Abruzzo, Puglia & Matera

Mysteries of the Mezzogiorno

Discover the spectacular mountains of the less-visited Abruzzo region and uncover the many layers of picturesque Puglia.

tour snapshot

  • October 5-20, 2026 | 16 Days

  • The tour starts at 2.30pm on Monday 5 October, at Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport, Rome.

    The tour ends at c.11.00am on Tuesday 20 October, at Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport, Bari.

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  • Grade Three. This tour is among our most physically demanding.

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  • $13,640 AUD per person, twin share (land content only)
    $2,970 AUD supplement for sole use of a hotel room

    • A $1,000 AUD non-refundable deposit is required per person to confirm your booking on tour

    Inclusions
    15 nights’ accommodation in 4 and 5-star hotels. Airport-hotel transfers as indicated. All breakfasts, 5 lunches, 4 dinners and 1 wine-tasting. Services of an expert tour leader and an experienced tour manager throughout. All ground transport, entrance fees and tipping.

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Status: Places Available - Maximum 16

 

tour overview

Known as the Mezzogiorno – also the Italian word for midday – and once a part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the Italian peninsula’s southernmost regions are exceedingly rich in Greco-Roman, Norman, French and Spanish cultural residues.

This new 16-day tour, led by artist and historian Neil Moore, begins with the spectacular natural beauty, enchanting villages and Roman ghost towns of the mountainous Abruzzo area, where an ancient pagan past is barely concealed beneath an apparently modern surface.

We then unravel the many layers of the picturesque Puglia region, with its Norman castles, fascinating stone “trulli” and white-washed towns encapsulating millennia of Greek, Roman and Byzantine civilization. Our journey concludes with the ancient Sassi cave complex of Matera, a settlement that is possibly the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. 

By day, we experience stunning architecture, world-class archaeological sites, medieval, Roman and ancient Greek art, and the vibrant food and wine of the region – arguably among the best of Italy’s gastronomy. While at night, we enjoy staying in some of Italy’s most unique accommodation.

 

tour highlights

The aim of every Academy Travel tour is to provide a rewarding, in-depth travel experience.

 

your expert tour leader

Neil Moore was born in Oxford, grew up in Melbourne and Canberra and has an Honours degree in Fine Arts from the University of Sydney, where he also taught art history in the Power Department of Fine Arts. Since 1988, Neil has lived in an Umbrian hill town, restoring a medieval ruin into a family home and focusing on his work as a painter. For over 20 years, he has designed and led small group cultural tours to Italy, and he brings this extraordinary wealth of experience as a tour leader to his work. Pictured as Neil’s profile photo is his latest self portrait.

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In good hands...

In addition to your expert tour leader, you will be accompanied by a trained tour manager for the duration of the tour. Our tour managers will ensure your safety and comfort on tour, while also overseeing the behind-the-scenes logistics. Our tour managers are great travel companions who ensure your needs are well taken care of. From offering suggestions for your free time, to a lively chat at dinner or even providing space for a quiet moment of reflection, rest assured you are in good hands when travelling.

tour itinerary

Santo Stefano di Sessanio (2 nights), Sulmona (3 nights), Trani (3 nights), Ostuni (4 nights), Matera (3 nights)

Included meals are shown with the letters B, L and D

  • Day 1 | Monday 5 October
    Arrive Rome - To Santo Stefano di Sessanio

    Meet your tour leader at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport in the early afternoon for a coach transfer to the Abruzzo region, where we settle into our unique accommodation in the medieval village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, high in the Apennine mountain range. Now given new life as home to an “albergo diffuso” designer hotel, this spectacular location in the Gran Sasso National Park will serve as our base for the next two nights. After time to freshen up we meet for an introductory talk by Neil followed by a welcome dinner at the accommodation. Overnight Santo Stefano (D)

  • Day 2 | Tuesday 6 October
    Mountain Delights

    In the morning we take a trip up to Campo Imperatore at the foot of the Gran Sasso massif, a glacial high plain and site of the hotel from which Mussolini was snatched by German paratroopers in 1943. We then explore one of Italy’s most spectacular castles at Calascio, where we enjoy a traditional lunch before returning to Santo Stefano for a guided afternoon visit, followed by an evening at leisure. Overnight Santo Stefano (B, L)

  • Day 3 | Wednesday 7 October
    Peltuinum & Bominaco

    Departing Santo Stefano this morning, our first stop is the ruins of Peltuinum, a fascinating Roman ghost town in a spectacular natural setting ringed by impressive mountains. We then travel to the nearby village of Bominaco to visit today’s highlight, the magnificent 13th-century fresco cycle in the Oratorium of a former Benedictine monastery. The original Abbey was founded by Charlemagne in the 8th century CE on the site of a former pagan temple and the current structure now combines graphic biblical narratives with astrological calendars and the phases of the moon. Lunch is enjoyed in a nearby restaurant where you will be treated to a an impressive range of local recipes all made from fresh food grown in the neighbouring fields. We then continue onwards to one of the prettiest towns in the Abruzzo, Sulmona, the so called ‘City of Love’ and birthplace of the celebrated Roman poet Ovid. Our evening is at leisure on arrival. Overnight Sulmona (B, L)

