Puglia: Discover the Heel of Italy

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.

Suggestions

The hotels that you visit on this trip are super unique to this area and not the standard hotels you might find in American chains. I do recommend meeting the group at the airport on arrival as the start hotel in the Sassi can be a bit difficult to find on your own if you’re not familiar with Matera already.

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.

Suggestions

Thank I have covered everything!

Most Inspirational Moment

Loved the views over the city from the terrace in Matera, and listening to the bells of all the churches ringing out on a Sunday afternoon. Walking into the white city of Ostuni was stunning, taking in an Aperol Spritz at an outside cafe by the cathedral whilst watching the world go by, and then seeing the sun go down along the city walls! Walking alongside the azure blue Adriatic sea in Otranto

Thoughts on Group Leader

Andraea was a very enthusiastic and hardworking leader. He sometimes struggled to understand the question he was being asked and so it was not always easy to get a straight answer. The group were not easy for him to deal with, and under the circumstances he did an adequate job.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Forget the map, just wander through the narrow streets away from the main centres and explore the real Italy! Enjoy the cafe culture and people watch over an aperitif in a central square! Indulge yourself with the local cuisine. Sample the amazing gelato and granita, such an amazing variety of flavours. Don't do this trip if you are not very fit or mobile, it has a huge amount of walking on cobbles and up and down steps, and the busy schedule means you would not maximise the value of the places visited.

Suggestions

Didn't particularly like the visit to Polignano del Mare, was incredibly busy and touristy, but lacked the charm and atmosphere of the other places. Alberobello was beautiful but best seen at dawn when the city streets were empty. The Trulli I stayed in was lovely, but surrounded by shops and bars off the main street and was incredibly noisy until 1am every night, so glad to get away to Ostuni to get sleep! The group were scattered over the whole resort, so there were long walks to get to rooms, and I regretted not having a case with wheels as I had to lug a heavy holdall!

Most Inspirational Moment

I really loved staying in the Trulli and found Matera fascinating as it is on so many levels - a proper rabbit warren!

Thoughts on Group Leader

I really liked Gabriele. Although it was only his second time running this trip he is a very experienced leader and is a very nice, intelligent and interesting man. Everything ran perfectly - pick ups always on time, hotel check ins much quicker and simpler than normal etc.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be aware this tour is not really suitable for anyone with mobility issues. Matera is built on seven levels so steps absolutely everywhere and paving is uneven and sometimes slippery.

Suggestions

I really enjoyed the trip, although I do think some improvements could be made to it. I was not a fan of the options for the free day and would like to see additional things offered such a a bike ride or a visit to an interesting town. The caves are stunning but to be honest not really my thing and Monopoli was dull. Also the plan of a walk between the Masseria to Ostuni is silly in the summer months. Although it would be fine for some people such as myself it is really not practical for a lot of people. The walk looked to be dull and a little dangerous with the heat for those who are not good with heat or very fit and although I personally would have been capable of it other members of the group would not and so we all decided we would rather get to Ostuni quicker as we would not have had much time there otherwise. Although I think it is fine to offer the walk as an option I think not offering a free transfer as an alternative is very irresponsible of Exodus and endangers their clients (which is very unlike them) and I believe this has been fed back numerous times.

Most Inspirational Moment

Staying in Matera and seeing one of the oldest towns in Italy, olive oil tour, discovering Lecce and the rich history of this city.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gabriella was very capable and entertaining and went beyond to help everyone on the trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

On the free day it would be best to go either to the cave or Monopoli but not both. The churches/cathedrals are closed between 12 and 4pm and there is little else to do in the walled city during that time. Or just spend your time at the beach at Monopoli with no expectation of exploring the walled city.

