Holiday in Puglia with a Direct Flight from Sofia

Additional excursions:

• Bari and Polignano a Mare
• Price: 60 euro adult / 30 euro per child under 12

• Departure for Bari - the capital of the Puglia region and its political, economic, transport, educational and
• cultural centre. The city's history is linked to Greek colonisation as well as the Roman and Byzantine
• Empires. In 1071 it was conquered by the Normans and later became part of the Holy Roman Empire. From
• 1324 to 1558 it was an independent city-republic, until it was annexed to the Kingdom of Naples.

• A visit to the Old Town. All the famous sights are here, and the maze of colourful
• streets and alleys has a distinctive Mediterranean atmosphere. The Cathedral of St Sabinus was built at the end of the
• twelfth century in the Romanesque style.
• In the eighteenth century Baroque details were added to its interior and façade. The Basilica of St
• Nicholas was consecrated in 1087 but remained unfinished until 1197. It is considered one of the greatest achievements
• of Romanesque architecture in Puglia. The basilica holds the painting “Madonna with Saints” by Vivarini from
• 1476, the tomb of Bona Sforza, wife of Sigismund II, King of Poland, and the last Duchess of Bari (1558)
• and, of course, the relics of St Nicholas - patron of sailors, merchants, bankers, robbers, prisoners, women and
• children. A tasting of “Focaccia Barese”. Free time.

• Polignano a Mare is a town set on imposing sheer cliffs. In the past the Roman road “Via Traiana”
• passed by its gates. Today the coast is known for its crystal-clear sea,
• its twenty-kilometre stretch of beaches and the large number of caves carved into the rocks. The distinctive
• architecture complements the natural beauty of this little town, known by the nickname “the Pearl of the Adriatic”.
• The rocky coast of Polignano a Mare is full of natural coves, which in the past served as
• shelter for fishing boats and today attract an endless stream of visitors every summer.

Among the most popular beaches are: Cala Incina, Cala Sala, Cala Porto, Cala Paguro, Cala Ponte, Cala Paura and San Vito beach in the fishing village of the same name. Here you will find the Grotta delle Rondinelle (Italian for “Swallows' Cave”) and the famous Grotta Palazzese. The terraces in the old town offer incredible panoramic views. The coves and small caves can be reached by boat. The seabed, with its crystal-clear water, is especially popular and has become a favourite spot for divers.

The price includes: transport, guide services and a tasting of focaccia with wine

• Matera (UNESCO)
• Price: 60 euro adult / 30 euro per child under 12

• Matera - a town known all over the world as the natural set of many historical films. It is a unique
• settlement in the province of Basilicata, dating back to the Palaeolithic. At that time
• its ancient inhabitants settled in the natural caves of the Gravina river canyon. Over the centuries they enlarged
• their homes by digging deeper into the rock or building stone porches for their shelters, arranged
• like an amphitheatre. Living conditions in the so-called SASSI hardly changed over the centuries, and at
• the beginning of the 50s Italian intellectuals called for government intervention. 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”. This lasted
• until cinema took an interest in Matera. Its natural “set” was used by world-famous
• directors, including Pier Paolo Pasolini, the Taviani brothers, Luchino Visconti and Mel Gibson. Their films, especially
• the most popular - “The Gospel According to St Matthew”, “Christ Stopped at Eboli” and “The Passion of the Christ” - rediscovered Matera for
• the general public. UNESCO recognition soon followed - the town was declared a World Heritage
• Site.

• The increased interest led to a reassessment of Matera's potential as a tourist destination.
• With more substantial funding, the sassi abandoned decades ago are coming back to life - this time as
• shops, restaurants, wine bars and even luxury hotels. The investors' ambitions have not changed their outward
• appearance, and the distinctive stone structures keep their unique architectural look. Together with Plovdiv, Matera was
• named European Capital of Culture in 2019.

The price includes: transport, guide services and a pizza tasting

The price does not include:

• - Entrance fee for the Ethnographic Museum - 2 euro per person
• - Entrance fee for the rock churches - 3 euro per person

• Alberobello (UNESCO) and Locorotondo
• Price: 80 euro adult / 40 euro per child under 12

• Alberobello - a visit to the fairy-tale capital of the trulli. Alberobello is a town with such a special charm that it is
• hard to tell where you are. The Capital of the Trulli seems to carry you into a children's storybook.
• Trulli are small white limestone houses with conical roofs. Built in the past without any mortar, they
• resemble an Eskimo igloo in shape. Near the main square are the church of “Santa Lucia” and
• the town museum “Territorio”.