  • Day 4 | Thursday 8 October
    ‘The City of Love’ - Sulmona

    We begin today with a guided tour of this fascinating town in its dramatic setting nestled at the foot of the majestic Majella mountain range. Amongst the sites are the Church of San Panfilo, the medieval aqueduct and the central Piazza Garibaldi, scene of Sulmona’s celebrated Running Madonna Festival held every Easter. From there, we make our way out to the remarkable Abbazia di Santo Spirito di Morrone, an abbey complex founded by followers of the Abruzzo’s favourite Saint, the 13th-century Pope Celestine V, and used during WWII as a repository for British Prisoners of War. On return to Sulmona, we stop by Caldora Castle in the medieval village of Pacentro. This unusual castle dating from the 11th century, with its three oversized towers, guards the foothills of Monte Morrone and offers beautiful views back across Majella National Park. Many noble families have once resided here, including the pope-producing Orsini clan. The evening is at leisure. Overnight Sulmona (B)

  • Day 5 | Friday 9 October
    Roman Ruins at Alba Fucens

    This morning we make our way to the important Roman town of Alba Fucens. Settled as a Latin colony in 303 BCE, we find here some of the finest early Roman ruins in Italy. This once bustling metropolis at the foot of Monte Velino was largely destroyed by marauding Saracens in the 10th century, though much of the Roman infrastructure can still be seen including an amphitheatre, foundations of many private and public buildings, and the later Church of San Pietro. After a break for lunch, we return to Sulmona via the picturesque village of Anversa degli Abruzzi, perched high on a spur overlooking the Sagittario Gorge. The evening is at leisure. Overnight Sulmona (B)

  • Day 6 | Saturday 10 October
    Quintessential Puglia

    Departing Sulmona this morning, we journey south by coach towards Puglia, pausing en route to visit the Abbazia di San Giovanni in Venere – a hilltop monastery overlooking the Adriatic that reflects both medieval devotion and strategic significance. After lunch together in a nearby restaurant, we continue along the Adriatic coast to our hotel in Trani. Set within a converted palazzo from the 18th century and spectacularly positioned on the seafront, our hotel for the next three nights provides a memorable introduction to the region’s charm. The evening is at leisure to enjoy this atmospheric coastal town. Overnight Trani (B, L)

  • Day 7 | Sunday 11 October
    Trani

    Trani, once a thriving medieval port, is today renowned for its harmonious limestone architecture, graceful waterfront, and remarkable Romanesque cathedral rising directly from the Adriatic shore. This morning we enjoy a walking tour through this town, whose prosperity in the Middle Ages drew merchants, pilgrims and travellers from across the Adriatic. We wander through the atmospheric historic centre, with its maze of narrow streets and graceful palazzi, and visit the former Jewish quarter, once home to a vibrant community whose synagogues and cultural life played an important role in the city’s development. The highlight of our tour is the magnificent Duomo, built of pale local limestone and dramatically set on the waterfront. Considered one of the finest examples of Apulian Romanesque architecture, the cathedral reflects both the town’s maritime connections and its enduring spiritual significance. There is free time to enjoy lunch at leisure, after which the afternoon is left open for individual sightseeing or simply relaxing. Overnight Trani (B) 

  • Day 8 | Monday 12 October
    Castel del Monte

    This morning we depart by coach for Castel del Monte, the extraordinary octagonal fortress built in the 13th century by Emperor Frederick II. Set on a lonely hilltop, the castle’s striking design – blending elements of classical, Islamic and Gothic architecture with mathematical and astronomical precision – has made it one of the most intriguing monuments of the Middle Ages and a UNESCO World-Heritage site. After a guided tour of this national monument, we enjoy lunch in a local restaurant before beginning our return journey to Trani. En route, we pause for a short stroll through Giovinazzo, a charming port town with medieval walls and a lively seafront. The evening is at leisure on return to our hotel. Overnight Trani (B, L)

  • Day 9 | Tuesday 13 October
    Monopoli and the Remarkable Trulli

    Departing Trani this morning, we first make our way to the picturesque coastal city of Monopoli whose whitewashed houses contrast perfectly with the turquoise waters lapping at the walls. After a guided visit, followed by free time for lunch, we then make our way to Alberobello, a town entirely formed of the extraordinary “trulli”, conical structures originally made using a dry-stone technique and dating from the 16th century which now dot the countryside in the Val d’Itria. In the later afternoon we continue on to our next lodging not far from Ostuni,  a fortified estate known as a Masseria surrounded by ancient olive groves, some of which are over 2,000-years-old. Dinner tonight is in the restaurant of the estate with a menu using local products and raw ingredients grown in their own garden. Overnight Ostuni (B, D)

