought that the minibus was the best option but I felt pressured into the minibus option at this short notice), - I think this is something that should have been mentioned on the overall summary on the first night (3) I was surprised that only 3 group evening meals were offered. When I have done Exodus trips in the past group evening meals were offered on every night except the free day (4) I was surprised he didn't know or inform us that there would be a procession and fireworks on our last night in Matera (as an extension of the 2 July saints day)

Most Inspirational Moment

The guide, Brunella at Maters. Also Anna at the olive Grove.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mainly good but he didn't really bond with the group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Good shoes.

Most Inspirational Moment

Olive oil tasting on a historical family-owned masseria with 2000-year-old olive trees, followed by an amazing lunch at another beautiful masseria. Matera is so unique and beautiful and the hospitality and comfort at the trulli in Alberobello were top notch too! Otranto for a beach day and the architecture in Lecce is incredible.

Thoughts on Group Leader

In Matera and Lecce we had local guides who made the cities come alive. Our trip leader throughout was able to give us a great introduction to Italian culture and made us feel right at home.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This was my first trip to Italy and it was perfect! We went mid-April, my sister and I flew into Milan for a few nights and then down to Bari to meet the group at the airport for Discover the Heel Italy. In spring, before it becomes a summer vacation destination for Italians, Puglia feels off the beaten path and you get the historical sites and beach towns all to yourself! Wear comfortable walking shoes and take waterproofs if rain is in the forecast so you can stay out all day. There is a lot of free time on the trip, so take advantage of the opportunity to wander around and discover on your own. There’s something for every diet, but the bread and cheese is incredible, and the vegetables are super fresh.

Most Inspirational Moment

Can't say there was an "inspirational moment" as such, but every bit was enjoyable and glad I did this trip. I would thoroughly recommend it.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent, as you would expect.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You don't have to do the suggested group meals in the evening and there are other alternatives on the free day (Tuesday) at Alberobello besides the suggested places to visit. Alternatives included visiting towns closer by (like Locorotondo or Martina Franca), going further afield to Monopoli or the caves (as per the tour notes, or just spend the day in Alberobello. The wine tasting (which included a museum and presentation) was good (excellent wine) and a light meal was included with it. Whilst Alberobello is pretty, it is very tourist and I would recommend looking at it first think in the morning or after the shops have shut when it is a lot quieter... especially on the way to the breakfast restaurnt. You see Alberobello at its best, beautiful and tranquil, not bustling with people. Some of the shops have panorama terraces on their roof too, and besides the viewing balcony mentioned in the guide books, there is also a garden that has good views of the Monte Rione district too. None of the hotels have hotels so the only option of swimming is at the beaches of the towns visited briefly (Polignano a Mare and Otranto), but there was a pool at one place guests could use staying in designated trulli houses from company Exodus use. The trulli houses for Exodus guests were scattered at various places all over the town so no one was next to or close to each other, and breakfast was a a central restaurant in town. Regarding Ostuni and the masserias, Exodus had taken on board the feedback on the reviews of former customers on their website and had arranged taxi (at no extra cost to the customer) back to Ostuni for those who didn't want to do (or couldn't manage) the 6 km walk to the town, which is well worth noting. Even if you can manage the 6 km walk, one thing you need to consider (apart from the hthiseat), is that time in Ostuni is limited to just the rest of the day and evening as we moved on the following morning. We left the second masseria about 2.30 (after lunch); the taxi journey is about 10 minutes to Ostuni; the walk was around 2 hrs, so you need to weigh up valuable usage of the time as whilst part of the group did the walk, the others of us who took a taxi spent time in a lovely gelateria and walked around the town walls viewing the countryside... after checking in at the hotel and our rooms too. T There are plenty of local produce food shops everywhere, especially local producers of olive oil in Ostuni, so don't feel you have to buy it at the masseria visited in the Ostuni countryside (although you can, it was very nice) and the prices in those shops in Ostuni weren't any different. Puglian olive oil is very good, and there are a lot of olive groves around the area. The cookery lesson at the masseria near Ostuni wasn't as I had expected; due to Covid we couldn't really do much! The Sassi districts of Matera are stunning and it is very difficult to stop walking around them and taking in the views. The views from the hotel used is spectacular. We felt rushed to get to the cathedral in Otranto when arriving there, as we were late leaving the Osuni that morning (the luggage was late leaving the hotel). Otherwise the whole tour itself wasn't rushed. There were two guided city walks (Matera and Lecce),otherwise the tour leader gave brief orientation walks of the towns on arrival most of the time. In Lecce there are plenty of museums, but I (and a couple of others) visited the Museum Faggiano) which was fascinating and apart from the excavations and exhibits, etc, had a fascinating story behind it of how it came to be, which made it all the more interesting. It's a small museum not far away from the city gate you enter the city by, from the walk from the Eos Hotel to the city centre. Finally, electric plugs and sockets - I took a European plug adaptor, which unfortunately didn't work in a lot of sockets in the hotels and trulli house (and others in the group found the same). Whilst it did work in most bathroom sockets, there were no sockets it fitted at the Hotel Eos. However the hotel Eos were very helpful and lent be a plug I could use to charge my mobile phone (which I used as a camera throughout the holiday). I would suggest bringing a multi-country adaptor, or several adaptors. Their sockets are 3-pin that take the smaller rounder pins; although the two pins will work, the thicker two pins won't work. You don't need to bring a hairdryer with you, everywhere we stayed at had them.