A family-run tour operator from Puglia has laid out its flagship itinerary for 2026: an eight-day loop through southern Italy's heel, capped at just 12 travellers. Arrivederci Puglia Travel, founded in 2013 by locals in the town of Turi, runs the trip with groups as small as three people — a size that keeps the pace relaxed and lets travellers linger in piazzas rather than march between photo stops.
The route covers most of the region's headline sights. There are two UNESCO sites: Alberobello, famous for its conical stone trulli houses, and the Sassi of nearby Matera, the ancient cave city carved into rock. Along the Adriatic coast come Polignano a Mare and Monopoli, both old fishing villages with historic centres perched above the sea. Inland, Ostuni — the 'white city' — sits on a hill looking out over olive groves, and Bari's old town still sees local women hand-shaping orecchiette pasta outside their front doors. The trip finishes in Lecce, often called the Florence of southern Italy for its dense concentration of Baroque churches and palaces. Otranto and Locorotondo also feature on the walking-tour list.
Food is clearly the selling point. The package includes an organic farm visit with fresh mozzarella and burrata tastings, a stop at an oil mill for extra virgin olive oil, a guided winery tasting paired with local dishes, and a gelato stop. Lunches at hand-picked restaurants serving Apulian dishes are included on five of the eight days. The operators say they choose the same trattorias they'd visit with friends and family.
Logistics are handled throughout: seven nights split between a 4-star hotel in Ostuni (five nights) and one in Lecce (two), air-conditioned vans or minibuses, a professional English-speaking local guide, admission tickets for Matera and Lecce, and even tips and VAT. What you pay for separately: flights, airport transfers, hotel city tax, and dinners not listed in the itinerary.
Seven departure dates are set for 2026: April 18, May 7, June 6, July 4, September 17, October 8 and November 1. The operator also offers to convert the itinerary into a private, customised trip, or extend it with a stay at a masseria — a converted farmhouse hotel in the Apulian countryside.
Who's this for? Travellers who want southern Italy without the coach-tour crowds or the hassle of renting a car. Puglia rewards slow travel — it's a region of small towns an hour apart, each with its own pasta shape and white-washed streets — and a fixed, locally-guided route solves the logistics problem while leaving free time in every stop. With the September and October dates, you also get olive harvest season and gentler temperatures than the July departure. First-timers to the region get a comprehensive sampler; repeat visitors could instead book the company's private trips and go deeper on wine or coastline.
