Guided tours and educational trips are an important educational support activities carried out daily in schools.
That is why we organize excursions to the city and the most important areas of Salento and Puglia, creating educational courses tailored to the age and needs of each individual school. Artistic, historical – archaeological and natural allow the students to become better acquainted with the area.
In the routes the children will be accompanied by qualified tourist guides of the Puglia region, with experience in the field. Tours can be half day or full day, combining different goals and thus forming a path so full of knowledge of the peculiarities of the Salento and Puglia. Excursions can be accompanied by visits to museums, parks and educational activities and workshops.
The Valle d’ Itria. Alberobello, Locorotondo and Martina Franca
Between the provinces of Bari, Brindisi and Taranto, the Itria Valley is best known for the characteristic buildings trulliformi and small and pretty villages.
Route: The route moves to the discovery of Alberobello, the famous city of the trulli become Unesco World Heritage in 1996, and its two districts: the District Aja Piccola and Rione Monti. It continues with a visit to the old center of Locorotondo, planting approximately circular and of great charm for white lime that surrounds every household and the decorum of the roads jealously guarded by its inhabitants. It ends in Martina Franca, another baroque capital of Puglia, characterized by rich mansions, churches and monumental spaces such as the Basilica of San Martino and Piazza Plebiscito.
Duration: one day
The Amphitheater was attended by a larger public (25000) and offered more popular entertainment if compared to the sophisticated shows held in the theater.The Amphitheater vas the venue for combats between gladiators and venationes, namely cruel fights between humans and animals, as attested by the subjects carved in to the marble slabs found in the excavation sites.Formerly, these slabs were part of the parapet which divided the elliptic arena from the tiers of stands, of which only one stands today. Today you can see just a quarter of it(it was brought to light by chance by Cosimo De Giorgi during his excavations to build palaces in 1908) the other part is and always be underneath unless the demolition of the “St. Mary of the Graces” church and the entrance of the Charles V castle.. The structure of the Amphitheater dates back to the First and Second century AD and was partially built directly on the rock and partially resting on tuff pillars connected to arches. Despite its fragmentary state, the Amphitheater is the most relevant archaeological evidence of the Roman period in Salento.
The route crosses Bari Vecchia , the lively historic center of the city , a maze of narrow streets inside the walls where you can admire some of the most important examples of Romanesque architecture in Puglia.
Itinerary: Basilica of San Nicola and crypt with the tomb of the Holy Cathedral of San Sabino , Crypt , Castello Svevo , via Arco Basso , Piazza del Ferrarese , Piazza Mercantile.
City of ancient origins, its foundation and even its name date back to the Messapian. From 244 BC the city takes on the role of the colony, it is the end of the Appian Way and its port, facing east, is in Rome for the starting point for the conquest of the Mediterranean. The journey through the streets of the historic center of Brindisi tells the extraordinary story of Roman Brundisium.
Route: The route starts from the waterfront at the foot of the monumental staircase leading to the square where you can see the Roman column; along via columns, you get to Piazza Duomo which houses the Cathedral Museum and the Provincial building in which are relics of the prehistoric, Messapian and Roman; not far from the sacred plaza is located the Church of St. John at the Sepulchre. Continue our route will take you to visit Palazzo Granafei Nervegna building which houses the original capital of the Roman column, and the archaeological site of San Pietro degli Schiavoni in the New Theatre Verdi. You can also use a boat to get to the house and visit the Monument to Italian Sailors.
Duration: about two hours
The guided tour service, performed by qualified, trained personnel, provides that the guide accompany the group on the bus from Lecce to the various destinations
Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996 , Castel del Monte , built by Frederick II , is one of the most important examples of military architecture of the Middle Ages in Southern Italy . In addition to the features and architectural features , the castle tour allows you to discover a very interesting period , the history of Puglia, the castle is in fact the mixture of cultural elements from northern Europe , the Muslim world and classical antiquity , which characterize the reign of Frederick II of Swabia.
The guided tour service, performed by qualified, trained personnel , provides that the guide accompany the group on the bus from Lecce to the various destinations
The dig and cleaning activities carried out in some areas of the 16th century gave us a lot of useful information on the medieval moat. Indeed the castle was surrounded by a deep moat as part of its defensive system during the middle ages; it was built on the rocky bank and most of the stone used to build the fortress was taken from it. Both the south-eastern corner and the north-eastern one of the castle were linked to the city walls(its meeting point is still visible from the eastern side of the southern gallery under the cut tower). The archaeological digs have brought to light the southern gallery and the eastern one. During the renovation and enlargement activities of the castle in the 16th century the medieval moat was enlarged and covered with barrel vaults and consequently converted into an underground gallery, used for military purposes.
