This trip was a wonderful surprise! I have been to a couple of places in Italy before (Rome, Venice, Florence) but Puglia is so different… in a great way! The coastline, the food, the culture and the history were all wonderful.

Matera Tours
Matera Trips
You’ll find the enchanting city of Matera sandwiched between the heel and toe of Italy’s boot. Lying just east of Naples in the southern region of Basilicata, the magical city of stone was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site back in 1993 and was named the European Capital of Culture in 2019. So why not explore this captivating city for yourself on one of our Matera tours.
On our Puglia: Discover the Heel of Italy trip, visit the unique city of Matera whose century-old caves carved into the local limestone are still inhabited to this day and wonder around its workshops, restaurants and boutiques, before heading to the sparkling white city of Ostuni and onto medieval coastal towns of Otranto and the stunning Baroque Lecce, commonly nicknamed, “the Florence of the South”. Or explore this spectacular region on two wheels with our Biking Puglia and Matera trip. On this Matera holiday, discover the best UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Puglia and Basilicata region by cycling past Matera’s Sassi houses and the fairy-tale, conical Trulli houses of Alberobello. The route then takes you to the white city of Ostini and on towards Gallipoli, where you can cycle past the dramatic Ionian coastline, Baroque towns and across the famous Salento Peninsula.
Enjoy riding through the heart of Southern Italy from the Adriatic to the Tyrrhenian sea. Taking in the beautiful Apulian town of Polignano a Mare, we stop off at Matera and Castelmazzano, a mountain village that’s cradled in the rocks of the Dolomiti Lucane. Your route continues along the shimmering Amalfi Coast and ends in Sorrento, overlooking the Bay of Naples. If you’d like to explore on foot on one of our Matera Holidays, Hiking in Puglia and Matera takes in the legendary local cuisine and delicious wines in the district of Matera, Alberobello and Ostuni, allowing you to enjoy picturesque farmland and quaint villages along the way.
Matera Adventure Tours
Robyn Long Puglia: Discover the Heel of Italy
ANN FRENCH Cycling Puglia & MateraThe perfect way to see the best of Italy for those who want to be outdoors and exercise
graeme davies Puglia: Discover the Heel of ItalyThis was an excellent way to explore Puglia, the towns of Matera, Alberobello, Ostuni and Lecce all were fascinating and atmospheric yet different. The hotel accommodation was in the town centers in the first three locations and was very good. The cave house and the trullo being a real experience. Accommodation in Lecce was a real disappointment. It was located on a ring road about a 25-minute walk from the center and was a basic business class hotel very few facilities. Our room was bright orange (think Easy Jet) and small, breakfast was limited compared to the previous hotels. Altogether a poor finish to a good experience.
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