Italy
Winter in Italy: Puglia’s Hidden Gems
Program No. 23004RJ
See More Photos
Winter in Italy: Puglia’s Hidden Gems
Winter in Italy: Puglia’s Hidden Gems
1 of 12
Participant Reviews
Based on 43 Reviews
SHOWING
This is a fun trip with interesting excursions to nearby places of interest. Exploring the history and culture of Italy's "boot heel" is a fascinating change from the busier tourist spots in the country.
— Review left January 27, 2026
The tour leader for “Puglia in the Winter” was terrific. November was good timing as it avoided typically overcrowded tourist sites. The endless miles of olive trees was stunning!
— Review left December 6, 2025
I am used to traveling independently, so the "Puglia's Gems" tour was my first experience traveling in a group and my first experience with Road Scholar. I am pleased to say that it was a really great, memorable, and enriching experience. I am ready to become a Road Scholar regular!
First, I can't sing enough praise for our tour leader Emmanuel D'Andrea. What a lovely, poised, intelligent, caring leader she is! It was clear from the start that Emannuel loves Puglia and loves sharing abundantly in its charms, history, and culture. Not only that, but she respects the intelligence, unique personalities, and special needs of her tour members. I would absolutely rate Emmanuel as 10 stars out of 10 for her warm, professional grace as a tour leader. Thanks to Road Scholar for having her on your staff of tour leaders!
Second, the itinerary--the tour highlights and experiences, the activity levels were all extremely well chosen and ideal for the duration of the tour. There was always something new and exciting to look forward to each day. From lessons about Italian arm gestures, to culinary and historical overviews, we always started the day with what we needed to be fired up and ready to go out into the culture and experiences of Puglia.
Third, the food and meals provided on the Puglia tour were excellent. Breakfasts were always abundant and offered multiple options of local treats as well as basics for more protein options for those who prefer more substantial breakfasts. And Ohhhh the expresso/capuccinos I am totally addicted to now! The midday and evening meals that we shared were incredibly abundant and filled with many tasty indulgences and culinary experiences.
Finally, the logistics of transport, hotels, and pacing were all honed perfectly, in my mind and experience.
Oh--and one last thing--my RS tour companions were ALL such interesting folks filled with curiosity and conversation. Road Scholar clearly appeals to travelers with lively minds.
— Review left November 28, 2025
Loved this trip and enjoyed getting to know this unique part of Italy. Our local guide, Daniela was fun, warm and very knowledgeable. Overall I really enjoyed this trip. Our group was wonderful.
I highly recommend seeing Italy at this time of year. Our guide said in the summer she often has to shout over other guides in small spaces like churches so she loves this tour slot. The weather was cool but as expected.
The 2 hotels in Lecce and Ostuni were lovely. The breakfast buffets were extensive and the dinners were excellent. The staff were very professional and accommodating. The twin bed in my shared room at Ostuni was a little too narrow. Otherwise the rooms and bathrooms were very nice.
The highlights for me were the cities of Otranto (mosaics in the Cathedral), Bari (Basilica and markets), breathtaking Matera, olive oil tasting, and cooking class. I loved the basilica in Bari, which was enhanced by hearing the choir sing on the Sunday we visited. I could have spent longer in Bari, maybe a visit to the seafood market or other impressive buildings. But I recognize the short trip is designed to catch Puglia highlights which include the Trulli and Locorotondo. I’m sorry we didn’t see the interior of the Lecce Basilica - the online pictures looked beautiful.
The restaurants were good and meals were tasting the local cuisine is always welcome. But I think many of us were overwhelmed with the number of long multi-course meals. It was too much food and long lunches in particular took the energy out of the afternoon, for me anyway.
— Review left April 1, 2025
An outstanding experience in every respect. Our hopes and expectations for the trip to Puglia were met and exceeded.
— Review left March 5, 2025
This trip was an excellent experience. Our tour guide, Daniela D'amato did an outstanding job!! She was very knowledgeable about the Puglia area. We learned so much about the culture, food, architecture, gestures, and history. She was very organized and had a great personality. All the food was outstanding, and I particularly enjoyed the hotel in Ostuni. We also enjoyed meeting other Road Scholars.
I highly recommend this tour with Daniela!!
