Hotel
DAY 1: Arrival and check-in at the Borgo Egnazia Hotel
DAY 2: Alberobello and Polignano al Mare
DAY 3: Easter at the Borgo Egnazia
DAY 4: Ostuni and Lecce-Patria Palace Hotel
DAY 5: The Salento
DAY 6: Gianfranco Fino Winery and Matera-Hotel Sant’Angelo
DAY 7: The Sassi di Matera
DAY 8: Departure and check-out of Hotel Sant’Angelo
Puglia is a region so rich in art, beauty, and tradition that you feel like you are being carried along by some invisible force, which Puglian singer Domenico Modugno (“Volare” 1958) describes as the wind. There is just so much to see, taste, hear and experience in Puglia that once you leave, you literally feel like you are suddenly (and perhaps a little disappointingly) back on the ground.
Join us for a luxurious and customized experience in Puglia where participants will
Walking tours and on-site visits may entail uneven terrain such as cobblestones and city hills, as well as challenging environments with stairs without handrails and/or the absence of elevators.
DAY 1: FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2025 – Arrival and check-in
3:00 pm – Arrival and check-in to the Borgo Egnazia, Savelletri di Fasano (Province of Brindisi)
The Borgo Egnazia Hotel is one of the most beautiful and unique hotels in all the world. You will feel like you are in a true Puglian village, surrounded by limestone building, vines, jasmine, rosemary, prickly pears, and olive trees. Luxury and nature come together like nowhere else in Italy!
*Recommended Airport for arrival: Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport (BRI) or Brindisi Salento Airport (BDS)
*Private transfers from Bari or Brindisi airports and/or train stations to the Borgo Egnazia Hotel are available upon request
7:30 pm – Welcome group dinner at the Borgo Egnazia
DAY 2: SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 2025 – Alberobello and Polignano al Mare
9:30 am – Depart for Alberobello
Identified as “One of the most beautiful villages of Italy,” Alberobello is celebrated throughout the world for its unique habitations called “trulli.” Trulli are stone huts with sloping canonical, stone covered roofs. Italy meets the Shire!
1:00 pm – Group lunch at a traditional Pugliese restaurant in Alberobello
2:30 pm – Depart for Polignano al Mare
Polignano al Mare is a sea-side town celebrated for its natural beauty with breathtaking crystal-clear sapphire blue waters below steep limestone cliffs. It is also the hometown of the celebrated Italian singer Domenico Modugno, who recorded the world’s most popular song, “Nel blu dipinto di blu,” better known as “Volare.”
5:00 pm – Return to the Borgo Egnazia
DAY 3: SUNDAY, APRIL 20, 2025 – Easter at the Borgo Egnazia
Free day to enjoy activities at the Borgo Egnazia Hotel and Resort (Golf, Tennis, Spa, Easter activities)
1:00 pm – Group Easter lunch at the Borgo Egnazia
DAY 4: MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2025 – Ostuni and Lecce
9:30 am – Check out of and depart from the Borgo Egnazia for Lecce with stop in Ostuni
Known as “La Città Bianca” (“the White City”) for its uniformly white buildings, the charming medieval town of Ostuni rises high above an olive-tree-covered plateau.
12:30 pm –Group lunch at a traditional Pugliese restaurant in Ostuni
2:00 pm – Depart Ostuni for Lecce and check-in to Patria Palace Hotel (Lecce)
An 18th-century-palace-turned-hotel, the luxurious Patria Palace Hotel is located in the very heart of Lecce, situated directly across from the magnificent Baroque church of Santa Croce.
5:30 pm – Walking tour of Lecce
Often described as “the Florence of southern Italy,” Lecce is home to some of Italy’s most beautiful Baroque architecture. In fact, the city’s unique Baroque style is known as “Lecce Baroque,” and is not only present in its magnificent churches, but also in many of the buildings and palaces that line the sun-drenched labyrinth of streets that characterize the city.
7:00 pm – Orecchiette Pasta cooking class, winetasting, and dinner
Learn how to make Puglia’s signature pasta – orecchiette! Meaning “little ears” in English, due to their unique curved shape, orecchiette can be served with any number of ingredients, from simple “pomodoro” to broccoli rabe. We will enjoy various local wines while we cook.
DAY 5: TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2025 – The Salento
9:30 am – Depart for Otranto in the Salento area of Puglia
The Salento region is a cultural, historical, and geographic area at the southern end of Puglia that is celebrated for its natural beauty. It is sometimes described as the “heel” of the Italian “boot,” and encompasses the provinces of Lecce, Brindisi, and part of Taranto.
