Our itinerary through the holy places in Apulia is a journey along our history and folklore.
We shall visit the official places of the catholic cult, the magnificent Romanesque cathedrals leaning out to the sea like the one in Trani, north of Bari. We'll listen to the legends of the saints coming from the sea like S. Nicola in Bari, who made the Basilica one of the most famous places in the Cristian world of Middle Ages. Also dating back to this period are the two religious streams represented by the western and eastern monks. The formers left us the fascinating abbeys and monasteries. The latters were famous for the splendid byzantine frescoes they painted on the walls of the churches in the rupestral villages, where they took refuge from the iconoclastic persecutions. Two well known examples of the benedictine tradition, that is to say the western one, are Abazia (abbey) della Colonna in Trani as well as Abazia di S. Vito di Polignano a Mare.
The settlement of Madonna della Scala (Massafra, in the province of Taranto) is one of the best examples of rupestral villages with grottoes and frescoes. It took its name from the sanctuary built in this settlement during the XVIII century. A modern sanctuary in San Giovanni Rotondo, a place in the northern region of Gargano, is strictly bound to Padre Pio, a friar whose spiritual work, especially during the sixties, made this place famous all over the Catholic world. Finally, we'll visit the enchanting as well as undiscovered Salento peninsula with its many Baroque churches dotted around Salento. This was the region where the "tarantolata" took place. Tarantolate were called those women who, while working in the fields, were bitten by a big black spider called "tarantola". They could get rid of the desease provoked by the spider's bite only dancing and dancing for days at the sound of a "tarantella". The church of San Paolo in Galatina was the meeting point where these dances took place until few years ago.

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ITINERARY
1st day Arrival and transfer to the hotel
2nd day Polignano - Bari - Trani
3rd day Noci - Alberobello - Martina Franca
4th day Monte S. Angelo - S. Giovanni Rotondo
5th day Ostuni - Rupestral settlements of S. Lorenzo and Lama d'Antico
6th day Lecce - Galatina - S. Maria di Leuca
7th day Transfer to Bari or Brindisi airport

GENERAL INFO
Stay of 7 days / 6 nights
Minimum 14 maximum 17 people
Accomodation in a 4-stars hotel in double and single rooms

The package includes:
accomodation in a 4-stars hotel in double room with private bathroom; 6 x halfboard (with dinner); 5 meals in restaurants; 5 full-day excursions with foreign language speaking guide; private bus for excursions and transfer service from/to airport.
The package does not include:
flight from/to Bari or Brindisi airport, all extra charges.