At a glance
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Our group trips are a great chance to travel with others. We also recommend adding in a few extra nights tailor-made to ensure you build the perfect itinerary.
Discover some of the finest and least touristy destinations in southern Italy. You’ll be staying in luxury accommodation throughout the trip, and discovering the sophisticated food and drink specific to the area. You’ll be visiting UNESCO World Heritage destinations, including the drywall dwellings of Alberobello and the iconic city of Matera. There’s nowhere on earth quite like Matera. It’s a rare example of a troglodyte settlement that remains intact. The city blends seamlessly with its ecosystem and terrain. You’ll also visit Monopoli, Polignano a Mare and Ostuni. This is the Italy tourist don’t see, and it’s all the more charming for it.
More Information
The legal picture in Italy is more mixed than elsewhere in Western Europe. Civil unions have been legal since 2016 and provide most of the practical rights associated with marriage, including inheritance and hospital visitation, though Italy is one of the few Western European countries that hasn’t yet legalized full same-sex marriage. Anti-discrimination laws cover sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, education and services.
In practice, LGBTQ+ travelers will find the destinations on most luxury itineraries entirely comfortable. The cities, the lake regions, the coastlines and the major islands all welcome same-sex couples as standard. Italian luxury hospitality is unbothered, and the staff at the kind of hotels we book have been welcoming same-sex couples for decades.
Italy also has one of the most interesting LGBTQ+ cultural histories in the world. Michelangelo’s love poetry, Leonardo da Vinci’s biography, the writing of Pier Paolo Pasolini and the films of Luchino Visconti are part of how the country has thought about sexuality for centuries. The legal framework may lag behind the rest of Western Europe, but the cultural ease that comes from that history is real, and it’s what travelers notice on the ground.
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In detail
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Don't forget that most of our itineraries can be totally customized. Our expert team will be able to talk you through all the options.
Day 1: Puglia
You’ll be transferred from Bari Airport to your 5-star hotel. We’ll have a welcome dinner at the Due Camini restaurant. This will be your first taste of Puglia’s excellent cuisine.
Meals included: Dinner
Day 2: Monopoli
Not the game, the charming town of Monopoli! It’s just a 30-minute drive away. Your guide will meet you and take you for a walking tour of the port town that embodies much of the best of Puglia. You’ll visit the key sites, including St. Francesco Church, the Castle of Charles V, the Cathedral of Maria Santissima della Madia and the port. Evening at leisure.
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 3: Polignano a Mare
Morning at leisure. It’s a 40-minute drive to Polignano a Mare, a seaside town perched on the cliffs overlooking the Adriatic. Your guide will take you for a walking tour around its winding alleyways. There are many boutique shops to explore.
You’ll be having dinner at the famous Grotta Palazzese.
Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
Day 4: Cooking Class & Alberobello
We’ll be going for a cooking class at a 5-star hotel. You’ll learn how to make classic Puglia dishes, such as Orecchiette pasta. You’ll then eat your creation with some local wine.
Afternoon transfer to Masseria. We’ll be staying in a restored farmstead for a few nights. Evening at leisure.
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Day 5: Itrian Valley
After breakfast, we’ll transfer to Martina Franca in the Itrian Valley. Martina Franca is an elegant city with many baroque and rococo buildings. Explore its winding streets and then we’ll head to Masseria for a classic regional lunch. Overnight in Masseria.
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Day 6: Ostuni
It’s a 30-minute drive to Ostuni, to so-called “White City.” Visit the cathedral, the main square and the St. Oronzo steeple. Explore Old Town and enjoy the 180-degree views of the sea and Roman olive trees. There are some great restaurants in town to try. Later in the afternoon, a private transfer will take you back to Masseria.
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Day 7: Matera
It’s a 60-minute drive to Matera. Check into the hotel at Sextantio and explore this enigmatic city at your own pace. You’ll be charmed by its labyrinthine streets, cave churches and grey stone houses. Matera is a city you’ll want to get lost in.
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 8: I Sassi di Matera
Today your local guide will meet you and take you for a tour of Matera, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth. You’ll learn about its urban development, including its descent into poverty in the middle of the last century. People were living in caves with no electricity. Matera’s renaissance has been impressive. It’s now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and European Capital of Culture.
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Day 9: Medieval Villages of Basilicata
Today you’ll be heading off the beaten path to visit some of the less well known and most beautiful villages in southern Italy. These include the mountaintop villages of Pietrapertosa and Castelmezzano nestled within the Lucanian Dolomite. Castelmezzano is perched on a narrow ledge that drops in gorges to the river below. Pietrapertosa boasts a striking Saracen fortress at its pinnacle. We’ll then return to Matera and have a farewell dinner.
Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
Day 10: Departure
After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to the airport for your return flight.
Why book with us?
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Call our travel experts on +44 (0)20 7157 1570
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