Day 1: LECCE AREA
- Arrive to Airport. After picking up the rental car drive to Lecce. On this day there are no planned activities. Free time to discover Bari and Polignano on your own. Overnight in Lecce.
- Suggested itinerary: Drive to Bari and walk in the suggestive old Bari "ancient village". You can visit Piazza Mercantile and Piazza del Ferrarese, the Basilica of San Nicola, the cathedral of San Sabino, the Swabian Castle and the Old Port. The walk in the alleys of the old city is very suggestive, where culinary tradition and local folklore make the city of Bari unique. For shopping lovers, the center of Bari is renowned for its two central streets: corso Cavour and via Sparano. For the discerning palates it is advisable to taste the typical Bari focaccia and the famous mozzarella fior di latte or stracciatella or the majesty burrata accompanied by typical Apulian taralli during the excursion and a glass of a good wine. Continuation to Polignano a Mare, a stunning town overlooking the sea. In this wonderful seaside resort you can live a unique experience, satisfy the palate and the gourmet. We suggest you to eat a typical sandwich with fish. Stroll around the narrow streets and enjoy the stunning sea view.
Day 2: MATERA and ALBEROBELLO (KM 355)
- Breakfast in hotel. This day we suggest you to have a tour to the most beautiful and characteristic and fascinating cities in Italy Matera and Alberobello.
- Suggested itinerary: Drive to Matera. City of Sassi, Unesco Site and European Capital of Culture for 2019, Matera is one of the most characteristic and fascinating cities in Italy and an ideal place for a walking itinerary. Declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1993, the Sassi, which make up the historic center of the city of Matera, are a succession of stairs, passages, alleys, small houses, large buildings and terraces. Very often the same terraces are roofs of the buildings below or masonry facades on rooms carved into the rock, cisterns and churches dug into the tuff. The stones are divided into two districts, the Sasso Barisano and the Sasso Caveoso. The Sasso Barisano, the largest, is characterized by the presence of shops, restaurants and hotels while the Sasso Caveoso is the oldest district and which most preserves the appearance of the rock city. We suggest you to visit Casa Grossa and Chiesa Grossa (entrance fees € 3.00 p.p. per monument. Drive to Alberobello and visit the characteristic and very famous Apulian town. Stop for optional lunch at L’Aratro restaurant located in a typical Trullo to taste apulian products. In the city of Trulli (Unesco site) you will visit the area of the Aia Piccola and Monti neighborhoods, the Siamese trullo, the Casa D'Amore, and the church of S. Francesco, the only trullo church in the world.
Day 3: GALLIPOLI, SANTA MARIA DI LEUCA & OTRANTO (KM 180)
- Breakfast in hotel. This day we suggest yo to spend your day to visit Gallipoli, Santa Maria di Leuca and Otranto.
- Suggested itinerary: Drive to Gallipoli, a reality suspended over the Ionian Sea, famous for its crystalline sea. Inside its fortified walls there is everything it does feel good: beauty, history, food, relaxation. Splendid village full of charming alleys and wonderful churches, dominated by baroque architecture and the typical Apulian historic center between white houses and wonderful landscape views. Starting from the Greek fountain, probably the oldest in Italy, built in the third century. A. C. its historic center preserves ancient buildings, beautiful baroque churches and characteristic alleys. Gallipoli has two areas, the modern village and the historic center located on a small island connected to the mainland by a brick bridge and still surrounded by the ancient defensive walls of the '500. Possibility of organizing boat or snorkeling excursions for lovers of the depths of the sea . On to Ugento at I Contadini farm producing capers and typical Apulian products and tasting . Continue to Santa Maria di Leuca where we suggest you to make a boat ride to visit the caves. The transparency of the water makes this stretch of the Ionian coast one of the most beautiful in Puglia. A stop for the bathroom is planned. Or you can make a tour of Leuca: the nineteenth-century villas in Art Nouveau style, the bagnarole, the Sanctuary of S. Maria De Finibus Terrae, the Lighthouse and the terminal column of the Apulian Aqueduct with its splendid staircase. Continue to Otranto beautiful Adriatic town. Otranto is the eastern most city of the Salento area and a trait-d'union of Mediterranean cultures. Visit of the characteristic ancient village with its imposing Aragonese Castle, the beautiful Byzantine church of San Pietro and the ancient Romanesque Cathedral that houses the bones of the martyrs, known for the enigmatic medieval mosaic in which the stories of the old testament are told and of classical mythology, finally, the Aula crypt whose columns, one different from the other, come from various points of the ancient world.
Day 4: CASTELLANA CAVES, LOCOROTONDO & OSTUNI (KM 250)
- Breakfast in hotel. This day we suggest you to spend your day in Castellana Caves, Locorotondo and Ostuni.
