Apulia - Salento and Pizzica

 SALENTO IN PIZZICA

Day 1

Arrival in Apulia for the first day of vacation in Italy, transfer by bus and hotel accommodation. Free time, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 2
Breakfast in the hotel. Our tour will start with a visit to a well-known company specialized in working the local stone of Lecce, a real asset to Salento. Our itinerary will then take us to Lecce. Lecce is nicknamed “The Florence of the South” and is the second Italian most representative city of the Baroque art. Our guided tour will tell us how the Baroque and the Art Nouveau have made Lecce one of a kind for its magnificence. We will have lunch in a restaurant in the inner city where we will taste the exquisite dish “Ciceri e Tria”, chickpeas with fresh pasta. In the afternoon, we will have free time. During this time, we recommend you a visit to the artisan workshops of local stone, earthenware and papier-mâché. Before leaving from the main square, Piazza Sant’Oronzo, indulge ourselves with the “Pasticciotto”, a short crust pastry stuffed with custard and baked, to sweeten our coming back to the hotel. In the evening dinner and overnight stay.

Day 3
Breakfast in the hotel. Departure to Alberobello, one of the most renowned UNESCO sites, making Apulia famous worldwide: the trulli of Alberobello. The narrow, winding alleys going uphill and the ancient cone-shaped roof, dry-stone buildings are the undisputed protagonists of Alberobello, a unique town. We will, then prepare together, in a trullo, some of the traditional dishes of the Apulian cuisine, which we will later try at lunch. Tales and old popular beliefs will be referred to during the guided visit to the characteristic Cathedral and to the “Sovereign Trullo”. Our tour will go on with a walk through the alleys of the Medieval Locorotondo and with a tasting of the local wine. In the evening, return to hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 4

Breakfast in the hotel, during the fourth day of holiday in Apulia, we will be getting the true flavors of Salento by visiting a local olive-mill and tasting the different kinds of olive oil. Departure to Otranto and guided visit of the “Italy’s easternmost town”. In Otranto, we will admire the mosaic pavement (13th century) of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Annunziata and the Aragonese Castle rising close to the sea and surrounded by a wide and profound moat. Typical products will be served at lunch and plenty of free time will be available in the afternoon. After coming back to the hotel, typical dishes from Salento for dinner and the pizzica dance will await us. We will get involved in the pizzica, the folk dance rich in local colorful traditions, from the first moment. Overnight stay.

Day 5

Breakfast in the hotel. Today the tour have been thought to give its participants the chance to spend some good time on beaches and to enjoy the transparent and heavenly sea of Salento, one of the most beautiful ones. We will visit a winery, have lunch and taste the local wines there. Not far from the winery, Galatina, “the town of wine”, rises. Galatina is a sought-after destination for its artistic and cultural heritage, having one of the most intriguing old town centers in Salento, with civil and religious buildings of undisputed prestige. In the evening, return to hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 6
Breakfast in the hotel, our last full day of holidays in Apulia will give us the memorable chance to go on a boat trip to visit the Zinzulusa Cave. Considered one of the most interesting and charming examples of the karstification process, the Zinzulusa Cave opens up into the sea on the coast between Santa Cesarea Terme and Castro. We will have lunch in a typical seaside restaurant and we will have free time for the afternoon. In the evening, return to hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 7
Breakfast in hotel. It is time to say goodbye to Salento, keeping the memories of a place to love. Checkout hotel. End of our tour in Italy.

Price per person starting from: € 1.390,00

From April to November 2015. For July and August price on request.


Rate valid for minimum 8 people and include:

• Private bus transfer during the tour
• Guided tour in Foreign Languages
• Accommodation in 4**** Hotel (or similar)
• Accommodation in double room, daily half – board (excluding beverages)
• Lunches in the restaurant as the program
• Cooking class (half day) in Alberobello
• Olive oil and wine tastings
• Boat trip to Zinzulusa Cave (the boat trip will only take place if the minimum number of participants required will be reached)
• Special “Salento Night” (the Salento Night will only take place if the minimum number of participants required will be reached)
• Tickets
• Insurance
• Support services available during the entire trip in Puglia

Rates do not include:

• International and domestic flights
• Tips and extras
• Beverages
• Single room supplement
• Any personal extra charge

Self-drive tour for 2 people, price on request
INFO & REQUEST: INFO@ATMOSPHERAITALIA.EU 

