Beverley Watts enjoys the best of Puglia and Basilicata
In the James Bond film No Time To Die, Daniel Craig races through the winding streets of Matera in 007’s iconic Aston Martin. Instead, I’m zipping around with my 94-year-old mother in a tiny tuk-tuk. I don’t want mum to miss any of the beautiful sights on our Riviera Travel escorted tour and, when her energy level dips, there’s always a solution.
We’re in southern Italy to explore Puglia’s highlights and Matera, just within the neighbouring region of Basilicata, is also on the itinerary. First up though, after flying into Bari and motoring south on roads edged with vibrant pink oleander, is Lecce – in the country’s peninsula heel.
Mum’s a lively nonagenarian who walks with a cane, but we arrive in an intense heatwave so know it’s wise to take things extra slowly. Italy has lots of little bar-cafés so, when necessary, I stick with our tour group on excursions and become the scout, while mum sits comfortably until I circle back.
Lecce’s Roman past revealed
For our guided walking tour of Lecce, we’re dropped off at Porta Napoli, the imposing 66ft gateway arch built in 1548, conveniently close to the walled city’s historic centre and ten minutes or so on foot from Piazza Sant’Oronzo. Here we peer down at the partly-revealed Roman Amphitheatre, hidden from view for nearly 2,000 years. This second century AD stadium, from the time of Emperor Hadrian, was only unearthed in 1901 and much remains concealed by more modern 17th-century Baroque buildings.
The Basilica di Santa Croce is just one of Lecce’s ornate churches and, surprisingly, many of the religious statues inside are made of papier-mâché. These have been created from wire, straw, glue, plaster and paper by craftsman – originally barbers – over hundreds of years.
As the sun beats down, air-conditioned café Syrbar has the perfect pick me up – a creamy lemon custard-filled baked treat called a Pasticciotto (invented in the 1700s, the secret to the shortcrust pastry is lard). A glass tumbler of caffè in ghiacco (iced espresso) is extra delicious served with latte di mandorla (frothy sweet almond cream).
Alberobello the trulli town
Next day, we’re off to Alberobello, Puglia’s picturesque town of clustered conical trulli huts. This unique location, beloved by Instagrammers, must be protected so our coach cannot access the centre. It’s another sweltering hot day so I leave mum settled with a book in a bar by the bus car park as I recce the area.
The oldest of Alberobello’s whitewashed domed-roofed houses date back to the 14th century and are built, using ancient dry stone techniques, from limestone boulders. Over 1,600 trulli survive, most constructed between 1620 and 1797. The compact gift shops sell olive oil in decorative ceramics, craft textiles and bags of traditional baked taralli snacks.
After wandering around the twisting lanes, I notice a sign for a private tour of the alleyways, negotiate with a charming young man and jump in his tuk-tuk to pick mum up. Whisking her down Via Independenza for a quick look-see of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, it works out brilliantly.
We’re ready for our delightful lunch at a Puglian farmhouse, sited amongst centuries-old monumental olive trees. The freshly-prepared local dishes – which keep arriving course after course – include burrata, broad bean puree and orecchiette pasta. Seated on a long trestle table, it’s fun to chat with others in our Riviera party, including three lovely ladies from Wales.
The caves of Matera
Once dubbed the ‘Shame Of Italy’, Matera’s an other-worldly place with a huge honeycomb of cave homes carved out of a limestone ravine. First settled in the Palaeolithic Age, for many centuries large families crammed into the candlelit grottoes – the Sassi Di Matera – with their pigs and donkeys.
The community was evacuated in 1952 and the site declared unfit for modern habitation, then it was restored in the 1980s. Now Matera is another fantastic UNESCO-protected destination, dotted with boutique hotels and small restaurants.
With countless steps and sloping pathways, I know our guided sightseeing stroll will be too much for mum so she waits, sipping a thirst-quenching glass of acqua e menta (Italian mint cordial). Meanwhile I set off and learn how in 1870, resourceful Matera residents dug out the Palombaro Lungo, a giant subterranean cathedral-like cistern to funnel rainwater for everyone.
We have plenty of free time so, now an Italian tuk-tuk aficionado, I call and book a 40-minute mini excursion (in Italy this nimble three-wheeled vehicle is actually called an Ape Calessino – ‘bee buggy’). Our driver Andrea is lucky and lives in the Sassi himself, as his grandfather never relinquished ownership of the family home. He collects us from the bar, gives mum and me an informative personal tour and delivers us to the coach stop.
Bari loves Father Christmas
Next day, we travel back to the port of Bari on the Adriatic Coast. The city is a pilgrimage site because the relics of St Nicholas (the original Father Christmas) are kept here. Renowned for his kindness to children and secret gift-giving, the bishop’s bones were brought to Bari by sailors in 1087. We step into the cool darkness of the 11th-century Basilica di San Nicola and wonder about the ‘manna’, the mysterious – and highly-prized liquid – that seeps from the saint’s tomb. Believed most likely to be condensation, it’s still considered holy and gathered for sale in vials.
Continuing north along the coast, we stop at Trani, a medieval port with numerous fish restaurants around the harbour and an impressive Romanesque cathedral right by the sea edge. Lapped by waves, too, is Emperor Frederick II’s castle, built in 1233 and used as a prison until 1974. These days it’s an imposing cultural centre and concert venue.
We’re heading to our final base, Vieste, on the promontory that forms the spur on Italy’s boot, and pass the salt pans of Saline di Margherita di Savoia. Designated a nature reserve in 1977, the locality has a unique ecosystem. There’s a large populations of pink flamingos and we spot the twiggy clusters of stork nests built atop electric pylons.
Pasta and a parrot in Vieste
Vieste is a marine resort with high white cliffs and a popular sandy beach. On a walk through the Old Town, Vieste Vecchia, to find a gelateria, I chance across a family out with their pet parrot, feeding him an ice cream cone (only in Italy)!
Our penultimate excursion is to the pretty town of Peschici and we drive along a dramatic coastline, peppered with Saracen towers. After lunch at an agriturismo farm, we learn how to make authentic pasta from the finest durum wheat semolina flour. Just water is added to make the dough (no eggs) and you create each ear-shaped piece of pasta with your fingertips.
On our final day there’s a boat trip and we get to see Vieste from the water, perched on the headland, and the fabulous sea caves in the Gargano National Park. In the Cave Of The Sirens, according to legend, jealous water nymphs lived and turned a handsome fisherman, Pizzomunno, into the distinctive sea stack on Vieste’s beach. Myth dictates that if you circle the rock pillar, your dream will come true. I give it a go. To return to Italy with mum again, that’s my wish…
Next steps
To start planning your adventure to southern Italy, call Silver Travel Advisor on 0800 412 5678.
Riviera Travel’s eight-day escorted tour: Puglia, Lecce and Vieste – Undiscovered Italy starts from £1,429pp, for an April 2, 2025 departure. Includes return flights from London Gatwick and transfers, daily tours and visits, seven nights in four-star accommodation with breakfast and seven meals.