— Review left March 5, 2025
This was a very interesting program, and I learned a lot from the cultural experience. Daniela D'amato was an outstanding tour guide and very knowledgeable about the Puglia area. I highly recommend this tour.
— Review left March 5, 2025
Our Tour Leader Gianluca Tonti, was exceptionally knowledgeable on the Puglia region. His dedication to the tour to make it as perfect and comfortable for our group was invaluable. The meals, accommodations and additional included experiences such as the pasta cooking class, oil mill tour and tasting, and Matera tour, made this a great value overall.
— Review left January 28, 2025
I highly recommend Road Scholar. I could never have planned the trip we experienced in our “Winter in Puglia” vacation.Every detail was carefully planned out. It was educational, interesting and fun! The trip was exactly as described by Road Scholar so there were no surprises except good ones! Our group leaders Fabio and Emanuela could not have been better! I will use Road Scholar for all my vacations.
— Review left December 19, 2024
Wonderful chance to see Southern Italy and its small towns with unique architecture and foods - a chance to go back in time and see inside small trulli (round stone houses) and small cave dwellings (sassi), to see how people lived. The olive oil tasting, cooking class and walking tours were wonderful!
— Review left February 27, 2024
This is an exceptional opportunity to visit a lesser-known part of Italy at a time when it's not overrun with tourists. Our group leader was highly skilled and knowledgeable and the sites were amazing. I highly recommend it.
— Review left February 17, 2024
We loved our Road Scholar trip to Puglia, and can't wait to plan our next RS adventure!
— Review left February 12, 2024
I would strongly recommend this trip to anyone who is interested in learning about southern Italy and the history that make it what it is today. Most importantly to any trip is the guide, and our guide, Gianluca Tonti, was outstanding. This was our first Roads Scholar adventure. He enhanced the trip for us, combining his historical expertise and knowledge of Puglia and Basilicata with his profound love of the region and the people who live there.
— Review left November 15, 2023
Winter in Italy:Puglia was my first trip to Europe, Italy, and with Road Scholar. It was a life altering event for me. Puglia is a beautiful region with much to see and do. The hotels were wonderful once the bathing, heating, and lighting equipment were explained. The food was delicious and varied. Always variety and interesting combinations that I will attempt at home. I will never think of dining in the same way again. Each interaction was lovely, from the beautiful & kind, apron vendor, Yolanda, to the young college student who assisted me with the thieving vending machines, to the adorable cats (everywhere!), to our planned interactions: cooking with cheeky Chef Maya (Allora!), touring Masseria Brancati; and Sassi guide, Aimie (all having extensive knowledge of their subject matter). The history of Puglia is so extensive and complex, it requires a very knowledgeable guide. Gianluca T. was that perfect travel guide. Gianluca is from the region of Puglia and can respond to questions without hesitation. He’s interested in learning from his travelers about where they come from & has sincere concern for his travelers. He has the ability to make you feel as if he is available solely for you. I witnessed this each day as he checked in with each of us regarding our level of comfort, wants, and needs, but more specifically when he checked in with a fellow traveler, who has a health issue, to ensure she was feeling well and able to continue and enjoy her day of adventure. There is so much more to be said about Puglia, its history, its people, and Gianluca, but, unfortunately, there are not enough characters available in this small space! Gianluca, Thank you for a very memorable trip. I echo Laurie's message, "You are the perfect blend of knowledge, enthusiasm, humor, warmth and genuine concern that makes a travel experience outstanding." I have found a new passion for travel and Italy! I would love to travel with you again and will recommend you to anyone. Grazie mille!
— Review left November 12, 2023
Fantastic adventure with Gianluca & all my travel friends in Puglia Italy. What a wonderful group to have a great adventure with.
— Review left November 12, 2023
A short 5-day program, net of travel time to a somewhat remote destination, but well worth the effort and a fine time of learning from tour guide and fellow participants. Thanks Road Scholar!
— Review left November 11, 2023
We had a great experience and learned a lot--such fascinating things we saw and heard about.
— Review left November 11, 2023
The tour of Puglia led by Gianlucca was amazing! I highly recommend it!
— Review left November 11, 2023
What a great experience! Varied activities and experiences, in an area I knew very little about. And the best tour leader I have had in many years of travel only added to a great trip.
