Walking in Puglia & Matera

I had been wanting to visit Puglia for some time and this trip did not disappoint. Very well balanced between culture, history, nature, exploration and of course, food and wine - it offered everything that I look for in both a trip to Italy and an Exodus trip. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and early May was an ideal time to visit.

Having never visited the heel of Italy, we had little idea of what to expect. What a delight! The combination of pleasant walking in interesting countryside, historic sites, good food and wine, and a superb guide made a perfect holiday.

Walking in Matera was an interesting and eye opening experience. I knew nothing of the history of this facinating "heel of Italy' so was extremely surprised and delighted to discover it in the company of 5 other travellers and our wonderful guide Nino.

This trip was exactly what I had hoped for - a fascinating and varied tour of a part of Italy which hasn't yet become too full of tourists. Our three centres were well chosen and close together - Matera was so interesting just to wander and get lost among the tiny winding lanes and steps, the old fortified farmhouse set in olive groves near Ostuni was so peaceful and in Alberobello we did meet tourism but worth it just to see the trulli. The walks were great - not too challenging and only took up part of the day so we had chance to explore by ourselves as well. I didn't expect to see so many wild flowers in June. We had excellent food in a wide variety of restaurants, wine-tasting and two super picnics. We used a variety of transport, including local buses and trains, and all went very smoothly.

Our first holiday with Exodus went really well. We were met at the airport by our tour guide Luigina and driven to our first port of call, the Sassi District of Matera. Matera is built on a rocky outcrop, so there were lots and lots of steps. Not a good place for less able bodied people, and we thought some of the cobbled streets were a little slippy, so take a pair of sensible shoes. Our hotel room was a cave built into the rock. Very unusual, but the bathroom was a bit tired and needed a refurbish. Great local restaurants and cafes and very reasonably priced. Our guide Luigina did a great job and had excellent local knowledge. She organised 2 picnic lunches during the week and organised an extra trip on our free day to Lecce. During walks, she pointed out many places of historical interest, but also talked about the local flora. We got to try wild almonds straight off the tree, also wild rocket and strawberry fruit. We were fortunate to be in Italy during the olive harvesting and she asked a local farmer to demonstrate the harvesting method. The final evening’s meal, was at a Massiera (farmhouse). We did have to pay extra for this trip, but it was worth every penny (euro). The food was all locally sourced and Home cooked. It just kept on coming and coming, and I lost count of the number of courses. Wine was free flowing all evening too.

We spent a lovely week exploring the areas round Matera and parts of the Puglia region. The holiday was a very good mix of walking, guided sight-seeing and free time to do more sight-seeing or just relax with a drink at one of the many cafes, or even better eat one of the amazing ice-creams. Staying in three very different, locations, with very different accommodation means that you get a real feel for the area and the people. The walking is very easy and pretty gentle, though I imagine that in the height of summer when it would be considerable hotter, it might feel a lot tougher. None of the walks was longer than three/four hours, which left plenty of time to do other things. This suited me, but if you are a very keen walker, you might find it a little dull. This is a great region of Italy to visit, as though there are tourists, it is not nearly so packed as the more famous areas, and you get a much better idea about Italy than you maybe would shuffling round Florence or Rome. The other reason to visit is the food. I've never eaten so well on holiday, and as a vegetarian I was spoilt for choice, something that can be rather rare. Thoroughly recommended for anyone who wants to get away and chill out for a while.

A hugely enjoyable immersion in the countryside and towns of Puglia and Basilicata.The itinerary is well-designed, as the highlight for us was undoubtedly Matera, and I was pleasantly surprised at how little down time we had. The walking is undemanding, but the scenery is beautiful, and I can imagine in high summer the heat could become a problem. A great introduction to an area I knew very little about, other than enjoying the excellent wines it produces.

A lovely area of Italy to visit, with good characterful hotels utilised for the trip, great food and great customer service experienced throughout. I was concerned, as it was my first walking holiday, that I may not be able to keep up with the group, but I was fine as the pace was good and we had breaks to rest and break up the walks, which weren't too difficult and reasonably flat on most occasions.

A very interesting and enjoyable walk with excellent food.

This trip is about the sightseeing and exploring the towns in the region, Matera and the trulli were fascinating. The walks are as described in the notes and with the exception of the Matera ravine walk pleasant but nothing special. The paths are flat and easy to navigate, not one for serious hikers. The accommodation was good , the food was typically Italian, lots of pasta, pane pomodoro (tomato bread) and mozzarella. I suspect coeliacs may find it a challenge unless they like tomato and Mozarella salad!