New Year in Puglia Departures & Prices Airport Departing Time Returning Time Cost Availability Heathrow 28 Dec 17 06:45 03 Jan 18 19:10 1790 Sold out What's Included Return scheduled flights Six nights accommodation in a four-star hotel in your own double room All breakfasts, evening meals and two lunches Porterage Personal audio guiding system Welcome and farewell drinks receptions Drink included with all meals New Year s Eve seven-course gala dinner celebration with live music Pugliese town visits (all guided): Matera, Alberobello, Ostuni and Lecce Cooking demonstration of traditional Christmas dessert and wine tasting in a masseria Visit to Polignano a Mare Farewell dinner in a traditional masseria Executive coach throughout Exclusive services of a One Traveller Tour Manager Not Included Holiday Insurance You need to arrange your own but we can help. For more information, please see our suggested insurance services. Itinerary Key:
Breakfast Lunch Dinner Drink Afternoon Tea Longer walks and steps may be involved on this day 1 Travel to Bari Morning: meet your One Traveller representative and fellow travellers and board your flight to Bari (via Milan). On arrival transfer to your hotel in Ostuni for a six-night stay. Evening: welcome drinks reception followed by dinner with wine in the hotel. 2 Matera Morning: Matera is a spectacular place, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built into a ravine. Learn about the extraordinary Sassi (cave dwellings). Nowhere else do you come face to face with the powerful images of Italy s lost peasant culture. It is absolutely breathtaking. Afternoon: after an included lunch, free to explore Matera and shop for souvenirs. 3 Cooking demonstration and Alberobello Morning: visit a masseria (a Pugliese farmhouse) for a cooking demonstration of a local Christmas dessert, followed by a light lunch and a tasting of wines from the region. Afternoon: a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Alberobello houses 1500 trulli (white-tipped beehive-shaped houses), a spectacle which you must see for yourself! 4 New Year s Eve - Ostuni Morning: Ostuni shines like a pearly white tiara, extending across three hills with a magnificent cathedral as the centrepiece. Your local guide will familiarise you with the town and point out nearby cafés and piazzas to enjoy in your free time.
Mid-afternoon: return to the hotel to rest and use the facilities before the evening celebrations. Evening: join your fellow travellers for pre-dinner drinks before the hotel s gala dinner celebration with live music, culminating in dancing to herald in the New Year. 5 New Year s Day Polignano a Mare Morning: a relaxed morning at the hotel or a stroll into Ostuni to enjoy the stunning views, before heading to the coastal town of Polignano a Mare. Afternoon: free time for lunch and strolling around the charming small old town with white-washed winding streets. Admire the magnificent views of the Adriatic Sea and coastline from one of the panoramic terraces. 6 Lecce Morning: guided walk of this stunning pedestrianised city, which is known among many visitors and locals as The Florence of the South due to its opulent 16th-century Baroque monuments and buildings. Afternoon: free in Lecce for lunch and last-minute purchases. Evening: farewell dinner and drinks at a traditional masseria close to your hotel a wonderful end to your New Year celebrations in this beautiful area of Italy. 7 Fly home After breakfast you will transfer to Bari Airport for the flight back to the UK (via Rome). Included excursions Ostuni (with guided orientation)
A short stroll from your hotel is the old town of Ostuni known as the white city and is one of southern Italy s most stunning small towns. Situated on three hills at the southernmost edge of Le Murge, it was an important Greco-Roman city in the first century AD. Your local guide will walk you through the maze of well-preserved winding streets on your doorstep which are interspersed with some exceptional views. The ornamented eighteenth-century obelisk is dedicated to St Oronzo, which stands in Piazza della Libertà. Alberobello a UNESCO World Heritage Site (with guided tour) Start the day with a scenic drive through the Valley of Itria (characterised by olive groves) whilst we head the short distance to the UNESCO site of Alberobello; famous for its beehive-shaped houses dotting the landscape. These intriguing structures, called trulli, were built at least as early as the 13th century. Characterised by their whitewashed limestone walls and conical roofs they utilize the materials available in the area in such a way that mortar isn't needed to keep them together. Legend has it that the trulli, considered peasant dwellings, had to be easily dismantled in case of a royal visit to avoid any tax payments! Alberobello is the centre of the Trulli District, and home to the greatest concentration of trulli. See the streets lined with about 1,000 of these buildings! Many of the trulli have been converted into shops and restaurants where you can buy everything from postcards to miniature models of the dwellings. Matera a UNESCO World Heritage Site (with guided tour) There is no other way to describe Matera other than breath-taking. Located in the area of Italy known as Basilicata, Matera is built into a cliff. Approach Matera from virtually any direction and your first glimpse of its famous sassi (cave dwellings) is sure to stay with you forever. This city has been used as the set of many movies including Mel Gibson s The passion of the Christ and Ben Hur. The old town is simply unique and warrants at least a day of exploration. Although many buildings are crumbling and abandoned, others have been restored and transformed. You will start the day with a view over Matera before driving down into the centre to experience it for yourself with a local guide. We include afternoon coffee in a very picturesque spot. Lecce (with guided tour) For centuries, Lecce has been neglected by tourists. Perhaps it's for this reason that many of the baroque-style buildings have remained intact. Lecce's charm lies in these displays of the lighter baroque. Often called "the Florence of the South," Lecce lies in the heart of the Salento Peninsula, the "heel" of the Italian boot. The Baroque structures for which it is famous for are made mostly of fine-grained yellow limestone. Masons delighted in working with the golden material. We include a guided tour as well as an evening stroll to feel the atmosphere this is easy to do as Lecce s city centre is practically on the doorstep of your hotel. Hotels Ostuni Palace Applicable to New Year 2017 & the April, June, early September and October 2018 dates. This elegant boutique hotel (34 rooms in total) with friendly staff is just a short walk from the old town and perfectly located for views over the
white city of Ostuni, the blue Adriatic and the green olive trees of Puglia. The hotel has a Spa which is really lovely and our guests can enjoy the jacuzzi, sauna and special showers for no extra cost as part of their stay. Treatments are also available for a supplement. The restaurant is all vaulted (like an old cellar) and all the cakes on the breakfast table are home made! The rooms themselves are air conditioned and comfortably furnished with TV, safe, mini bar, hairdryer as well as bathrobe, slippers and complimentary toiletries. All bathrooms have bidets. WiFi is also available throughout the hotel.