Stay among the Sassi, settle into the trulli country and finish beside the coast. Start with a sample holiday, then let us shape the hotels, journeys and balance of nights around you.
Start with this three-centre journey through Matera, the trulli country and the Salento coast. Then choose how you would like to vary the route, hotels or balance of nights.
Matera 4 nights → Locorotondo 6 nights → Salento coast 4 nights
Begin among Matera’s Sassi at Aquatio Cave Luxury Hotel & Spa, spend six nights at Leonardo Trulli Resort for hill-town outings and pool afternoons, then finish above the Adriatic at Le Capase.
The longest stay is in the trulli country, giving Alberobello, Locorotondo and Martina Franca their own time. A hire car brings the country hotels and coastal outings into one coherent route.
Price on request
14 nights with breakfast, car hire and a private walking tour in Matera. See the sample holiday for rooms and inclusions.
Explore this sample holidayWe quote for your dates, rooms and chosen arrangements.
Change the country hotel, shorten the route or leave longer for the sea. These suggested variations are quoted around your own plans.
Keep Matera, the Itria Valley and the Salento coast.
Replace the Leonardo stay with Ottolire for restored stone buildings, design and dining, or Nina Trulli for a very small estate where good food helps set the pace.
We match the room, country setting and outings to the way you want to spend those six nights.
See the coastal finish at Le Capase →Suggested pace: 3 nights in Matera + 4–5 nights at Nina Trulli.
Begin at Aquatio for the Sassi, architecture and cave spa. Continue to Nina for hill-town outings, pool afternoons and evenings around the table.
Two stays make a rewarding shorter holiday, with time to enjoy the hotels as well as the places around them.
Explore Nina Trulli →Suggested pace: 3 nights in Lecce + 7 nights near Otranto.
Start at Palazzo de Noha for art, architecture and evenings on foot. Then settle at Masseria Montelauro for the pool, gardens and coast.
Collect a hire car after the city stay and alternate outings with quieter days at the masseria.
Explore Masseria Montelauro →Start with the route, then explore the areas that appeal most. We allow time for each setting, including the journeys between them.
Use one settled country base for Locorotondo, Alberobello and Martina Franca, with time between outings for the pool and good meals.
Explore The Itria Valley →
Give the city a few nights for carved façades, quiet courtyards and restaurant evenings. Pair it with a longer stay on the Salento coast.
Explore Lecce →
Choose the town life of Gallipoli, a country hotel near Otranto or a retreat above the Adriatic. The hotel setting makes each a different coastal holiday.
Explore The Salento coast →
Spend a few nights among the cave districts, returning to the lanes and viewpoints as the light changes. Continue towards Puglia or west to Maratea.
Explore Matera →
Give this part of Puglia a dedicated stay for beach days, coastal boat trips and the Foresta Umbra, with Vieste’s old town to return to each evening.
Explore Vieste & the Gargano →
A coastal contrast to Matera, with wooded hills, a harbour and time beside the water. It also fits a wider journey through Cilento and southern Italy.
Explore Maratea →A country retreat, a car-free Lecce break with coastal days, or a cave stay in Matera: these three examples show how the hotel can shape your holiday. Explore the destination pages for more of our selection.
Settle into the Itria Valley for individual trulli, Puglian cooking and days around the pool. Our country base in the sample holiday gives Locorotondo, Alberobello and Martina Franca time of their own.
Explore this stay →
Stay in Lecce’s historic centre for baroque streets, restaurants on foot and a rooftop plunge pool. We can arrange transfers for days on the Salento coast, bringing city life and time by the sea into one car-free break.
Explore this stay →
Stay within Sasso Caveoso, with contemporary rooms in restored stone spaces and a spa carved into the rock. Spend a few nights exploring Matera’s lanes and viewpoints before continuing to the countryside or coast.
Explore this stay →Choose a few experiences that matter to you, with room for a long lunch, a swim or an afternoon with nothing arranged.
Ideas for a country holiday built around the farm, local food and outings to the surrounding towns.
Read our family holiday insight →
Get a feel for the places and outings that can give a longer Maratea stay its shape.
Read our Maratea insight →
Explore another side of the Gargano through Elaine’s account, photographs and specialist-guided orchid outings.
Read Elaine’s story →Gargano orchid photograph © Elaine.
We plan the balance of nights, room choices and travel days together, leaving time to enjoy the places you have come to see.
A week suits two contrasting bases, such as Matera and the trulli country. With ten nights, combine Lecce with a longer coastal stay. A fortnight gives the three stages of our self-drive sample time of their own.
A car gives freedom for country hotels, smaller towns and coastal outings. For a car-free holiday, we choose walkable centres and arrange the connections between them. The hotel’s location matters as much as the journey to the destination.
The Gargano, Salento and Maratea each deserve their own time. We build the holiday around a clear sequence, giving longer transfers a dedicated travel day and choosing useful stops along the way.
Start with what you most want to enjoy: time in the towns, days by the pool, swimming or walking. We match the dates to the hotels and seasonal experiences, including the Gargano’s spring orchid outings.
We compare arrival and departure points with your first and last hotels, then arrange car hire, rail connections or transfers as appropriate. A wider southern route may suit arriving and departing through different airports.
Your accommodation and rooms, travel within Italy and selected guides or experiences, with a personal itinerary and support during your holiday. Flights are booked separately; we coordinate the land arrangements around your chosen services.
Tell us which sample holiday appeals, when you would like to travel and how long you have. Share the places, hotels and experiences that matter most, and we will bring them together at a pace that suits you.
Tell us what you have in mindTailor-made Italy holidays, thoughtfully planned by ExpertoItaly.
Characterful places to stay, thoughtful routes and well-planned travel between them — across one region or several.
We arrange your accommodation, transport and experiences in Italy. Flights are booked separately.
About ExpertoItalyTell us where you would like to go, when you can travel and what matters to you.
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Package holidays are sold by ExpertoItaly Ltd. Registered office: 33 Miles Close, London, SE28 0NJ.
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