Apulia - Enotourism

Day 1
Arrival in Apulia, transfer by bus and hotel accommodation. Free time, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 2
Breakfast in the hotel. The tour will start with a walk into the narrow alleys of the small Medieval town of Locorotondo, followed a tasting of the local wine “Locorotondo Doc” – namely “with Controlled Designation of Origin” – in a typical winery. The wine has a brilliant green colour and a slightly fruity aroma and is well accompanied by vegetables, risotto and fish. We will then proceed to visit the famous town of Alberobello, the most renown one of Apulia all over the world. The Aia Piccola quarters, the so-called “Sovereign Trullo” and the characteristic Cathedral are the peculiar monuments of a town which popular belief and traditions are its strong points. Here, we will refresh ourselves with a typical tasty Apulian lunch. A guided tour will lead us into the alleys of Alberobello and help us solve the mystery of the cone-shaped buildings, the trulli. In the evening return to hotel, dinner and overnight stay.


Day 3
Breakfast in the hotel. Today we will be moving towards Lecce, the town which best represents the Baroque art in Southern Italy. The Cathedral Square, the Church of Santa Croce, Sant’Oronzo Square and the Roman Amphiteatre are the main monuments that we will be discovering during our guided tour. The artisan workshops of earthenware and nice papier-mâché gift goods are must-see stops. The lunch will be served in a local winery where we will taste the well-know “Salice Salentino”, a wine of an intense ruby colour featuring a robust, full-bodied and smooth, harmonious flavour. After a walk in the vineyards, we will visit Otranto, we will admire the mosaic pavement (13th century) of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Annunziata and the Aragonese Castle rising close to the sea and surrounded by a wide and profound moat. In the evening return to hotel, dinner and overnight stay.
 
Day 4
Breakfast in the hotel. During the day, we will see and learn how bread is made and, why not, we will learn to milk a cow. We will also spend unforgettable and unique moments in a typical farm on the Murge plateau. Lunch will be served in a place surrounded by the peacefulness of unpolluted nature. In the afternoon, the guided tour will take us to Castel del Monte, where the majestic castle looking like a ‘rocky crown’ towers over the Alta Murgia National Park. In the evening return to hotel, dinner and overnight stay.


Day 5
Breakfast in the hotel, departure to Matera. Walking around Matera is like being taken back into forgotten past. The ideal place where several movies about Jesus Christ’s life were set, Matera was, nevertheless, considered the ‘shame of Italy’ for many years. Its earthen, rooster-shaped whistles, its ancient rupestrian churches and cave dwellings have made Matera a unique place in the world for you to discover, listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In Matera we will enjoy the pleasures of the local wine-and-food traditions during the lunch served in a typical winery producing much appreciated organic wines. After a relaxing walk through the vineyards, our tour will continue in Altamura, the town of bread. Altamura, indeed, was awarded the “Protected Designation of Origin” status for its famous bread. During our visit, we will have the chance to see an ancient bakery located in the characteristic old center of the town. In the evening return to hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 6
After breakfast, we will be visiting one of the most beautiful, monuments from the Bronze Age, the Dolmen of Bisceglie. It was declared “Culture of Peace Messenger Site”. The tour will go on with an interesting visit of a typical olive-mill where we will be captured by the process of extracting olive oil, which is the real drive of the Apulian economy. Our morning tour will finish in a restaurant fronting the port of the fascinating town of Trani. After the lunch, a walking tour will lead us into the Suevian Castle and the Cathedral, the true ambassador of Trani all over the world. Further on, during the visit of a local winery, there will be a tasting of the local “Moscato of Trani Doc”, a muscat wine going well with the typical sweets of the region and fruit salad. In the evening return to hotel, dinner and overnight stay.


Day 7
Breakfast in the hotel, during our last day in such a traditional region, we will learn to cook some of the typical dishes of Apulian cuisine. The subsequent lunch will be based on the dishes prepared by the participants. In the afternoon, we will arrive in Bari and visit the Basilica of Saint Nicholas. A walk along the elegant street of the city center, Via Sparano, will make shopping and relaxing possible. In the evening return to hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 8
Breakfast in the hotel. It is time to say goodbye to this wonderful region, well aware that one day we will see each other again. Ckeck-out hotel. Tour end.