- Suggested itinerary: Drive to Castellana and visit the caves. The Grotte di Castellana, a complex of underground cavities of karstic origin, of considerable interest to tourists, and one of the most beautiful and spectacular in Italy, cover a length of 3348 metres and reach a maximum depth of 122 metres from the surface. The temperature of the interiors is around 16.5°C. The visit to the caves takes place along a 3 km route: an extraordinary guided excursion, about 70 metres deep, in an amazing scenario, where caves with fantastic names, canyons, deep abysses, fossils, stalactites, stalagmites, concretions with incredible shapes and surprising colours stimulate the imagination of children and adults alike. After finishing the tour of the caves, drive to Locorotondo. Locorotondo is a town located on a rock, in the Itria valley, at the gateway to the Salento region. The name Locorotondo derives from the shape it takes in the town's historic centre. As you stroll through its winding alleys, you will suddenly come across picturesque corners rich in history and charm. You will come across numerous shops selling local handicrafts and typical Apulian ceramics. Drive to Ostuni, a typically baroque-style city, is called the white city due to the characteristics of its historic center totally covered with white lime. Ostuni is appreciated by all tourists for having managed over the years to preserve its roots and its elegant and harmonious architectural style. Return to Lecce area, overnight.
Day 5: DEPARTURE
- Breakfast in the hotel. Check out at 10:00. Drive to the airport, release of the car and end of our services. Grazie e arrivederci!
- Lecce area: Grand Hotel Lecce 4*, Grand hotel Tiziano, 8Più, Hotel Club Santa Sabina or similar (*)
(*) The hotels indicated may be replaced with others of the same category. Accommodations are located in the indicated towns or in a differents cities where will be possible to realize the program
- Norma Vacanze only deals with the intermediation between the customer and the car rental company. In the event of disputes with the rental company or accidents, the rules established in the contract signed at the airport between the customer and the rental company shall apply, without any involvement of Norma Vacanze.
- Each customer will be able to choose independently whether to follow the suggested itinerary or, instead, to create one according to its needs. However, it is essential to follow the program concerning the cities where to overnight
- The cars are subjected to availability and your category may not be available on all periods. In case the C category will not be available at the time of your booking, a superior category will be offered with a supplement that will be communicated before the confirmation of each reservation.
- Parking in hotel is not guaranteed, it will be possible in the surrounding area
- The rate includes Category C car rental for the duration of your stay with the "GOLD " insurance package; with extra charge possibility to book Platinum insurance
- The drivers must have the credit card for the check in.
- Norma Vacanze is entitled to change the itinerary of the excursion if it considers it appropriate or due to force majeure.
- Norma Vacanze is not responsible for accidents, delays, damage or loss of luggage or personal belongings, nor for damages caused by third parties or others like floods, storms, landslides, earthquakes, political unrest, epidemy, terrorists attacks, strike
The rate does not include:
- City tax to be paid on spot
- Lunches and dinners where not mentioned
- Tips and extras of a personal nature
- Porterage service
- Gasoline
- Motorway tolls
- Parkings
- Tickets for plane, ship, train or bus to reach airport
- Entrance to monuments and archaeological parks
- Anything not expressly indicated in "the rate includes"
- Car must be delivery at the same airport or there will be an additional cost to be agreed with the rental company
- Each rental day is a fraction of 24 hours, the vehicle must be returned on time or within the next 59 minutes
- The pick-up and drop-off of the car at the airport will be during the opening hours of the company Noleggiare (everyday from 08:00 to 22:30); after these hours the rental company will charge an extra fee. Please inquire before booking your flight
Admission Fees
- In order to skip the queues in the museums or in the archeological parks we need to make the reservation in advance: Pre-bookings of entrance tickets are mandatory on the first day of the tour.
- Tickets are non-refundable
The rate includes:
- Category C car, unlimited mileage
- 22% VAT
- Airport, railway and automotive charges
- Motor TPL policy - auto civil liability
- Gold Plan Insurance -resets deductibles for theft and damage. It also covers damage to glass and tyres
- Additional driver
The rate does not include:
- Fuel
- Fines
- Re-notification fees
- Rental to leave in another airport
- Baby Seat
- Satellite Navigator
- Fuel recovery service, an extra charge of €30,00 will be applied if the car is returned with more than 5 litres of fuel missing
- There is a tolerance of 59 minutes, after which a full day will be charged
- At the time of booking, the car group is guaranteed, not the model
Insurance Gold includes
- In Gold the amount of the deductible will not be charged. The "Gold" package clears the deductibles provided for damages and total theft and allows you to eliminate the deductible also for damages occurred to the parts of the vehicle not covered by the "Silver" package and the coverage of windows and tires is provided. Partial theft, attempted theft, damage to the roof, damage to the lower part of the vehicle, damage to the interior and damage caused by vandalism, riots, etc. are excluded.
Insurance Platinum on request
- If the customer purchases a "Platinum" package, the amount of the theft deductibles (also for partial theft and attempted theft) and damages (also for damage to the roof, the lower part of the vehicle and the interiors) will be zeroed and the PAI services (which guarantees the driver in the event of death, permanent disability and accidents, with a ceiling of up to € 100,000) and “Road Assistance Plus 24h road assistance (covers all towing costs in the event of an accident with fault and for any other event that occurred during the rental period)
