Naples & Puglia from Badajoz
8 DAYS / 7 NIGHTS
PRICE FROM
€1,876
DEPARTS ON
on 21st September
Puglia & Amalfi from Badajoz isn’t just a trip—it’s a small conspiracy between places that rarely share a stage. Naples brings chaos, history, and pizza. The Amalfi Coast, its photogenic drama. And Puglia… Puglia is something else: a rawer, more authentic, more flavourful Italy.
We start in Naples, where every side street seems to shout something different. Then to Pompeii, where the past isn’t dead, just covered in ash. And then, by sea if weather permits, we cruise the cliffs of Amalfi and Positano, needing no filters or hashtags to impress. Though you might want a second coffee.
When the south starts to feel familiar, we change the script. Matera awaits with its rock-carved houses and millennia of history sticking to your shoes. Taranto and Lecce show us the other south: Baroque, Greek, decadent, intact. And yes, there’s pasta, wine, and dishes nobody outside Italy can name properly.
We continue through Alberobello, Ostuni, and other stone-and-lime gems that look like models but live their routine as naturally as anywhere else. We finish in Bari, where life brews between alleys, focaccia, and grandmothers making pasta at their doorsteps. No show. Just living.
It’s a route designed to see much but also to savour without rush. Includes direct flights from Badajoz, 4-star accommodations, great food, and that rare balance between planned and unexpected. It won’t change your life, but it might make you want to change a few things when you get home.
Estos son los puntos destacados del viaje:
BADAJOZNAPLESPOMPEIISALERNOPOSITANOAMALFIMATERATARANTOLECCEOTRANTOOSTUNIALBEROBELLOPOLIGNANO A MAREMONOPOLIBARIBADAJOZDay 1: Naples and Puglia from Badajoz starts in Naples – the city of 500 domes
Departure on a special flight to Naples and Puglia from Badajoz. Arrival and transfer to the hotel.
Naples at this time of year welcomes you with a gentle mix of salty air, warm ovens, and the promise that summer still lingers. The contrasts stretch longer, and the city seems to have loosened a button after the summer’s intensity. But the chaos hasn’t gone away.
Actually, “free time” in Naples is a trap. You leave the hotel thinking you’re going for a stroll and find yourself swallowed by a torrent: honking horns, scooters, bakeries releasing sugar steam, markets without shape or rules. Within five minutes, you’ve lost your bearings and gained a story.
Spaccanapoli, the famous narrow street in Naples that cuts right through the historic centre, known for its lively vibe, historic churches, shops, and local colour, leads you past Baroque churches and crumbling facades, kitsch virgins, saintly graffiti, and laundry waving overhead as if the city itself is welcoming — or warning — you. You end up in Via San Gregorio Armeno unintentionally, suddenly surrounded by nativity scenes that feel more satire than liturgy: Pulcinella, Messi, Maradona, the Pope, and some disgraced politician sharing a doorway. There’s something deeply Neapolitan about this mix of the sacred and the grotesque. And yes, you know it: you’re going to buy a figurine you don’t need.
But the city is also lived through its mouth. Here pizza was born, and Naples looks down on any other pizza you’ve tried. Living dough, sweet tomatoes, oven-marked edges like tattoos. You eat with your hands, burning your fingers and smiling as if you’ve fallen in love. And maybe you have!
Next comes the frittatina di pasta, a fried sinful ball that asks for no forgiveness. Then a cuoppo, a fried cone that turns any street into a greasy party. You end at a pastry shop, of course. The sfogliatella explodes in your hands; the babà comes drunk from the factory. If you don’t end up with sugar on your clothes and a slight loss of consciousness, you’ve done it wrong.
When you need rest, take the funicular—not because you’re tired, but for the view. You go up to Vomero, and Naples unfolds like a three-dimensional map: the sea, Vesuvius, the domes, the antennas. You take a deep breath. Then you go down and get lost again, this time in the Spanish Quarter, where the city shouts in stereo. And if it overwhelms you, there’s always an open church: Gesù Nuovo, Santa Chiara, San Domenico, or the discreet and wonderful Sant’Anna dei Lombardi.
While you’re there, nobody will stop you if you sneak into the Royal Palace for a peek. Nor if you use the excuse of another sfogliatella to glance at the Galleria Umberto.