  • Day 10 | Wednesday 14 October
    The White Town

    After a relaxed start this morning we take a guided tour through the maze of narrow alleyways in the historic centre of Ostuni, where the ubiquitous limewash used on the houses has led to its appellation ‘the white town’. Here we admire Romanesque and Baroque buildings and view the striking remains of a 28,000-year-old paleolithic woman, ‘The Lady from Ostuni’. The evening is at leisure, providing the perfect chance to unwind with a refreshing dip or a delicious aperitivo by the hotel pool. Overnight Ostuni (B)

  • Day 11 | Thursday 15 October
    Martina Franca & Locorotondo

    Today begins with a guided tour of beautiful and elegant Martina Franca, home to a lovely old town filled with whitewashed houses, resplendent Baroque architecture and picturesque lanes, before pausing to enjoy a lunch based on ancient Apulian traditions. Afterwards we visit one of Puglia’s prettiest towns, Locorotondo, whose name translated as “round place”  refers to the the historic centre being arranged in concentric circles. We spend the afternoon enjoying a stroll through this labyrinth of charming, well-maintained little streets, home to narrow white houses whose steeply pitched roofs, known as “Cummerse”, are peculiar to the centre of Locorotondo. On returning to our hotel, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Ostuni (B, L)

  • Day 12 | Friday 16 October
    Lecce

    This morning we set out with a local guide to explore Lecce, the crown jewel of the Mezzogiorno which is often described as the Florence of the south. There is a fine range of monuments to visit, including Roman ruins and the exuberant 16th and 17th-century architecture spread throughout the town. It is this for which Lecce is most notable; an expressive and highly decorative incarnation of the Southern Baroque genre replete with gargoyles, asparagus columns and cavorting gremlins. Following our tour, we lend our hand to the ancient art of papier-mâché production, a phenomenon mastered by the skilled craftsmen of Lecce, before returning to our accommodation in the afternoon. This evening we enjoy a demonstration of, and lesson in, the traditional “Pizzica-pizzica” dance, accompanied by finger food. Overnight Ostuni (B)

  • Day 13 | Saturday 17 October
    Taranto and Matera

    Departing Ostuni today, we travel to the neighbouring region of Basilicata via the historic city of Taranto, founded in the 8th century BCE and once a major centre of Magna Graecia. Here we visit the National Archaeological Museum whose collection of Greek and Roman antiquities, including many found in the local area, is considered one of the most important in Italy. Our final destination is Matera, where our accommodation is another extraordinary “albergo diffuso”, occupying a series of caves now made into one of Italy’s most distinctive and impressive hotels. After time to check-in and relax, we meet for dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight Matera (B, D) 

  • Day 14 | Sunday 18 October
    Troglodyte City

    Today we enjoy a walking tour of Matera. This troglodyte city with its fascinating rupestrian churches has been declared European capital of culture in 2019. Known as the “sassi” – the Italian word for stones – it is dramatically situated on the slopes of intersecting ravines whose naturally occurring caves were progressively expanded into living spaces through the centuries of classical and medieval times by the local population. These days the underground residences are being reinhabited and provide a range of interesting accommodation options. The later afternoon and evening are at leisure to enjoy this ancient city at your own pace. Overnight Matera (B)

  • Day 15 | Monday 19 October
    Chapel of Original Sin

    The continuous presence of human activity in the territory of Matera is not just limited to the famous Sassi but was also present in the surrounding valleys. Within one of these ravines lies the rupestrian Chapel of the Original Sin, famous for its beguilingly beautiful frescoes. Commissioned by Basilian monks in the 8th century CE, its narrative pictorial cycle features some of the oldest Christian paintings in existence. After the visit there we enjoy a wine-tasting before returning for free time in Matera for lunch. In the afternoon you may join an optional visit to the Carlo Levi museum. Levi was the author of the Italian classic ‘Christ stopped at Eboli’ which brought Matera to the world’s attention. We will conclude our tour with a farewell dinner in a local restaurant this evening. Overnight Matera (B, WT, D)

  • Day 16 | Tuesday 20 October
    Departure

    This morning we transfer by coach from Matera to Bari Airport, where the tour ends. (B)

tour Accommodation

The accommodation on this tour is quite exceptional, with two of our locations being the “Albergo Diffuso” variety in which each of the rooms is different with its own unique style. Our starting point at Santo Stefano in Abruzzo was Italy’s first of this type, combining high tech with ancient interiors for an unforgettable experience, while our accommodation in Matera gives a whole new meaning to the idea of cave dwelling. And Masseria Ayroldi near Ostuni is a fortified estate – a farmhouse protected by ancient-walls and surrounded by olive trees.

With the nature of these places, there will be a variety in the size and appointments of individual rooms.

tour booking

$13,640 AUD per person, twin share (land content only)
$2,970 AUD supplement for sole use of a hotel room

A $1,000 deposit is required per person to confirm your booking on tour. This deposit is non-refundable.

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your tour consultanT

The consultant for this tour is Sharon Williams. For further information or to discuss the tour, please call 9235 0023 (Sydney) or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email sharon@academytravel.com.au

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