Overview
Puglia's Autumn Bounty
Villaggio Tours
13 reviews
Oct 16 - 23, 2027
Group size: 8 - 12
Puglia's Autumn Bounty
Puglia, Italy
Oct 16 - 23, 2027
Group size: 8 - 12
Villaggio Tours
13 reviews
$5,899
Deposit: $750
Puglia's Autumn Bounty
Introduction
October 16-23, 2027 / 8 Days 7 Nights
About This Trip
October in Puglia brings the start of the olive harvest and a bountiful season for food and wine, which is the focus of this tour. On this immersive tour, two of the region’s most distinctive landscapes unfold before you: the trulli-dotted Valle d’Itria, where whitewashed hill towns preside over ancient olive groves, and the golden Baroque city of Lecce, gateway to the wild Salento coast. Food and culture are intrinsically linked across Italy, and Puglia epitomizes this connection.
Our days are built around hands-on cooking with Pugliese women, private olive oil and wine tastings, and street-food walks through ancient lanes. Mornings include guided tours, experiences and tastings that may last through lunch, while evenings may offer group dinners or free time to explore on your own. At each stop on our tour, we’ll immerse ourselves in the history, heritage and traditions of this ancient land, and learn about Puglia’s rich culinary culture. The tour begins with a night in Bari, then three nights either in the Valle d’Itria or coastal Ostuni, and finally, three nights Lecce.
Immersive Food & Culture
At a glance
Saturday, October 16, 2027
Day 1 - Welcome to Puglia
Arrive in Bari and Enjoy Welcome Dinner
Arrive Bari, Puglia’s capital
Arrive Bari, Puglia’s capital, and settle into the hotel before we gather for a welcome dinner in the city.
Four-star hotel in Bari
Check inSaturday, Oct 16, 2027
Four-star hotel in Bari.
Welcome dinner
DateSaturday, Oct 16, 2027
Welcome dinner in the city.
Sunday, October 17, 2027
Day 2 - Bari Vecchia and Valle d'Itria Transfer
Explore Bari Vecchia and Transfer to Valle d'Itria
Guided walk through Bari Vecchia
DateSunday, Oct 17, 2027
After breakfast, a local guide will walk us through Bari Vecchia, the old town, including the Basilica di San Nicola (home to the relics of St. Nicholas, yes, that one) and the lanes where women make orecchiette by hand outside their front doors.
Group lunch in Bari
DateSunday, Oct 17, 2027
After a group lunch in Bari, we’ll transfer to the Valle d’Itria, about an hour away, our base for the next three nights.
Transfer from Bari to Valle d'Itria
Departure
Bari
Sunday, Oct 17, 2027Destination
Valle d'Itria
Transfer to the Valle d’Itria, about an hour away, our base for the next three nights.
Dinner on your own
DateSunday, Oct 17, 2027
Dinner is on your own tonight, either at the hotel or in a nearby town (transportation provided).
Four-star hotel in the Valle d’Itria or Ostuni
Check inSunday, Oct 17, 2027
Four-star hotel in the Valle d’Itria or Ostuni.
Breakfast
DateSunday, Oct 17, 2027
Monday, October 18, 2027
Day 3 - Matera and Alberobello Exploration
Day Trip to Matera and Alberobello's Trulli
Day trip to Matera
DateMonday, Oct 18, 2027
Today is our day trip to atmospheric Matera, just over the border in Basilicata.
Guided tour of the Sassi caves
DateMonday, Oct 18, 2027
A local guide will take us through the Sassi, the ancient cave dwellings and rock-cut churches that were lived in until the 1950s and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (Fair warning: there are a lot of steps!)
Lunch in Matera
DateMonday, Oct 18, 2027
After lunch in Matera, we’ll stop in Alberobello on the way back to see its famous trulli.
Visit to Alberobello
DateMonday, Oct 18, 2027
Stop in Alberobello on the way back to see its famous trulli.
Evening free
Evening free.
Four-star hotel in the Valle d’Itria or Ostuni
Check inMonday, Oct 18, 2027
Four-star hotel in the Valle d’Itria or Ostuni.
