Trip to Puglia - Salento, Southern Italy, with a Flight to Bari 2027

Departure from Terminal 1 of Sofia Airport on a direct Wizz Air flight. Arrival at Bari airport. Transfer to the hotel on the Salento coast. Check-in. Dinner. Overnight stay.

Breakfast. Free time or the option of a full-day excursion to Alberobello and Locorotondo with a tasting of liqueur and local sweets.

The day begins with a walk in the town of the trulli - Alberobello. The trulli are unique, picturesque buildings that have inherited a prehistoric building tradition, thanks to which the town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They consist of a cylindrical base with walls up to 1 m thick and a conical roof of several layers of limestone slabs. Although they were built without any mortar, they have survived to this day. Most amazing of all is the town museum “Territorio”, made of 10 trulli joined into one, which presents the history of the trulli and their inhabitants. Optionally - a visit to one of the trulli, where you can see the unique construction of these buildings. According to a popular legend, the locals built their homes without mortar so that they could quickly take them apart when inspectors arrived and thus avoid paying taxes on permanent buildings. This practice became a tradition and a style that has survived through the centuries. Free time for lunch.

In the afternoon we head for Locorotondo, where we will walk the streets of the Guinness record holder for the most letters “o” in its name. The unusual name, meaning “round place”, comes from its equally interesting round historic centre. Locorotondo is also known as “the Town of Balconies” and as one of the 36 most beautiful municipalities in Italy. Here not only the houses have numbers - every balcony is numbered too.

*Entrance fee for the Trulli Museum in Alberobello: €3.

Return to the hotel. Dinner. Overnight stay.

Breakfast. Free time or the option of a full-day excursion to Lecce and Otranto.

Today's excursion begins in the ancient city of Lecce. It is known as “the Florence of Puglia” for its preserved wealth of architectural and artistic masterpieces, where Baroque architecture dominates a harmonious mix of styles. Interesting sights in Lecce include the Cathedral of the Assumption, the Bishop's Palace, the Church of Our Lady of Grace, the castle, the provincial museum, the Roman Theatre and the Column of St Oronzo, a gift from the city of Brindisi in honour of Lecce's patron saint. On our walk we will stop in the square in front of the cathedral and at the Church of the Holy Cross. Free time for lunch.

In the afternoon we will explore Otranto, where we will immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of southern Italy. In antiquity one of the main roads of the Roman Empire passed through here, and the town served as a starting point for advances towards the Balkans. The medieval Aragonese castle is well preserved, immortalised in the first Gothic novel in history, “The Castle of Otranto” by the English writer Horace Walpole. We will take a walk in the historic centre of Otranto and visit the iconic Cathedral of the Annunciation, which holds one of the most beautiful medieval floor mosaics, as well as columns believed to have been brought from the temple of Minerva.

Return to the hotel. Dinner. Overnight stay.

Breakfast. Free time or the option of a full-day excursion to Matera.

Matera is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is best known for its historic quarter, the Sassi di Matera - ancient cave districts carved directly into the rock. It dates back to the Palaeolithic, when its first inhabitants settled in the natural caves of the Gravina river canyon. Over the centuries they enlarged their homes, the so-called “sassi”, by digging deeper into the rock or building stone porches for their terraced shelters. Living conditions in the sassi did not change until the early 1950s, when Italian intellectuals called for government intervention and the relocation of the people. With state funding, the cave dwellers were given modern housing. The ancient part of the town remained uninhabited and people called it the Dead City. The “dead” period lasted until cinema took an interest in Matera. Today the once-abandoned sassi are coming back to life as shops, restaurants, wine bars and even luxury hotels. We will take a walk in the historic centre and visit one of the sassi, now turned into a museum, where we will learn about the daily life of its former inhabitants.

*Entrance fee for the rock churches: from €2.50 to €6.

Return to the hotel. Dinner. Overnight stay.

Breakfast. Free time or the option of a full-day excursion to Gallipoli and Santa Maria di Leuca.

Today's excursion begins in the picturesque town of Gallipoli, with a walk in the historic centre. The town is strikingly reminiscent of Nessebar, with its modern town linked to the preserved old quarter by a bridge. Founded by the Messapians and developed as a military stronghold and trading port during the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages, Gallipoli reached its economic peak in the 16th century, when it became the largest olive oil market in the Mediterranean. You can still see the underground presses for extracting olive oil, which was used as fuel before the discovery of petroleum. Today the Byzantine castle from the 13th century, rebuilt by the Aragonese into its present form, attracts great interest. One of the most mysterious sights in the town is the Greek Fountain, once considered the oldest in Italy, whose date remains unclear to this day. Then we head for Santa Maria di Leuca, where we will visit the Sanctuary of Finibus Terrae, known as “the Sanctuary at the End of the World”. Curiously, at the other end of the Old World - at the north-western tip of Britain - there is a sanctuary with the same name.

Return to the hotel. Dinner. Overnight stay.

Breakfast. Free time or the option of a full-day excursion to Polignano a Mare and Ostuni.

Our first stop is Ostuni, often called “the White City”. It is famous for its wine, high-quality olive oil and distinctive white architecture. Founded in the Neolithic, like a large diamond in its pre-Italian history Ostuni passed from one hand to another on average once every hundred years. We will take a walk in the town's historic centre. Today the most remarkable places to visit in Ostuni are the Cathedral of the Assumption, the Bishop's Palace and the many preserved palaces of aristocratic families. Until the beginning of the second millennium the cathedral served as an Orthodox church, and in the 13th century Frederick II turned it into a Catholic one. After being damaged in an earthquake in the 15th century, the church was rebuilt in the Gothic style. Free time.

In the afternoon we will visit Polignano a Mare - one of the most picturesque coastal towns in Southern Italy, set on rocky cliffs above the Adriatic Sea. We will stroll through the charming old town with its narrow lanes, enjoy impressive panoramic views of the sea and the famous Lama Monachile beach, and feel the authentic atmosphere of the Puglia region. Free time.

Return to the hotel. Dinner. Overnight stay.

Breakfast. Free time. Dinner. Overnight stay.

Breakfast and check-out. Transfer to Bari airport and departure for Bulgaria on a direct Wizz Air flight. Arrival at Sofia Airport.