All this, in one afternoon. Absurd. But also inevitable. Because Naples doesn’t let itself be seen: it possesses you for a few hours, makes you sweat decisions, and leaves you feeling like you’ve only scratched the surface of something much deeper, older, and tastier.
You won’t see everything. And that’s fine. The important thing is that you already know you have to come back.
Room Only
Day 2: From Pompeii along the Amalfi Coast by boat.
Breakfast. We depart by coach from Naples, heading straight to history. First stop: Pompeii, the Roman city frozen in disaster by Vesuvius almost two thousand years ago.
Everyone talks about the “brothels,” but no one tells you the real secret: it’s not the beds or frescoes that capture you, but the stone willies carved directly into the streets, indicating the way. A kind of Roman GPS. No maps or arrows—just a well-pointed willy and you knew where you were going. No hearts for the doctor or rattles for the nursery—priorities were clearly carved in stone.
You walk the ancient streets, see where carts passed, and marvel at how much has survived: bakeries, food counters, scandalous frescoes. Pompeii isn’t a museum; it’s a city paused, its dramas still in the air.
After the visit, we transfer to Salerno, where we board for a panoramic tour of the Amalfi Coast. The sea acts as a runway, and from there the cliffs seem unreal. We stop to photograph Positano from the sea: a pastel waterfall of houses on rock, so perfect it seems invented.
We dock at Amalfi, not just a name on a bottle of limoncello, but a town with a cathedral from a medieval dream. Its historic centre and urban ensemble are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. At this hour, in this time of year, the sun falls obliquely and the alleys cool. You stroll, have a drink, watch the sea. If there are people, there’s life. If not, better. Everything still has that old postcard vibe that needs no filter.
Returning to Naples, those with energy—or just thirst for more history—may opt for an afternoon visit to Herculaneum. Smaller than Pompeii but more intimate and better preserved in many ways, Herculaneum is like the tragedy trapped in a bubble of hot mud. Here even wooden structures, burnt furniture, and second floors remain. It’s less epic, more personal. More silent. Ideal if you want to end the day with a more introspective look at the same disaster.
Today leaves no time for improvisation: it’s an intense, epic, and timed day. If you want to repeat Amalfi, return to Pompeii, or seek more ancient willies, you’ll have to come back.
Half Board
Day 3: From Naples to Matera, the cave city
We start early today, leaving the Campania region to enter Basilicata, with its capital Matera, where we will arrive for lunch. Breakfast first, then onto the coach, heading east through the heel of Italy, passing hills, mills, and landscapes that make you wish for your own soundtrack.
We arrive just in time for a proper meal. Matera’s bread is famous — crusty, rustic, and protected by law (and by no-nonsense nonnas). On the menu, look out for cavatelli — small, shell-shaped pasta — or orecchiette alle cime di rapa, pasta with wild broccoli-like greens that have a peppery kick. Try ragù di agnello, a rich, slow-cooked lamb stew. For a real local treat, taste crapiata, a hearty winter stew made from mixed legumes and barley.
Then the good stuff begins. Matera isn’t just a city: it’s a complex maze of cave houses, ancient stairs, and temples carved into rock, half swallowed by stone. You’ll wander narrow alleys so tight you’ll wonder if anyone ever fit, and visit churches like Santa Maria de Idris or San Pietro Barisano, where frescoes barely hold on to sunlight and every step sounds like awakening centuries of sleep. We’ll also visit places like Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario, a traditional home showing how people lived here until recent decades, and Santa Lucia alle Malve, a small rock church with frescoes that seem to whisper from the past.
Matera is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and you understand why as soon as you look up. If churches aren’t your thing, there’s Casa Noha with a modern take on the past, or MUSMA: contemporary art hidden underground in caves.
For the best views, climb to Piazza Duomo or cross the ravine to the belvedere — from there you’ll see why so many films have used this setting. After the guided visit, free time to get lost among the sassi, take photos from every rooftop, or sit in a wine bar carved into the stone with a coffee or a glass of Aglianico del Vulture. If you still have energy, cross the gorge and see the city from the other side, right where so many biblical and post-apocalyptic films have been shot.
You won’t see it all in one afternoon, and that’s fine. Matera isn’t for ticking off a list; it’s to leave you with dust on your shoes, pasta in your stomach, and the urgent need to tell everyone before it fills up.
