Inspiration for your own tailor-made trip
Lecce - Bernalda - Savelletri di Fasano
100% customisable for you
After taking advantage of our fast-track check-in services and lounge access, you’ll board your three-hour flight to Brindisi to begin your seven-day trip to southern Italy. When you land, pick up your hire car and drive for around 30 minutes until you reach Lecce. You’ll spend two nights in the historic centre of this beautiful Baroque city, the perfect base for exploring. This afternoon can be spent taking a dip in the rooftop terrace pool as you admire the view across the city.
After a delicious breakfast of Apulian delicacies this morning, you’ll spend some time seeing Lecce in the company of locals. During the visit, your guides will draw on their intimate knowledge of the city to create an informal itinerary that’s tailored to you, punctuated by coffee or an aperitif to allow you to soak up Lecce’s atmosphere at a relaxed pace. You’ll have the rest of the day to explore solo, whether that means visiting the old Roman amphitheatre, marvelling at the frescoes of the Chiesa dei Santi Niccolò e Cataldo, or taking in more of the city’s incredible Baroque buildings: the rebuilt Catedral de la Asunción de Santa María; the Basilica di Santa Croce; and the Basilica del Rosario e di San Giovanni Battista. If you’re particularly interested in Lecce’s Baroque architecture, we can arrange for you to take a private tour of some of the city’s most emblematic buildings.
Today, you’ll drive for around one hour and 45 minutes until you reach the historic town of Bernalda where you’ll spend two nights in a 19th-century building in the midst of a beautiful garden. When you arrive, grab a drink and a slice of pizza at the Coppola family’s Cinecittà Bar, whose tables look out onto the main square. Spend the afternoon relaxing by your hotel pool, or take a trip down to the beach, just 15 minutes away by car.
We’ll arrange for you to visit the fascinating Sassi limestone caves of Matera today, around a 45-minute drive away. These troglodyte churches and dwellings have been inhabited since antiquity, and following a full restoration, they are now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. This private tour of the Sassi leads you through the hermitages, monasteries and houses where Byzantine monks settled in the High Middle Ages. Needless to say, this region has a truly special atmosphere, one that has been recognised by several filmmakers including Pasolini who shot some of The Gospel According to St. Matthew here in the caves, and Cary Joji Fukunaga, whose No Time to Die is set in Matera.
Your next and final stop is Savelletri di Fasano, which takes just over an hour and a half to reach by car. When you arrive at your home for the next two nights, head down to the private beach, take a stroll through the manicured gardens or lounge by the large swimming pool. When you get peckish, enjoy a meal of Apulian cuisine crafted with local ingredients at the hotel restaurant.
This charming town on the Adriatic is home to a fishing port, a marina and beaches, the perfect place to spend your penultimate day in southern Italy. Spend your day lounging by the water or strolling through the shady streets of Fasano’s old town which lead to sunny squares, and your evening indulging in an aperitif by the water and a delicious seafood dinner at the harbour. The Egnazia archaeological park is also not far from here, a chance to learn more about life in this ancient city of the Messapii. However you decide to spend your last day, carve out some time to sample a panzerotto (local calzone), some focaccia Barese or a few pettole, delicious donuts that can be sweet or savoury.
Today you’ll say arrivederci to the Apulian way of life and drive back to Brindisi airport to return your hire car before flying home.
Everything in this itinerary is entirely customisable, down to the smallest details. Here are some more suggestions of what could be included
Each of our trips is entirely tailor-made with originality, quality and cultural immersion in mind. Our team of destination specialists will craft itineraries based on your tastes, using their first-hand knowledge and the help of our in-country team of Concierges and guides. All trips are accompanied by a wide range of additional services, including a 24-hour helpline, the Original Travel app, fast-track airport services and much more.
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Our team of destination experts will get to know you and your unique requirements for your holiday
We work with you to build an ultra-personalised holiday itinerary with your choice of accommodation, experiences and activities
All of our holidays include little extras designed to make a big difference to your trip, from fast-tracking you through airport check-in and security to our network of local Concierges