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting Claudio Riso's workshop in Lecce, what he can achieve with paper mache is just incredible! The incredible mosaic floor in the Otranto cathedral - still can't get over the fact that the public can walk on it.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Antonino (Nino) was an excellent group leader. He had just the right approach to the group, providing information but not excessively so, a great sense of humour and a real desire to resolve any issue, no matter how small, to ensure that everyone had an enjoyable holiday. Nino went out of his way at times to arrange suitable dining experiences to suit all tastes and budgets and was extremely accommodating with everyone's requirements for free time and when the heat, steps and distances were too much for some group members to participate in the planned walks. Nino also went out of his way to sort out the chaos at Bari airport on the return journey when our flight was cancelled at short notice, managing to get flights the next day for a lady who was going to run out of medication. It would have been helpful if BA had actually notified someone in Exodus of the cancellation so that he was better informed. As it was I was the only person who received a prior notification, because my booking wasn't included in the group booking for some reason.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just be aware that the nature of the landscape particularly in Matera and Ostuni is such that walking involves a great number of steps, so this is not a suitable holiday for anyone with mobility issues. The walking is very gentle but proved challenging because of the extreme heat which I hadn't anticipated in May (it was 30+C each day), so worth going earlier or later in the year, if like me, you are not good walking in the heat.

Suggestions

Would highly recommend this trip to anyone who like me, enjoys a holiday packed with variety, interesting scenery and history, alongside some walking and excellent food. The company was great too, but of course I can't vouch for any other trips!

Most Inspirational Moment

As a keen photographer parts of the architecture and street photography highly rewarding. Matera at night as initial sight highly worthwhile. The main square at Lecce a wow moment.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nino has guided on this tour for a number of years and become knowledgeable about the area. He dealt with a group of 16 women quite well. He was perhaps ambitious in his timings for us to walk to destinations as there were a couple of us with walking issues.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for scrambling up and down highly uneven sometimes steep steps/streets.

Suggestions

The transport issue I reiterate cos I have not experienced before a trip where we do not have dedicated transport - you state "private" transport but I had not taken on board this meant we would have vastly different transport throughout the week.

Most Inspirational Moment

Matera: seeing the kestrels swooping in the mornings, views all over the town, esp from the gorge walk. Staying in a trullo The visit to the olive farm. Lecce's wonderful cathedrals and rooftop terrace of hotel.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fabrizio was very enthusiastic and helpful, with lots of suggestions for restaurants etc. He did a lovely welcome/orientation session. Always joined us for meals, was very good at dietary requirements etc. His instructions/timings etc were always very clear. He was always very sociable with the group and happy to chat. As previously mentioned some of his information was out of date eg opening times for cathedral, restaurants but this was probably due to post Covid changes.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Good shoes. Waterproof and jacket for the April departures. Solo travellers should be aware that there are quite a few free afternoons.

Suggestions

No

Most Inspirational Moment

Staying in the trullo in Alberobello was such an unusual experience - I instantly fell in love with "my" trullo as I walked into it! Castellana Caves was the best cave system I have visited (despite the rather horrible guide!), with some truly stunning formations. The olive farm tour and tasting was a surprising highlight due to the sheer knowledge and enthusiasm of the guides there as well as the preserved historical aspects, plus the superb oil!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fabrizio was very sweet and enthusiastic, drawing us in with his "hello friends" welcome from the start! His information wasn't always totally up to date, possibly because of Covid, and he hasn't yet realised that toilets are an important need after a journey, but he was still lovely to be with.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure that you have comfortable walking shoes with a good grip - the cobbled streets can be slippery if it rains and in most of the places visited, but especially Matera, you will mainly be going up and down steps/slopes when walking around. Be prepared to be left to explore on your own at some point of every day, sometimes for quite a few hours! Castellana Caves is the option I did on the free day - superb caves, and big (3km underground, in sometimes slippery conditions, and very humid too - so we got very hot, especially as we had to wear FFP2 masks throughout the tour). I gather that Monopoli was very enjoyable from those in our group who chose that. Our guide arranged transfers to both, the cost of which was split between those going (so we paid 16 Euros for the cave transfer but those going to Monopoli paid 37.50 Euros as there were a lot fewer of them).

Most Inspirational Moment

Supper with everyone at a farm where we were served with home grown produce, all of which was delicious

Thoughts on Group Leader

Pleasant, friendly, knowledgeable and helpful

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take your camera with plenty of memory card space and don't forget the charger/s you'll need