Silversea Luxury Cruises A BARI

Indulge your senses with the splendid Old World beauty and architecture of Southern Italy during this 6-hour tour of Alberobello.

Depart the pier for the approximately 1.15-hour scenic drive through the beautiful countryside of green olive groves, golden wheat fields and blue skies, to reach Alberobello, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Arriving at Alberobello you admire the enchanting Trulli with their whitewashed walls and grey pointed roofs, which are the unmistakable symbol of the this village.

Take a walk through the narrow streets of the town centre, then across the delightful districts of Monti and Aia Piccola to learn about the ancient architecture of these unique houses the ancient symbols and cute pinnacles on their cone-shaped roofs.

Following your walking tour of Alberobello, some free time is available for you to explore the narrow streets and browse the souvenir shops at your leisure.

Departing Alberobello, a short drive further into the countryside will take you to a splendid refreshment venue.

The location and setting is perfect and the building itself possesses the Trulli roofs. Inside an array of delicious local specialties, such as the typical Apulian focaccia (bread) and other tasteful delights along with typical Apulian wine.

You can take photos of the old farmhouse with its traditional stonewalls and Trulli roofs and you may relax a while in the sunshine on the terrace before departing and taking the coastal route back to Bari, with the crystal clear waters of the sea on one side and the olive trees and Trulli on the other.

Savour the delicious specialties of the Apulian region during this hands-on cooking lesson at the Il Melograno Resort, located few minutes outside Monopoli town, part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World group.

Depart the pier for the approximately 1 hour-drive southwest through the Apulian countryside en route to Melograno. The resort is named after the numerous grenade and other fruit trees that dot the surrounding landscape. The building is comprised of two parts; the 17th-century masseria, or fortified farmhouse, which is seamlessly paired with a new wing.

Upon arrival and after a brief introduction to the Masseria, proceed to the resort's kitchen and commence your cooking lesson. Apulia is renowned for its culture of healthy eating. The scent of the land and the sea is reflected in the recipes of the area. Most meals include local Focaccia, hard wheat pastas such as Orecchiette, local vegetables, rise and seafood accompanied by hints of extra virgin olive oil and local wines tasting.

During this hands-on experience, your chef-instructor guides you through the creation of an Apulian-style meal. The menu is likely to include Focaccia, Orecchiette hand made Pasta and the very local Riso Patate e Cozze (a baking pan of Rice, Potatoes and Mussels).

At the conclusion of the cooking lesson, you are served the fruits of your labour accompanied by local wines.

After lunch, re-board the coach for the approximately 1-hour return drive to the pier.

An hour's coach ride takes you to Castel del Monte's coach park, where you transfer to a shuttle bus for the ride uphill to the castle entrance.

This World Heritage listed castle with its almost unique octagonal structure incorporating 8 octagonal towers at the corners of the battlements stands on the top of an isolated hill near the town of Andria.

Architecturally it is a mixture of Romanesque, Arabian, Norman and Gothic features, although disagreement is rife regarding its true history and purpose. Its construction was ordered by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II of Swabia and the building work was done by local workers alongside Northern and Saracen master stonemasons.

After the castle visit return to Bari for a short sightseeing drive along its elegant seafront and through the "new" part of town built by Napoleon's brother-in-law Murat, now Bari's trendy shopping district.

The last highlight of the tour is a photo stop at Bari's iconic Norman-Swabian Castle. You then have a little free time before re-boarding the bus and returning to the pier, or you can decide to stay downtown to explore on your own and return to the ship at your leisure.

Experience the scenic beauty and Old World charm of Bari during a memorable half-day walking tour of this historic city.

Depart the pier for a scenic drive along Bari's seafront and modern district to the old town centre. En route, a photo stop is made at the Swabian Castle.

Swabian Castle

Originally built by Frederick II upon earlier Norman fortifications, the Swabian Castle's present appearance is the result of modifications carried out by the Aragonese family in the 1500s, when the castle became the residence of Isabel of Aragon.