Accommodation in Matera.
Half Board
Day 4: From caves to glory — Taranto and Lecce in bites
We rise early: a decent coffee, one last glance at Matera’s stone silhouette, then back on the coach. We head south to a part of Italy most people overlook, and that’s exactly why it’s so worth it.
Before lunch, we arrive in Taranto: a city with two seas, Greek roots, and a blend of ancient glory and modern decay that would make any ruin hunter sigh. Taranto wears no makeup; it’s salty, stubborn, and honest. You’ll stroll through Piazza Castello, with its Aragonese castle; see the ruins of the Temple of Poseidon, the cathedral of San Cataldo with its mismatched architecture, and a maze of alleys older than half of Rome. On the docks, fishermen still mend nets beneath balconies crowded with laundry.
Lunch is included and worth paying attention to. Puglia’s cuisine isn’t about frills: it’s deep flavour with zero pretensions. If you see orecchiette alle cime di rapa, go for it: the region’s signature pasta served with a mountain of bitter, spicy greens (like a wild cousin of broccoli), sautéed with garlic and chilli. Bitter, intense, unmistakably southern, and treated by locals with near-religious devotion. Order it — but don’t expect comfort food. Mussels, baked rice with potatoes (riso, patate e cozze), or a drizzle of olive oil that’ll make you question your supermarket choices might also appear. If someone offers Primitivo wine, say yes.
After lunch, you have free time to get lost in the old town, peek into inner courtyards, or simply sit by the sea and let Taranto’s raw charm soak in.
Then we continue to Lecce, passing olive fields, crumbling farmhouses, and villages forgotten by the rest of the world.
We arrive in Lecce — a Baroque motherlode of golden stone and impossible façades. Check-in, a gentle stroll, and the realization that even the street lamps here have more style than half of Italy combined.
Half Board
Day 5: Lecce unfiltered: Baroque, pastries, and captivating strolls
Breakfast. At this time of year, the light in Lecce shifts tone and mood: less harsh sun, softer angles, more golden melancholy. It’s no longer the dry, white summer light that scorches everything. It’s more photogenic, gentler on the Lecce stone, like an Italian film from the 70s. The city seems to hush, letting stone, light, and slow pace speak.
We start the day with a guided walking tour of Lecce’s old town, a city remarkable for its rich Baroque heritage. This style, exuberant and theatrical, flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries—just after the Renaissance, which came with a desire to shake off architectural corsets. In Lecce, Baroque becomes especially expressive: forms in motion, details carved to the last centimetre, façades like stone tapestries. Among other highlights, we’ll see Piazza Sant’Oronzo with its partially visible Roman amphitheatre; the monumental Piazza del Duomo dominated by the cathedral and elegant bell tower; and the Basilica of Santa Croce, a jewel of Salento Baroque whose façade defies sobriety.
After the tour, lunch awaits, a small lesson in regional identity. Don’t hesitate to order orecchiette alle cime di rapa—homemade pasta with bitter greens, garlic, and a touch of chilli. It’s the most southern flavour of Italian cuisine: intense, unvarnished, and full of character. If you see pittule (fried dough balls, sometimes with cod or vegetables) or puccia salentina (round bread stuffed as the cook pleases), dive in. No judgment here except for those who don’t dip their bread in the sauce.
If you opt for the optional trip to Otranto, prepare for a little odyssey on the other side of the heel of Italy. The journey is worth it: winding secondary roads between olive groves, dry stone walls, and hamlets that seem forgotten by time.
Otranto isn’t just a pretty coastal town—it’s a stone summary of everything that passed through here: Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Normans, Turks… and that’s just the first thousand years. You’re greeted by its Aragonese castle, sturdy and watchful, still seeming to guard the port as if awaiting another Ottoman invasion. The old town’s streets lead nowhere useful, and that’s the point: getting lost is part of the plan.
But the real highlight, literally and figuratively, is the cathedral. From outside, sober. Inside… the floor will stop you in your tracks. A gigantic 12th-century mosaic covers the nave with biblical scenes, mythological creatures, elephants, Adam and Eve, and a tree of life straight out of a medieval novel illustrated by a very imaginative, very sleep-deprived monk. It’s as fascinating as it is puzzling, and you’ll look at it with the same mix of admiration and bafflement as a Game of Thrones tapestry made by monks.