• The museum is made of 10 trulli joined into one. In the museum you can see
• how the trulli were created and how their inhabitants lived in them in the past. Alberobello also has other
• museums offering visitors souvenirs and almost everything a farmhouse produces.

• Some of the more interesting ones are the Wine Museum and the Olive Oil Museum. The price includes a tasting of home-made
• liqueurs and sweets.

• Locorotondo - one of the 100 most beautiful small towns in Italy, whose historic centre is built in
• an oval shape, which is where its name comes from. The town is in the Guinness Book of Records for the five vowels
• “o” in its name. It is a town of beautiful balconies, most of which are numbered. The town is also known for
• its wines.

The price includes: transport, guide services and a tasting of liqueurs and sweets

• Lecce and Otranto (UNESCO)
• Price: 80 euro adult / 40 euro per child under 12

• Lecce, called “the Florence of Puglia”, is the main town of the Salento peninsula and is known for its Baroque
• architecture. According to legend, the town has existed since the time of the Trojan War; it was conquered by the Romans
• in the third century BC, who called it Lupiae. In the time of Emperor Hadrian, Lecce was moved 3 km to the north-east
• and was named Licea. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the town was taken by the Ostrogothic king Totila.
• After the Ostrogoths, for more than five centuries it was part of the Eastern Roman Empire -
• Byzantium. The Normans conquered the area in the eleventh century, and in the fifteenth century it was annexed to the Kingdom of the Two
• Sicilies.

• Interesting sights in Lecce include: the Cathedral; the Bishop's Palace; the Church of St John the Baptist; the Palazzo
• del Sedile; the Church of Our Lady of Grace; the Castle; the Church of the Holy Cross; the Church of St Angelo; the Church of St
• Chiara; the Provincial Museum; the Church of Saints Nicholas and Cataldo; the Roman amphitheatre
• The price includes a tasting of a classic “Margherita” pizza and white wine from Salento.

• In the afternoon - a visit to Otranto. The town is known for its castle, which gave its name to and inspired
• the first Gothic novel in history - “The Castle of Otranto” by the English writer Horace Walpole - and for its
• Cathedral, which has one of the most beautiful medieval floor mosaics. Free time.

The price includes: transport, guide services, tasting

• A visit to Ostuni and Cisternino
• Price: 60 euro adult / 30 euro per child under 12

• Departure for Ostuni - “the White City” - its cathedral and medieval centre. Evidence of human presence since the Neolithic has been found in the area. Like a precious diamond, in its pre-Italian history Ostuni passed from one hand to another on average once every hundred years. At that time it stood on the seashore. In the Middle Ages it was moved 10 km inland, with the town centre built on a
• hill rising almost vertically above a valley full of olive groves. A tasting of burrata - Puglia is where this type of fresh cheese was invented.

Free time. In the afternoon, departure for Cisternino. The little town is on the list of the Hundred Most Beautiful Small Towns in Italy. Exploring the unique maze of narrow streets and long, curving arches that give the Old Town its unique charm.

The price includes: transport, guide services and a burrata tasting.

• Martina Franca and a shopping tour
• Price: 60 euro adult / 30 euro per child under 12

In the morning, departure for Martina Franca - a very elegant town in the captivating Itria Valley (Valle d’Itria). Since 1975 the town has hosted the annual summer “Festival della Valle d’Itria”. A typical Baroque town and a wonderful example of architectural masterpieces set along small alleys and narrow white streets.

• Palaces and majestic monumental churches set the tone of the beautiful urban design. Piazza Roma is the largest open space in the old town, with a triangular green garden offering a unique view of the Palazzo Ducale, designed in the seventeenth century, an example of the architectural
• maturity of the Late Baroque. The tour of the Old Town includes a visit to the palace and the Church of St Martin.

• The excursion continues with a visit to the “Mongolfiera” shopping centre in the Paolo VI district of Taranto.
• Shopping tour.

• The price includes: transport, guide services and a tasting of local dry-cured sausage (Capocollo di Martina Franca) with
• wine.