Galatina, the town of tarantate
A journey that takes place in the heart of the historic center of Galatina, home to the fourteenth-century Basilica of St. Catherine of Alexandria, second only to Assisi to the importance of its frescoes, and the Chapel of St. Paul fulcrum of the phenomenon Salento’s popular “Tarantismo”.
Itinerary: Mother Church of St. Peter and Paul Chapel and well of St. Paul , the Basilica of St. Catherine of Alexandria
Duration: two hours
The guided tour service, performed by qualified, trained personnel, provides that the guide accompany the group on the bus from Lecce to the various destinations
The visit to some towns of Greek Salento allows to know a territory in which only a precious linguistic heritage : Griko . We recommend a visit of Calimera and the Museum of Rural Life and culture grika , Soleto with Spire Raimondello and the church of Santo Stefano , and Corigliano and its castle .
Duration: about three hours
The guided tour service , performed by qualified, trained personnel , provides that the guide accompany the group on the bus from Lecce to the various destinations
Walking tour among the most important sights of the town that go from the messapian and roman period to the wonders of the renaissance and baroque times.
Itinerary: Duomo square (Cathedral,bell tower,the bishop palace and seminary), St. Irene church(previous she-patron saint of the town), St. Oronzo square with its roman, renaissance, and modern sites, The Holy Cross Basilica and the Celestini Palace; both the greatest examples of the renaissance and baroque styles
Duration: approximately 2 hrs
A flourishing Jewish comunity grew numerous and prolific during one of the welthiest economic periods of the city (XV-XVI century), when Lecce became the County Capital and was ruled first by M. d’Enghien and then by her son Giovanni Orsini Del Balzo later.. At the beginning of the XVI century some anti jewish legislative laws issued by Ferdinand I and Charles V forced this community to leave the city destroying their material and immaterial assets.
However, the name of the streets and the history of the buildings built over the jewish neighborhood area give today an incredible opportunity ro recreate the history of this important community that contributed to the economic and commercial growth of the town – this itinerary starts in the St. Martin tannery(between St. Oronzo sq. And the Holy Cross basilica) and goes on with the visit of the Personè Palace, the Sinagoga street, the Abramo Balmes street and the Castle.
Duration: 2 hrs
Lecce capital of Baroque and Lecce Roman city. They are the two most famous faces of this city . But if we focus mainly on these two periods we will always find little space or perhaps no time to tell the story of what was once the Lecce Medieval and Renaissance art and history of its protagonists : Tancred , Maria d’ Enghien and Giovanni Antonio Orsini ‘s Leap are just some of the characters that have laid the foundation for what was the splendor of Lecce of the seventeenth century .
The itinerary suggests a walk to the discovery of a past almost entirely disappeared , traces of which , labile , you can still find some detailed analysis of monuments and walking paths little tourist district almost unknown… in short, rediscovering the historic center of Lecce in its most hidden and suggestive .
This tour regards the history of the city and the stories of the most important citizens who lived in that period; therefore this tour is more focused on unknown facts, places, anectdotes and witnesses of the XVIth century than historic sights.
Itinerary: Charles V castle, the Merchants square (today St. Oronzo sq, an important commercial center during the venetian domination, as you can see from the small St. Mark church in the middle of the square and the adjoining Seat), the St. Mary of the Graces church( a beautiful renaissance church built over a previous jewish sinagogue) , the St. Irene church and the Jesus church whose religious services were held by the teatini and the jesuit monks who were the most important brotherhood in town
Duration: approximately 2 hrs
An interesting walking tour regarding the origins of the town and the different populations who founded it and built some impressive sights.
Itinerary: the Roman Amphiteater, the Roman Column and the Castromedian square, the Roman Theatre.
In addition in this tour you may visit some museums situated inside the above mentioned historic sites (the roman theatre museum, the Castromedian archeological museum and the MUSA-the historic archeological museum)
Duration: 2 hrs
Matera, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993 and the newly elected European Capital of Culture for 2019 , is called the Stone City for its unique historical center consists of the two districts, Sasso Barisano and Caveoso and Civita.
Itinerary: Sasso Barisano, cave church of the Holy Spirit (free admission), Cathedral, Sasso Caveoso and Piazza San Pietro Caveoso, visit the church of the same name, Casa Grotta and ice house, Malve district with ancient cemetery excavated in the cave, Piazzetta Pascoli and Palazzo Lanfranchi, Piazza Vittorio Veneto.