If there’s time, take a walk along the seafront, watch the Adriatic crashing against the rocks, and remember you’re at Italy’s easternmost point. Albania lies just beyond, closer than you think.
Back in Lecce, reconnect with those who stayed behind wandering plazas—probably with more pasticciotti in hand.
If you stay in Lecce for the afternoon, congratulations: you’re part of the calm camp, the mapless explorers who understand that sometimes the best visits are the unplanned ones.
You might revisit a morning corner at a gentler pace or get lost in less-travelled areas, where balconies overflow with geraniums and façades look like half-dismantled sets. In Lecce, the everyday mixes with the theatrical: a woman hanging laundry might have more stage presence than a Verdi opera.
It’s a good time to poke around papier-mâché workshops—that’s right, papier-mâché taken seriously here—or shops selling everything from Byzantine icons to carved wooden toothbrushes. And if the strange calls you: some local antique dealers sell furniture as ornate as churches, and religious figurines that could star in a horror movie or a procession, depending on the angle.
But let’s be honest: you’ll end up sitting in a square, probably with a pasticciotto in hand. Another one, yes. Filled with classic cream or maybe chocolate or amarena, because cultural duty demands tasting all flavours. To accompany, a caffè leccese made as the rules dictate: strong espresso, ice, and that almond syrup that reminds you of condensed milk—but without the theological complications. Sweet, refreshing, and absolutely deserved.
Slowly, Lecce softens in the afternoon light—that gentle, melancholic glow the city seems to have learned to ration wisely. Nobody rushes here. No one is in a hurry. And that, by itself, is a kind of luxury.
In the evening, it’s time to find a table. Though dinner isn’t included, you’re in a place where good food needs no map or recommendation. Try risotto al nero di seppia, a risotto made with cuttlefish ink that gives it a striking black colour and a rich, briny taste. Don’t miss sagne ’ncannulate, a twisted local pasta, or involtini—thin slices of veal, pork, or chicken rolled with cheese, herbs, ham or vegetables, cooked on the stove or baked, sometimes served with sauce or white wine. They’re a bit like flamenquines (breaded meat rolls from Andalusia) or spring rolls, but bursting with the authentic flavours of Bari. If you want something simpler, a board of local cured meats and cheeses with warm bread and house wine. If the day was long, let the after-dinner linger.”
Half Board
Day 6: Lecce – Ostuni – Alberobello – Bari
Half Board
Enjoy breakfast in Lecce before bidding farewell to the Baroque splendour: southern Italy calls with a route through towns seemingly made for postcards. First stop, Ostuni, the “White City,” perched atop a hill, seems to hold tight to its timeless charm, resisting the rush of modern life. Everything shines here, from the whitewashed façades to the cathedral with its Gothic rose window. Wander a bit, get lost among medieval walls, and soak in views where olive groves and the sea meet the horizon.
Back on the coach, we head to Alberobello. Nothing prepares you for the sight of its trulli: conical limestone houses that look like the work of architects with too much time and not enough mortar. They’re UNESCO World Heritage sites, and half the town seems to compete for the most photogenic roof. If there’s time (or even if not), try to enter an authentic trullo, buy a silly charm, and look for the painted stone symbol for good luck.
For lunch, enjoy local specialties: try the soft focaccia barese, bombette — small grilled meat rolls usually filled with cheese and cold cuts — or panzerotti, fried half-moon pastries stuffed with tomato and mozzarella, like mini calzones. And if you see cicorie e fave (chicory and broad bean purée), go for it: that’s Puglia on a plate.
With a full stomach, we head to Bari, the regional capital and southern port with so much history it could fill a museum. If time allows, you’ll have the chance to take a first stroll: perhaps wander the old town, feel the sea breeze, or watch the sun set over the rooftops as cafés spill chairs onto the street. Bari doesn’t reveal itself all at once; it’s a process of discovery, best savoured at your own pace, like any city with history.
Day 7: Bari, a city with character (and no rush)
After breakfast, we start with a guided walking tour of Bari’s old town, compact and full of life, now the city’s most authentic face. Narrow streets, peeling façades, laundry hung between balconies, and the lingering scent of fresh bread and sea: this is Bari Vecchia. Here, nonnas still knead orecchiette right on the street, without show or fuss. Simply because it’s tradition.