Breakfast
DateMonday, Oct 18, 2027
Lunch
DateMonday, Oct 18, 2027
Tuesday, October 19, 2027
Day 4 - Olive Harvest and Winery in Valle d'Itria
Experience Olive Harvest and Winery Tasting
Visit to masseria for olive harvest
DateTuesday, Oct 19, 2027
October is the start of olive harvest season in Puglia, and this morning we’ll head to a masseria (a traditional fortified farm estate) where, depending on the weather and the year, you might find the harvest in full swing.
Olive oil mill visit and tasting
DateTuesday, Oct 19, 2027
We’ll visit the mill, taste the new oil and sit down to lunch.
Lunch at the masseria
DateTuesday, Oct 19, 2027
Lunch at the masseria after olive oil tasting.
Winery visit and tasting
DateTuesday, Oct 19, 2027
In the afternoon, we’ll visit a winery in the valley for our first tasting.
Evening free
Evening free.
Four-star hotel in the Valle d’Itria or Ostuni
Check inTuesday, Oct 19, 2027
Four-star hotel in the Valle d’Itria or Ostuni.
Breakfast
DateTuesday, Oct 19, 2027
Lunch
DateTuesday, Oct 19, 2027
Wednesday, October 20, 2027
Day 5 - Cooking Class and Transfer to Lecce
Hands-On Cooking and Journey to Lecce
Hands-on cooking class
DateWednesday, Oct 20, 2027
This morning it’s a hands-on cooking class, where we’ll learn to make orecchiette and other Pugliese dishes, and then eat everything we’ve made for lunch.
Lunch
DateWednesday, Oct 20, 2027
Eat everything we’ve made for lunch during the cooking class.
Transfer to Lecce
Departure
Valle d'Itria or Ostuni
Wednesday, Oct 20, 2027Destination
Lecce
Afterward, we’ll transfer to the Baroque city of Lecce, about 90 minutes south, for the last three nights of the tour.
Evening free
Evening free.
Four-star hotel in Lecce
Check inWednesday, Oct 20, 2027
Four-star hotel in Lecce.
Breakfast
DateWednesday, Oct 20, 2027
Thursday, October 21, 2027
Day 6 - Baroque Lecce and Street Food
Explore Lecce's Baroque Sights and Street Food
Guided walk through Lecce’s historic center
DateThursday, Oct 21, 2027
Our local guide will join us for a morning walk through Lecce’s historic center, with its honey-colored stone churches and palazzi, the Basilica di Santa Croce and a Roman amphitheater right in the middle of town.
Lunch on your own
DateThursday, Oct 21, 2027
Lunch is on your own, and the afternoon is free for strolling and shopping.
Street food tour in Lecce
DateThursday, Oct 21, 2027
Early evening, we’ll convene for a street food tour featuring Leccese delicacies such as pasticciotto, rustico leccese and caffè leccese.
Four-star hotel in Lecce
Check inThursday, Oct 21, 2027
Four-star hotel in Lecce.
Breakfast
DateThursday, Oct 21, 2027
Dinner (street food tour)
DateThursday, Oct 21, 2027
Friday, October 22, 2027
Day 7 - Salento Wine Country and Otranto
Wine Tasting in Salento and Visit to Otranto
Wine tasting in Negroamaro country
DateFriday, Oct 22, 2027
This morning, we’ll head into Negroamaro country for our second wine tasting, with lunch at the winery.
Lunch at the winery
DateFriday, Oct 22, 2027
Lunch at the winery during the wine tasting in Negroamaro country.
Visit to Otranto
DateFriday, Oct 22, 2027
In the afternoon, we’ll visit Otranto, a walled town on the Adriatic whose cathedral has a 12th-century mosaic floor covering almost the entire nave.
Breakfast
DateFriday, Oct 22, 2027
Farewell dinner
DateFriday, Oct 22, 2027
Back in Lecce, we’ll gather for our farewell dinner.
Four-star hotel in Lecce
Check inFriday, Oct 22, 2027
Four-star hotel in Lecce.
Saturday, October 23, 2027
Day 8 - Arrivederci, Puglia!
Farewell and Departure from Puglia
Breakfast
DateSaturday, Oct 23, 2027
After breakfast, we’ll say our goodbyes and get you transferred to Bari or Brindisi airport or the Lecce train station.