— Review left November 11, 2023
The trip to Puglia in November was superb. No crowds, great weather and a tour guide, Gianluca Tonti, who mesmerized all of us with his knowledge, warmth, good humor and concern for our having hte best possible experience. Make sure you get one of his tours!
— Review left November 11, 2023
This was such a wonderful trip! I didn't know what to expect, but Lecce is an absolute jewel of a city. The other cities we visited were gems as well. Otranto, Alberobello, Locorotondo, Matera -- breathtaking! I knew virtually nothing of the history of the region and so each day was a discovery. Food, towns, architecture, history...all fascinating. And to be there at the start of the holiday season was such a treat. My only regret was that the trip wasn't longer...I could have spent the entire week in Lecce!
— Review left April 17, 2023
Treat yourself to a mid-winter Italian holiday! Explore little-known sites, eat delicious food, drink great wine, meet far-flung friends, all along ancient stone streets. You'll feel like you are part of history.
— Review left March 7, 2023
Winter in Puglia is so more more than an extension of summer. Learn about the history of southern Italy and the customs that make it special.
— Review left December 20, 2022
Our tour guide, Gianluca Tonti, was a patient, companionable, and overall knowledgeable and friendly guide. He greatly enhanced the tour experience and made the tour as good as it was. My fellow road scholars seemed to appreciate him as well. It was a nice group of like-minded travelers and it was fun to tour with them.
The only downside to the trip was some of the food at our lunch or dinner stops. Mostly it was exceptional except for the preponderance of seafood and lack of pasta dishes. One dinner at the hotel in Martina Franca, the Park Hotel San Michele, was really bad as it had meats included that were inedible to most of us. Gianluca had to have the kitchen staff bring more amenable food for us. I know that local dishes are important but so is the taste of most Americans on these tours. Overall this is a minor issue and the tour was very good.
— Review left November 27, 2022
An outstanding trip to see the heel of Italy - Puglia. A great balance of seeing churches and art and amazing small towns and sea views! Also, you can participate - hands-on making Italian (Puglia-specialties) food. And, a terrific knowledgeable guide - Gianluca Tonti.
— Review left November 18, 2022
This was a very interesting program and I enjoyed it very much. February is the perfect time to visit Puglia as we did not run into any other tour groups and could explore easily. Our guide was fantastic; very knowledgeable and personable. We visited several towns that were unlike any others I had visited. The food and wine were fantastic.
— Review left February 12, 2022
I have visited Italy about a dozen times & thought I "knew" Italy. However, Puglia's Hidden Gems was my first visit to Puglia and it certainly won't be my last. What a true "hidden gem".
Our guide, Emanuela, is a native of Lecce and her love of and knowledge about the region was apparent upon first meeting her. She captured our hearts with her passion for the history of the region, baroque architecture, food and customs. Emanuela was most accommodating and patient with all of our group and no request was too difficult or no question too silly. She balanced the educational part of the tour with humorous stories about customs, foods and language.
The accommodations in both Lecce & Martina Franca were very central and offered very clean, modern rooms and friendly staff. (The Patria Palace in Lecce was exceptional).
There was just the right amount of free time vs touring/sightseeing and the variety kept everyone engaged and interested. The highlights for me were the truli of Alberobello & the sassi of Matera (both are "not-to-be-missed" sites) and of course, the food and wine. We indulged in every regional speciality accompanied by the delicious local wines.
The pace of life in southern Italy is so much more relaxed than the more well known regions. I highly recommend this trip!
— Review left March 28, 2020
A good trip. The hotel in Alberobello (Grand Hotel Olimpo) was not up to the usual Road Scholar standards. Besides being a mile from town and looking like an old Holiday Inn, the food was not very good. While I don't expect gourmet food with RS this was below normal. Note food and hotel in Oaranto were very good.
Good guide - lots of knowledge and passion about southern Italy. Hope she is on your use often list.
— Review left March 11, 2020
We enjoyed this brief visit to Puglia. Emanuella was a nice and patient group leader. As someone who grew up in the area, she knew all about the area's culture and history, and her running commentary was interesting and informative.
