SEDUCTIVE SOUTHERN ITALY

Touch down in Naples airport (NAP) and make your way to the hotel where you’ll be greeted by our Local Insider, who will accompany the group throughout the trip. At 6pm, join your fellow travellers for a welcome drink. Later on, head out for a three-course Neapolitan meal together – an ideal opportunity to get to know each other. After that, you might be tempted by a nightcap in a local bar – otherwise head back to the hotel for a good night’s rest ahead of your first full day.

Learn all about the history of Neapolitan food and its importance to the city culture on a street food tour. Naples is of course synonymous with pizza and pasta, but there are many other local specialities, which you’ll get to discover as our local guide takes you to the most authentic eateries in the city. Explore the city at leisure in the afternoon before taking a private transfer to the Amalfi Coast – your next stop.

Today, the choice is yours. You could embark on a private boat tour of the Amalfi Coast to explore one of the most alluring stretches of coastline in Europe – or take the public ferry to either Amalfi or Positano and spend the day as you wish. Think pastel-coloured fishing villages set against the backdrop of dramatic cliffs and forests overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. Whether you want to swim, relax on the beach or wander leisurely around the streets and piazzas of these picturesque villages, you won’t be short of options. Return to Maiori in the evening.

Today we cross into the Basilicata region to reach Matera – known for its ancient hillside cave dwellings in the Unesco-listed Sassi area. Weave your way through the narrow, winding streets on a guided walking tour and discover why it was crowned 2019 European Capital of Culture. You may well recognise it from the latest James Bond movie, No Time To Die.

You’ll continue eastwards into the Itria Valley – a particularly scenic part of the Puglia region. Marvel at the extraordinary trulli (traditional limestone dwellings with conical roofs) on a guided tour of Alberobello, and navigate the labyrinth of whitewashed alleyways and piazzas in Locorotondo, often regarded as one of the most photogenic towns in Puglia. Keen cyclist? You’ll also have the opportunity to hop on an e-bike and glide through a dreamy patchwork of olive groves and vineyards. Afterwards, it's on to the walled, white-washed town of Locorotonda, where you'll have some free time to explore, before heading to Polignano a Mare on the Adriatic coast – your home for the next two nights.

Today is yours to spend as you wish. After a leisurely breakfast, why not head into the old town and soak up the laid-back atmosphere with a coffee in the main square, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II? If you fancy catching rays, pack your beach towel and sprawl out at Lama Monachile (also known as Cala Porto), a secluded white-pebble beach sandwiched between craggy cliffs and bordered by a Roman-era bridge. As evening rolls in, make your way to the Pietra Piatta or Balconata sul Mare for wonderful views of the town and Adriatic Sea.

Wave goodbye to Polignano a Mare as you travel down the heel of the Italian boot to Lecce. Your first stop is at the Castellana Caves for a guided tour of karst chambers 70m (230ft) underground. You’ll then continue to Il Frantoio olive farm where you can taste the area’s famed olive oil from the source, before visiting the nearby hilltop town of Ostuni, nicknamed La Città Bianca (the White City) for its whitewashed buildings. Here, you’ll enjoy a guided walking tour followed by lunch at a masseria (traditional Puglian farmhouse).

Your day starts with a guided tour of the Salento peninsula – the southernmost part of Puglia, home to some of the best beaches in Italy and baroque towns. First, you’ll be shown around Otranto, a city that bears strong Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Norman architectural influences; highlights include an 11th-century cathedral with an elaborate mosaic floor and the Aragonese Castle. It’s then time to explore Santa Maria di Leuca, known for its hilltop lighthouse and the Basilica De Finibus Terrae. Bring your camera to these vantage points to capture panoramic views of the town and coastline, where the Adriatic and Ionian seas merge.

Begin the final full day of your southern Italy adventure with a walking tour of Lecce, nicknamed the Florence of the South due to its honey-coloured baroque churches and palaces, with elaborately decorated façades, dotted throughout the old town. Spend the rest of your day at leisure, exploring independent craft shops, street cafés and cosy wine bars, as well as a superb selection of authentic Puglian restaurants. Come nightfall, cap off your trip with a memorable farewell dinner in the company of your fellow travellers.

It’s time to bid farewell to your new friends as your trip comes to an end. Check out of the hotel and make your way to Brindisi (Salento) airport (BDS) to catch your flight home – or choose to extend your stay and experience what else Italy has to offer.