The guided tour service, performed by qualified, trained personnel, provides that the guide accompany the group on the bus from Lecce to the various destinations
Ostuni, the white city
Localized to the extreme southern Murgia, Ostuni is visible from miles away to the white color of lime with which annually, in the past, they proceeded to paint the houses of the old town. The town, enclosed within an imposing city walls, is a maze of narrow streets with irregular where it is pleasant to get lost.
Itinerary: through Porta Nova, one of the entrances to the Old Town, you are immediately struck by the very special urban center: buildings with considerable heights connected by flying buttresses and countless steps to make connection to the different levels of the city. Once in the street Cathedral hits the rococo facade of the Church of San Vito Monacelle, the Museum of the Southern Murgia Pre-Classical, and proceed in the direction of Largo Trinchera square on which stands the Cathedral of the XV sec., And the Bishop’s Palace the Seminary Palace connected by the Scoppa. The tour ends in the central Freedom Square, dominated by the Town Hall, in the rooms of the former convent attached to the Church of St. Francis, and the Spire of St. Oronzo.
Duration: about two hours
The guided tour service, performed by qualified, trained personnel, provides that the guide accompany the group on the bus from Lecce to the various destinations
Otranto, the city of the Martyrs
The route offers a visit to the historic center of Otranto, a port city of the East, to discover the history of the Martyrs idruntini and enigmatic mosaic kept inside the Cathedral.
Itinerary: Porta Terra, Alfonsina Tower, Cathedral of the Annunciation – building where the relics of the nineteenth century Martyrs Idruntini and precious mosaic of Pantaleone – Aragonese Castle, Ramparts, Church of St. Peter.
Duration: about two hours
A fascinating journey to discover the oldest traces of human presence and evocative of Salento, whose function has not yet been, to date, fully clarified, menhirs and dolmens other impressive and mysterious stone structures.
Itinerary: The itinerary is concentrated in the central area of Salento, in the town of Giurdignano, ending in the nearby town of Giuggianello, a particular area for the presence of numerous witnesses megalithic so that it was called the “Garden of Italy megalithic “. An archaeological site in the typical Salentine countryside where, during a relaxed stroll through nature, you will come across these mysterious traces of ancient human presence.
The “Megalithic Park” Giurdignano that preserves testimonies of thirty dolmens and menhirs, including the interesting menhirs of St. Paul, Christianized scavandone below a small crypt with frescoes, it moves into the territory of the neighboring town of Giuggianello, to visit the interesting Dolmen Stabile and the mysterious “Boulders Giuggianello”. It is enormous rock formations of natural origin that have given birth since ancient tales and legends because of their size and their mysterious origin. Proof of this is the name given to him over the centuries: “The foot of Hercules” “Lu furticiddu of the old de Nanni lu”, “Lu lettu of the old.”
Duration: half day
The walking tour makes you discover the history of the town from the Messapian and Roman period to the Renaissance and baroque one.Tour starts in Duomo square where you visit the Cathedral, the Bell tower, the Bishop palace and the Seminary. On the way to get the main historic square there is the neoclassical St. Irene church( the former she Patron Saint of the town); when you get to St.Oronzo square you will be amazed by the presence of different sights in a such small area as The Roman amphiteater, the renaissance style Seat , the Roman Column topped by the bronze statue of the patron Saint (Oronzo) and the small St. Mark church symbol of the Venetian settlements in Lecce. Then The Holy Cross Basilica , one of the ten Italian wonderies which is the greatest exemple of the Leccese baroque style. In the end The Charles V castle, a fortress restored during the XVI th century over a previous one of the Middle ages.
Taranto, the city of two seas
Founded in 706 BC by a group of Spartans, Taras, was the only Greek city in the region of Puglia. Throughout its history he took on the role as a hegemonic city of Greeks, and represented the last great enemy with which Rome had to fight before realizing his project of conquest of the entire Italian territory (272 BC).
Route: The route starts from Piazza Castello, dominated by the Aragonese building, the building of the City and only two columns of a Doric temple dating from the sixth century. B.C. To reach the Cathedral we choose to go via Duomo, the major road that cuts east-west the historical center; of extraordinary wealth is in the Cathedral, the Chapel dedicated to San Cataldo, the bishop patron saint of the city. In the modern city it is located on the National Archaeological Museum, one of the most important museum complexes in Southern Italy.
Duration: about two hours
The guided tour service, performed by qualified, trained personnel, provides that the guide accompany the group on the bus from Lecce to the various destinations