10:00 am – Visit to the historical center of Otranto
Italy’s eastern-most town, Otranto is a true seaside gem. It is a mix of history, architecture, sea-front piazzas and restaurants and white sandy beaches. It is one of Puglia’s most charming and picturesque towns.
11:30 am – Le Constantine Foundation (weaving workshop)
Established in 1901, the one-of-a kind Casamasella School for weaving and embroidery is dedicated to the financial emancipation of women by giving them the opportunity to acquire skills with which to build a livelihood. The laboratory still produces high-quality textile goods according to the centuries-old methods, materials, and traditions of the Salento region in an attempt to preserve and carry on Puglia’s artisanal heritage.
1:30 pm – Lunch at a traditional Pugliese restaurant in Santa Maria di Leuca – the southern-most tip of the heel of Italy!
3:00 pm – Depart Santa Maria di Leuca for afternoon visit to Gallipoli
Located on the western coast of Puglia, on the Ionian Sea, Gallipoli is Greek for “beautiful city.” Although it is not as famous as its Turkish counterpart, few places surpass the charm of Gallipoli in Puglia. Its fortified historical center and stunning beaches clearly indicate that the Greeks knew how to name cities!
7:00 pm –Free evening in Lecce
DAY 6: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2025 – Gianfranco Fino Winery and Matera
10:00 am – Depart Lecce for Gianfranco Fino Winery in Manduria (Taranto)
Voted Winemaker of the Year in 2010 by Italy’s Gambero Rosso Italian Wines guide, Gianfranco Fino has been producing some of Italy’s greatest wine since 2004. Looking to preserve the old vines on his land, most of which date to the early 20th century, Fino follows rigorous manual methods of making wine, such as horse-and-plow tilling and hand-picking the grapes. The vines are mainly trained with a small bush Pugliese system and grow on limestone-clay-rich red soil and are caressed by an Ionian Sea breeze and the warm Apulian sun. As one critic said, “Gianfranco Fino showed the world the potential of what a wine from Puglia could be.” His wines and locally sourced food are also all organic!
11:30 am – Visit to the Gianfranco Fino Winery for winetasting and lunch
Enjoy a delicious 4-course meal prepared by Gianfranco Fino’s celebrated chef which will be paired with select Gianfranco Fino wines.
2:30 pm – Depart winery for Matera
4:00 pm – Check in to Hotel Sant’Angelo (Matera)
The Sant’Angelo Luxury Resort in Matera is a “dispersed hotel,” meaning that the rooms are spread out in a large area, without a central building. You will find yourself immersed amongst the millennia-old tufa caves without sacrificing any modern luxury. No other hotel in the historic city offers such an historic atmosphere and breathtaking views of the Gravina River canyon.
4:30pm – Free evening in Matera
DAY 7: THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2025 – The Sassi di Matera
10:00 am – Walking tour of the Sassi di Matera
Located on the eastern edge of the region of Basilicata, which borders Puglia, Matera has become one of Italy’s most popular destinations. It is famous for its “Sassi,” two cliff-side zones of rock-cut dwellings (or caves), which have been inhabited since Paleolithic times. This suggestive geological urbanscape has served as the setting for many famous films such as Pasolini’s “The Gospel According to Matthew,” Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ,” and the recent James Bond movie “No Time to Die.”
1:00 pm – Free for lunch and afternoon
7:30 pm – Farewell group dinner at Regia Corte Restaurant
DAY 8: FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2025 – ARRIVEDERCI PUGLIA!
11:00 am – Check out of Hotel Sant’ Angelo and (sadly) the end of the program
*Recommended Airport for departure: Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport (BRI) or Brindisi Salento Airport (BDS)
*Private transfers from the hotel to Bari or Brindisi airports and/or train stations are available upon request
All participants will be staying at three different historic luxury five-star hotels:
SAVELLETRI DI FASANO :
Borgo Egnazia – 5 Star
Strada Comunale Egnazia 72015
Savelletri BR
Italy
+39 080 225 5000
LECCE:
Patria Palace Hotel – 5 Star
Piazzetta Gabriele Riccardi, 13
73100 Lecce LE
Italy
+39 0832 245111
MATERA:
Sant’Angelo Luxury Resort – 5 Stars
Piazza S. Pietro Caveoso
75100 Matera MT
Italy
+39 0835 314010
https://www.santangeloresort.it/?lang=en
ACCOMMODATIONS:
April 18 – 25, 2025
Double Occupancy – $9,980.00/person
Single Occupancy – $11,390.00/person
Includes:
– 7-night accommodations in Deluxe Double rooms in all hotels (breakfast included)
– All lectures with Dr. Rocky
– All admissions
– All group meals
– All tastings and cooking classes
– All ground transportation between April 18 and 25, 2025
– Welcome dinner and Farewell dinner
Not included:
Airfare to Italy and transportation to Borgo Egnazia (Savelletri di Fasano)/from Sant’Angelo Luxury Resort (Matera).