Key highlights include the 11th-century Romanesque Basilica of San Nicola, home to the relics of Saint Nicholas—the very same who became Santa Claus. The atmosphere inside is solemn yet steeped in history, with Orthodox pilgrims often seen praying quietly before the altar. This church is shared by Catholics and Orthodox alike, a rare peaceful coexistence that fits Bari’s spirit.
We also visit the Church of San Gregorio and the Norman-Swabian Castle, dominating part of the seafront with its imposing 13th-century presence. This tour leaves you with a clear sense: here, history isn’t on display—it’s lived.
At midday, lunch is included at a local restaurant. You might be served riso, patate e cozze (rice, potatoes, and mussels), more delicious than it sounds; focaccia barese topped with tomato and black olives; or freshly fried panzerotti—tender dough pockets filled with tomato and mozzarella, exploding with flavour. And if there’s Primitivo di Manduria or robust Negroamaro wine, say yes.
The afternoon is free to explore Bari at your own pace. Wander Bari Vecchia’s alleys, visit the Archaeological Museum of Santa Scolastica, or explore the Teatro Petruzzelli, restored with dignity after a fire left its mark. And when Cosimo comes by to look at the building with you, you’ll know what he means without words. It’s all said.
For those who want a change of scene, optional trips to Polignano a Mare or Monopoli are available. Polignano, perched on white cliffs with Adriatic views and pistachio ice cream that challenges your beliefs about the flavour, and Monopoli, a quieter town revolving around its port, fishing, and a mix of humble and elegant architecture.
Dinner is on your own. It’s the perfect time to seek out a trattoria for sagne ’ncannulate pasta with lamb ragù, involtini—thin rolls of meat stuffed with cheese, herbs, ham, or vegetables cooked gently in pan or oven—or, if you prefer simple, a platter of local cheeses and cold cuts with warm bread and house wine. If the day was long, let the evening linger.
Half Board
Day 8: Our adventures in Puglia and Amalfi from Badajoz come to an end
Today it’s time to say goodbye. One last breakfast in Bari — maybe a quick espresso and a final pastry temptation, because in Italy even farewells come with sugar — before packing up and heading to the airport.
Depending on your schedule, you might have a moment for one last stroll through Bari: a chance to window shop, grab a quick coffee at the corner bar, or just sit in a square watching life pass by, as if you could stretch the trip for a few more minutes. If time allows, don’t rule out a last piece of focaccia barese or a panzerotto for the road — the tastiest memories are often wrapped in paper and leave their mark on your fingers.
Transfer to the airport and flight home, your suitcase heavier (and probably your trousers tighter) than on arrival. You won’t have seen or tasted it all, but if southern Italy has left you longing to return, the trip has done its job.
End of services… and the wanderlust should be burrowing into your belly again!.
Breakfast
SALIDAS 2025
This trip is a one-time departure on a special flight from Badajoz on 21st September.
HOTELES PREVISTOS O SIMILARES
Expected hotels (or similar) – 4-star category:
- Naples: Hotel Vergilius or Magri’s
- Matera: Hotel Del Campo Nazionale
- Lecce: 8 Piu or Grand Hotel Tiziano
- Bari: HI Bari or Excelsior
EL PRECIO INCLUYE
- Air tickets on special economy class flight.
- Airport-hotel-airport transfers.
- Accommodation and breakfast in expected or similar 4-star hotels, double rooms with private bathroom or shower.
- 6 lunches as per itinerary.
- Transportation by air-conditioned coach as indicated in the itinerary.
- Spanish-speaking tour guide throughout the circuit.
- Guided visits with Spanish-speaking guides.
- Individual headsets for visits.
- Accommodation taxes.
- Mapfre Assistance travel insurance.
OBSERVACIONES
- The order of visits may be varied on-site, while keeping the program intact.
- Lunches may be served at hotels or restaurants interchangeably.
- The Amalfi Coast cruise may be substituted by a road coach tour in case of bad weather.
- Travel is subject to special booking and cancellation conditions; see general terms.
- Special flight. Airfare supplements per person round trip (Class A – Provinces P; Base Class B: €30).
- Air taxes and fuel surcharge: €150 (subject to change).
- Prices from per person in double room (4*): departure on 21st September, from €1,876.
- Single supplement: €448
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