 





Price per person starting from: € 1.500,00

Rate valid for minimum 8 people and include:

• Private bus transfer during the tour
• Guided Tour in Foreign Languages
• Accommodation in Hotel 4**** (or similar)
• Accommodation in double room, daily half-board (excluding beverages)
• Lunches in the restaurant as the program
• Wine tastings
• Cooking lesson and teaching activities on the farm
• Tickets
• Technical assistance services during the whole tour
• Rates do not include:
• International and domestic flights
• Tips and extras
• Beverages
• Single room supplement
• Any personal extra charge
•  

Self drive tour for 2 people, price on request

Info & Request: info@atmospheraitalia.eu

 

STUPOR MUNDI, FREDERICK II

Stupor Mundi

 

 

 

STUPOR MUNDI, FREDERICK II

AND THE DREAM OF A UNIVERSAL EMPIRE

"An important tour to discover the Castles of Frederick II in Calabria, Basilicata and Puglia”                             

"a guided tour through history, to understand the military, political and social characteristics of each castle you are going to visit"

for organized groups, minimum 25 people.  Validity: September, 2012. April, May, June 2013

 

PROGRAM

• 1* day, Lamezia Airport/Cosenza. Arrival at Lamezia Airport (or Paola Train Station), transfer to Cosenza by bus, check-in at the hotel (4*), situated in the historical centre, dinner and overnight stay. 34

• 2° day, Cosenza/Cosenza. After breakfast, a visit to the Norman Castle, then transfer to the National Gallery of the Arnone Palace. Lunch at a local restaurant. Return to the hotel, free afternoon for a walk in Via Mazzini, to admire the MAB, (Outdoor Art Museum), with the possibility of some shopping. Dinner at the hotel. After dinner tour of Cosenza by night, with a special shuttle bus with the accompaniment of a storyteller. 

 

• 3rd day,  Cosenza/Roseto Capospulico/Barile. After breakfast, check-out and departure for Roseto Capospulico to visit the Castle. Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, departure for Barile, a nice locality in the Vulture region, passing through the Dolomites of Lucania. Arrival in the evening, check-in at the Grand Hotel Garden (3*), dinner and overnight stay. 20+44         

COSENZA. Cosenza was an important strategic hub, a meeting point between Crati and Busento; the city controlled a fertile valley. San Pancrazio Hill already hosted a fortress in the Bruzia era and later an Arab Fort. Frederick II of Hohenstaufen built his Castle on the previous Norman Castle site belonging to Roger II. This fortress replaced a previous Greek one. According to tradition, in 1235 Frederick II jailed his son, Arrigo the Lame, guilty of collusion with the  municipalities of Northern Italian towns that rebelled against the Emperor.

 

ROSETO CAPOSPULICO. A monastery situated on the cliffs of the Gulf of Taranto, in the XI century it became Castrum Petrae Roseti, thanks to  Guiscardo, a boundary between his land and Roger’s lands. Frederick II confiscated it from the Templar Knights (their architecture is still visible today) in order to leave it to his legitimate heirs after his death, in doing so he assigned the territory of Roseto to his true heir, Manfred. 

 

 

• 4th day, Barile/Melfi/Ripacandida/Venosa/Barile. After breakfast, departure for Melfi and visit of the Castle; then, transfer to Rionero in Vulture, to visit the Cantine del Notaio (Notary Cellars), one of the most important producers of the famous DOC wine of Basilicata, Aglianico del Vulture; here, we will taste this special wine. In the afternoon, transfer to Ripacandida, to visit the Sanctuary of San Donato (that is about to be included among the UNESCO world heritage sites) twin church of the Assisi Basilica, for the beautiful frescos situated in the chapel; later on visit to SS Trinità, Venosa, a Norman Church, and the tomb of Roberto il Guiscardo, and to the Aragonese Castle. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay. 44+23

MELFI. Even the Melfi Castle was an ancient Norman Fortress that Frederick restored giving it its current appearance. Melfi is a strategic crossroad in the human and political history of  Frederick. In Melfi he met Bianca Lancia and probably they conceived Manfred here. In 1231 he promulgated the Augustee Constitutions, in which he expressed his political ideas. The philosopher, Michele Scoto, and Frederick’s confidant, Pier Delle Vigne, helped to write the Constitutions. It’s strange how two of the most important figures of those happy years in Melfi, Bianca Lancia e Pier delle Vigne, shared the same fate, they both committed suicide for the accusations, probably unfounded, of Frederick, that was now at the end of his life.   

 

VENOSA, In 1456 the Halley’s Comet appeared in the sky of  Venosa, six months later, in December, a violent earthquake destroyed the city and its fortifications. Fourteen years later, Pirro del Balzo, Lord of Venosa,demolished the ancient Romanesque Cathedral to build a Castle.  He took as its models the great castles of Naples, Castelnuovo and Maschio Angioino. The castle had a double function, it was a military fort and an aristocratic residence.

