Enlightened FAMtrips

Day 7:

After breakfast at the hotel, we'll meet our guide for our tour of the city of the Sassi, an UNESCO heritage site.

"The Sassi originate from a prehistoric troglodyte settlement and are suspected to be among the first human settlements in Italy. There is evidence that people were living here as early as the year 7000 BC." (Adapted from Wikipedia).

Matera is one of the most interesting, unusual and memorable tourist destinations in Italy. In the remote southern region of Basilicata (also called Lucania), still little-visited by foreign travelers, it is a town famous for its extensive cave-dwelling districts, the Sassi. Curious visitors can stay in caves, wander the lanes alongside the picturesque cave-filled cliffs, and learn the history of this fascinating place.

After our tour, we’ll stop for lunch in a very authentic local restaurant.

The afternoon is free for you to explore, relax and a chance to visit the many lovely craft stores of the town.

Tonight we’ll dine at the hotel.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites | The sassi and the park of the rupestrian churches of Matera

Day 6:

Alberobello to Matera
This morning after breakfast, we have a day dedicated to a guided tour of the village of Alberobello, renowned throughout the world for its famous Trulli, the conical houses.

Alberobello, in the region of Puglia in southern Italy, is a strange and picturesque destination which is becoming an important fixture on the travel itineraries of tour operators as well as independent travellers. The small town has been made a UNESCO World Heritage site for its unusual districts of Trulli, the characteristic, white-washed, conical-roofed houses of the area.
https://youtu.be/I5PFeEc7vY8

Lunch in an amazing local restaurant.

This afternoon we will continue on to Matera for a visit to a traditional bakery in this area.

As the afternoon ends, we will check into such an amazing hotel - authentic to the Sassi zone. The Hotel Caveoso. https://www.caveosohotel.it

Day 5:

After the breakfast at the hotel, we’ll make our way to the Castel del Monte, a suggestive and mysterious 13th century fortress built by Frederick II of Swabia, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily. When the Emperor Frederick II built this castle near Bari in the 13th century, he imbued it with symbolic significance, as reflected in the location, the mathematical and astronomical precision of the layout and the perfectly regular shape. A unique piece of medieval military architecture, Castel del Monte is a successful blend of elements from classical antiquity, the Islamic Orient and north European Cistercian Gothic.

We'll have a guided tour of this amazing fortress.

Now as we've ended our tour, we'll stop for lunch to experience the local cuisine. 

Tonight we stay in the Alberobello area and you have the evening at your leisure.

Castel del Monte - UNESCO World Heritage Site Castel del Monte, or Mountain Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is an unusual hilltop castle located in rural southern Italy. Built in the 13th century b...