
Alumni and Friends Trip: Puglia October 9-13, 2023 with Dr. Paul Treherne
The deep south of Puglia is one of Italy's best-kept secrets. Where the Appia meets the sea, and crusaders once set sail for the Holy Land, the traveller enters another world. Framed by the white sands of the Ionian and rocky headlands of the Adriatic, Apulia is an antique landscape criss-crossed by drystone walls and dotted with elegant little baroque towns, their mazes of streets, theatrical squares, and sun-drenched facades reminiscent of Greece, Iberia or north Africa. People have come and gone over the centuries: Byzantines, Normans, Ottomans. More than five hundred years of Spanish rule, too, have left their mark on the land, its people, and its cuisine.
Come join us for five days of walking through history, enjoy the last swim of the season, and discover the authentic heel of Italy's boot.
If you are interested and would like to secure your spot, please write to: [email protected].
Price:
€1100 per person double room
€1250 per person single room
Daily Itinerary
Day 1. Monday 9 October
Arrival at Lecce. Meet 15:00, lobby Palazzo Rollo. Afternoon city walk, with visit to Piazza Duomo (open 16:00-19:30), Roman theater, Santa Croce basilica, plus city gates, churches and palazzi. Option to visit one of the city museums, such as the Paper mache museum in the Castle (open 16:00-20:00), Museo Provinciale “Sigismondo Castromediano” (open 14:30-19:30), or the Jewish Museum (open until 19:00). Aperitivo on terrace at Palazzo Rollo and dinner at restaurant Alle Due Corti.
Day 2. Tuesday 10 October
Drive (25 mins) to Carpignano Salentino, for a special visit to the frescoed Byzantine (9-11c) crypt of Santa Cristina. Continue to Porto Badisco, from which we walk along a coastal path dotted with old Saracen towers (c. 3 hrs). Lunch and option for swimming in Porto Badisco. Continue by bus to Otranto (15 mins), visit duomo (open 15-17:00) with its fine 12C mosaic pavement, and walk around the old town. Return by bus to Lecce (35 mins). Dinner at restaurant TBA. Total walking: 9 km/ 3 hrs (good trails, rocky in places, 400 ft elevation gain/loss)
Day 3. Wednesday 11 October
Drive (30 mins) to the Abbey of Santa Maria di Cerrate (Fondazione Ambientale Italiana), visit 9:30-10:30 and onward by bus to nature reserve and protected marine area of Tor Guaceto (35 min) for a 3 hour walk, including Saracen tower with reconstructed Roman ship and marine turtle rescue center, with opportunity to swim and picnic lunch on beach. Continue by bus to our Masseria near Cisternino (30 mins), in the Val d’Itria. Night and dinner at Villa Cenci. Total walking: 8 km / 3 hours (flat coastal footpaths and beach).
Day 4. Thursday 12 October
Walk along country lanes lined with dry-stone walls and olive groves to reach the ex-acquedotto della Puglia, now converted into a long distance bike and walking path. We continue on foot along this route as far as Figazzano and the botanical garden of Pomona, where we will have a tasting of the many varieties of figs for which the area is named. After lunch, we travel by bus to nearby Martina Franca for a stroll round its stylish streets and a granita in the iconic Bar Tripoli, before returning to Villa Cenci by bus. Dinner in Cisternino, famed for its butchers. Total walking: 12 km/4 hours (well graded walking path with minor elevation gains or losses).
Day 5. Friday 13 October
Morning transfer to Bari, for those departing by rail or air, or to Matera for those extending.
Suggestions for those wishing to lengthen their holiday:
Bari old city and Basilica of St. Nicholas
Monopoli, charming smaller port city just south of Bari
Trani, an elegant little fishing town with fresh catch sold in the marina each evening and fine churches, palazzi and restaurants
Castel del Monte, hunting lodge of Frederick II “Stupor Mundi”, in the Alta Murgia National Park
Gargano Peninsula and sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo
What’s Included
Accommodation in Lecce and Val D’Itria, including breakfast
Two dinners (First and Last nights) and two picnic lunches
All entries to sites we visit as a group
Transportation from Lecce onward, and to Bari/Matera on day 5
Private guide in Tor Guaceto and Val d’Itria