 

RIPACANDIDA Sanctuary of San Donato “A miniature Assisi”.  An ancient tradition states that Ripacandida was founded after the invasions of the Goths guided by Alarico in the V century A.D., which forced the inhabitants of  Candida Latinorum to leave their village. In order to defend themselves from the barbaric invasions, the citizens chose to build their houses on the hill, where there was a temple dedicated to Jupiter. It was fortified by the Lombards and during the Norman era, it took part in the First Crusade, at the time of Boemondo of’Altavilla, son of Roberto Guiscardo. The Church of San Donato  is mentioned in a papal bull of 1152. It is considered a national monument, its architectural style is Romanesque with a beautiful portal that dates back to the  XVII century. Recently it has become a twin Church of the Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi because of its frescos representing episodes from the Old and New Testament.

 

• 5th day, Barile/Lucera/Trani/Casteldelmonte/Barile. After breakfast, departure for Lucera and visit of the Castle. Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, transfer to Trani for a visit to the Castle. Afterwards transfer to Castel del Monte. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay. 

 

LUCERA. Lucera and its castle witnessed an extraordinary political experiment of Frederick II. The Castle, built on the ruins of a Roman Acropolis, was used to lock up and monitor 1200 Muslims from Sicily, reluctant at any attempt of peacemaking. An example of ethnic cleansing that paid off as the Muslims became loyal subjects of Frederick II and, later on of his son Manfred. Charles of Anjou further enhanced the military potential of the place and its long walls continued the tradition of  Lucera’s parade ground..

 

TRANI. The Castle of Trani overlooks  a hostile and dangerous sea. It was built on a cliff surrounded by shallow water at the centre of the bay to protect the eastern border of the Kingdom. Frederick II had Pietro Tiepolo, son of the Doge of Venice and Podestà of Milan, hanged in a tower of the castle ,after he was taken prisoner during the Battle of  Cortenova in 1237. The castle was Manfred’s favourite residence. He married his second wife Elena Ducas in 1259 in Trani.

 

CASTEL DEL MONTE. Castel del Monte is an enigma, one of the many left by Frederick, certainly the most fascinating. It’s not a fortress, it doesn’t have any peculiarities and it is not situated in a place of strategic importance; it is not a hunting  residence: too refined and completely devoid of any structure suitable for this purpose. It is not a noble residence, there aren’t any reception halls, services and hallways. So what? Maybe it is a place of knowledge, or a treasure to keep?

 

• 6th day, Barile/Lagopesole/Acerenza/Barile. After breakfast, departure for Lagopesole and visit to the Castle, with a multimedia show about Frederick II. Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, the visit continues to Acerenza and its Cathedral. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

 

LAGOPESOLE. Lagopesole Castle was one of the last castles built by Frederick, in the last ten years of his reign. Almost certainly, as he often used to do, he turned a former Norman fortress into a  very big residence. Maybe thinking about his love Bianca Lancia? We don’t know for sure, but Lagopesole became the final residence of another princess. They say there are nights, in Lagopesole, especially during full moon, where an intense light appears and disappears in the direction of the castle, people can hear moans,desperate cries and sobbings.

They say it is Elena degli Angeli,  the happy bride of Manfred of Svevia, coming back to the place where she found happiness in search of her beloved husband and children lost forever. 

They also say that in less enlightened corners of the countryside Manfred, unaware of his wife’s presence, wanders in search of his lost happiness, he rides a magnificent white horse wearing a long green coat …you may be able to see him wandering around the castle..

 

ACERENZA CATHEDRAL. Situated on the border between Puglia and Basilicata, you can find Oppidum di Acherunthia, described by François Lenomant,as one of the most beautiful and wild villages in Basilicata. The Assumption Cathedral has a Romanesque and Gothic style and it is one of the most important monuments in Basilicata.

 

 

• 7thday,  Barile/Matera. After breakfast, check-out and departure for Matera, check-in late morning. Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, guided tour of the Sassi of Matera, where Mel Gibson shot his famous movie The Passion of the Christ. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay. 

• 8thday, Matera/Bari, after breakfast, check-out and transfer to Bari. End of services.

 

Amount per person: 764. the price includes: overnight stay in Cosenza in hotel (3* S) for two nights,  overnight stay in Barile, hotel 3* S, overnight stay in Matera, hotel 3* S, in double room. Full board  (HB in hotel and all meals), visit to the historical centre, local tour guide where provided, GT shuttle bus, from the arrival in Calabria, to the departure from Bari.

 

INFO E PRENOTAZIONE: INFO@AITMITALIASERVICES.COM