Payment:
A deposit of 30% of the program fee is required to reserve a space on a program. All payments may be made by credit card or check. Deposits are applied to final payment of the program price.
A second deposit of 30% of the program fee is required 6 months after the first payment, unless otherwise noted.
The balance is due 60 days prior to the first day of the program, unless otherwise noted. If full payment is not received by the final payment due date, your place cannot be guaranteed on the program.
Wait List:
If the program of your choice is fully subscribed, you may choose to be placed on a waitlist by contacting us at info@rockyruggiero.com or by phone. Individuals on the wait list will be contacted if space becomes available and can inquire about program status by contacting us. If you choose to withdraw from a wait list, please notify us.
Cancellation and Refund Policy:
Following enrollment, a participant’s withdrawal from the program for any reason, including, but not limited to, illness, injury, family engagements, work-related issues, geopolitical concerns, or airline delays and/or cancellations, etc., will be deemed a cancellation. Please understand that there will be no exceptions to our cancellation policy.
Per person cancellation fees are based on date of written notice to Rocky Ruggiero. We will refund on the following basis:
– Cancellations within 10 days of booking: Full Refund
– Cancellations after 10 days of booking: Full Deposit Retained
– Cancellations made within final payment date, 60 days before departure: No Refund
– Cancellation by Rocky Ruggiero: Full Refund or Credit
– Non transferable to other travel programs, tours and online and in-person events.
Travel Protection Plan:
Purchase Travel Insurance to Protect your Vacation
Special Travel Arrangements:
Participants may wish to extend their stay in the group hotel either before or after the tour. We will work with you on these arrangements, dependent upon space availability.
Should you decide not to participate in certain parts of the program, no refunds will be made for those unused parts of the program.
READ CAREFULLY: RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT AND LIABILITY DISCLAIMER
Neither Rocky Ruggiero nor faculty shall be held liable for personal injury, death, property damage or accident, delay or irregularity arising out of any act or omission of these suppliers. Rocky Ruggiero and other faculty reserve the right, without penalty, to make changes in the published itinerary whenever, in their judgment, conditions warrant, or if they deem it necessary for the comfort, convenience, or safety of tour participants.
Rocky Ruggiero and designated faculty also reserve the right, without penalty, to withdraw the program announced, to decline to accept any person as a participant in a program, or to require any participant to withdraw from the program at any time (including, but not limited for inappropriate, or offensive behavior) when such action is determined by program staff to be in the best interests of the health, safety or general welfare of the program group or the individual participant.
Dates, schedules, tour details, and costs, although provided in good faith based on information available at the time of publication on the website, are subject to change and revision.
AS A CONDITION OF ACCEPTANCE OF ANY APPLICATION, EACH APPLICANT MUST AGREE TO THE STATEMENT SET FORTH BELOW:
The undersigned has read carefully the Responsibility Statement and Liability Disclaimer set forth above, the schedule of activities for this program, as well as the terms and conditions of application and participation as set forth in the program materials and recognizes and accepts any risk associated with the program and the conditions, including the refund policy, set forth in the program materials. The undersigned further acknowledges that there are many risks and uncertainties inherent in any travel program, including but not limited to the hazards of various modes of transportation, forces of nature, acts or omissions of foreign governments, terrorism, war or insurrection, theft, illness, and damage to person or property due to the negligent acts or omissions of program staff or others. In consideration of, and as part payment for, the right to participate in the program, the undersigned, on behalf of himself, his dependents, heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, agrees to release Rocky Ruggiero, its Regents, officers, employees, representatives or agents, the United States, from liability for personal injury, death, property damage or loss suffered by any person in connection with this tour, even if caused by the negligence (but not the reckless, willful, or fraudulent conduct) of program staff or other related persons or entities. In addition, by registering for this program, the applicant certifies that he or she is mentally and physically capable of full participation in this tour. By registering for a “Rocky Ruggiero Program in Italy”, the participant agrees to the Responsibility Statement and Liability Disclaimer and the Terms and Conditions herein.