Most interesting were the rock city of Matera, the Truli buildings in the town of Alberobello, and the visit to the vintage olive grove with trees dating to Roman times.
A good trip overall.
— Review left March 7, 2020
Truly a hidden gem, Puglia is a beautiful and vibrant area easily overshadowed by some of the more well-known sites.
— Review left January 5, 2020
The December trip to Puglia was our first group tour, although we have travelled much the world on self-organized trips. We were worried about being trapped in a group we couldn't relate to. Turned out that it was quite the opposite: a wonderful and diverse group of people who we got to know and enjoy, and an outstanding instructor who was knowledgeable and full of good humor. She could make it as a standup comic and has a PhD in art and architectural history was well. Only to be outdone by the cooking instructor's good humor. We saw six marvelous places, touring with the group and wandering on our own. December was the ideal time to visit, when all the towns are decked out for Christmas, and largely free of the crush of international tourism that we learned flocks to Puglia in the warmer seasons. We learned about the culture of the places, how they came about and the issues they currently face. I learned a lot, and city design is my field of study and work. We will look for other Road Scholar adventures in the future. Gary Hack, retired faculty member.
— Review left December 27, 2019
Your understanding of Italy is not complete if you have never traveled to Puglia or beyond the southern borders of Rome. I highly recommend this trip.
— Review left December 27, 2019
Outstanding guide, Daniela, and an outstanding variety of experiences and fun - special mention goes to the cooking experience in Lecce, the visit to the olive oil mill, and Matera. The weeks leading up to Christmas come with an extra bonus of holiday lights and decorations - a beautiful time to visit Italy. This was my second Winter in Italy trip in two years. Italy during the quiet off-season is a real treat.
— Review left December 26, 2019
Beautiful and interesting area of Italy. Variety of experiences and excellent guide.
— Review left December 11, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this trip. Highlights were: Emmanuela and her preparation and knowledge for each location, the cooking class in Lecce, the olive grove visit at a Masseria and olive tasting. I learned so much everywhere.
Suggestions for improvement: definitely include tickets for going into the churches in Lecce. Now that there is a charge to go into 4 of the churches, we didn’t do that as part of the group tour. I did it on my own during free time and it was so worth the 9 euros; staying in Alberobello for 3 nights was a bit long.....there is not much to do there and it’s very touristy. Bari, on the other hand, which was a short morning visit, would have been a great location to stay, do day trips out of there, and have access to more museums, restaurants, activities. And the airport is right there so no super early morning alarm.
It was my first group tour and I really enjoyed all of it.
— Review left December 9, 2019
Wow What a wonderful week. Loved everything about this tour. This far exceeded my expectations.
— Review left March 20, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing Italy's Salento region for the first time including all of the cities and landmark areas included. The weather the first week of March was mild and sunny. We were able to enjoy eating at an outdoor cafe on our last day. The almond trees were in bloom too. All in all a great adventure.
— Review left March 11, 2019
Our week in Puglia was an absolutely fabulous experience! Every day was varied and different from the one before. And the fact that we did it in the off-season meant that there were no crowds to deal with anywhere! This is a trip you don't want to miss!!
— Review left March 2, 2019
It works quite well and where I had trouble on one occasion, I received excellent help by phone.
— Review left March 2, 2019
'Winter In' Puglia was fantastic, highly recommend. Lesser traveled area with excellent local guide. Spans smaller villages, seaside, olive groves with thousand+ year old trees, 2 UNESCO sites, and larger towns such as Lecce and Bari. Architecture and history were very interesting and presented in an engaging way. Fun cooking class. A tremendous value. Go if you can! (While January and February can be rainy, it was fine with all weather jacket and shoes).
— Review left February 17, 2019
I knew little about Puglia before the trip, but my experience with the Road Scholar tour gave me an understanding or the area that I will never forget.
— Review left February 10, 2019
If you have ever heard of a "trulli" or the term "Sassi" and want to learn more and see a unique part of Italy in the process, this is the trip for you.
— Review left February 3, 2019
The Winter in Italy: Puglia’s Hidden Gems truly exceeded my expectations....But be advised: “winter in...” generally means that it will be cold and not the high tourist season. So layer and dress appropriately!! I LOVED IT!!
— Review left January 29, 2019