Bari

Upon arrival in Bari's city centre, commence your walking tour of the Old Town to explore the historic sites and gain an insight into the local lifestyle. Along the way, a visit is made to the Cathedral of Saint Sabino.

Cathedral of Saint Sabino

Dedicated to Saint Sabino, this Apulian-Romanesque style cathedral was built in the second half of the 12th century. The façade boasts three portals and a rose window with imaginary monstrous creatures. At the rear of the cathedral, a stop is made to admire the 12th-century window with a decorated canopy supported by columns.

Next, your walking tour proceeds through Strada del Carmine before arriving at the Basilica of Saint Nicholas.

Basilica of Saint Nicholas

The symbol of Bari, the basilica houses the mortal remains of Saint Nicholas. According to a local legend, 62 sailors went to Myra, Turkey in 1087, stole the saint's remains and brought them to Bari. Consecrated in 1197, the church is one of the masterpieces of the Apulian-Romanesque style, and features an imposing limestone façade flanked by two large bell towers. The interior hosts two unique examples of Medieval sculpture: a ciborium with figured capitals, and the bishop's throne, known as 'Elia's Chair'. The basilica is a place of pilgrimage, particularly for believers from Eastern Europe. The impressive, ornately-decorated crypt is adorned with rich colours. Leaving the basilica, proceed for the short walk to Via Venezia, Piazza Mercantile and Piazza Ferrarese.

Following your walking tour, some free time is made available to further explore the Old Town's narrow cobbled streets and squares, impressive façades of Medieval buildings and ancient walls. You may also sip a cappuccino at a local café and watch the locals going about their daily routine.

At the conclusion of your visit, re-board the coach for the return drive to the pier, or spend some additional time in the city and return to the ship at your own expense.

The first part of the one-hour drive to Trani goes through Bari's newer area along the seafront road. Your guide will point out some of the imposing buildings which are a legacy of the Fascist architecture with which Mussolini sought to recall the glories of ancient Rome and to signify his powerful influence.

The journey continues northwest up the scenic coastal route to the lovely seaside town of Trani. The elegant cathedral, a splendid example of Apulian Romanesque architecture, stands with its soaring bell tower on one side of the U-shaped harbor facing the vast, almost modernist Swabian Castle on the other.

Trani Cathedral is one of the finest examples of churches in the Apulian Romanesque style, boasting a delicately carved 13^th-century main portal and the magnificent late-12^th-century bronze doors cast by Barisano da Trani with their 32 relief panels decorated with figures of Christ, the Virgin, Apostles and Saints. Also from the 12^th century are fragments of fine mosaic floor tiles near the main altar. The cathedral's interior was embellished with Baroque decorations in the 19^th century but later restored to its original Romanesque appearance in 1952-55. From the side aisles you will reach the crypt dedicated to St. Nicholas the Pilgrim built, along with the lower church of Santa Maria, over a Paleochristian site housing a rectangular hypogeum. This is the underground tomb of Saint Leucius, the first bishop of Brindisi.

After the visit you will have some free time to wander around this lovely town locally known as 'the slow town' and sit and relax in one of its charming cafes. At the right time of day you may see the hustle and bustle of the local fish market, but in any case the lively fishing port, wide paved streets and elegant buildings are a pleasure in themselves. A stroll along Trani's harbour brings you back to the coach to continue your tour towards Bisceglie.

Like much of Apulia, the Bisceglie area is renowned for its robust extra virgin olive oil, mainly pressed from Cima di Bitonto and Coratina cultivars. A short drive through countryside dotted with sculpture-like olive trees takes you to a leading oil producer's, where you will learn about olive harvesting and oil production and take part in an oil tasting. You will be served with what they call a snack - Cerignola olives, artichokes, aubergines, sweet peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini, wild Lampascioni onions - all obviously pickled in olive oil, roasted sweet peppers and roasted onions, Caprese Salad, Altamura bread, Bisceglie focaccia bread, taralli biscuits, toasted bruschetta, fresh fruit and local dessert, washed down with mineral water and Primitivo di Manduria wine.

It is time for the drive back to Bari after having nourished soul and body with culture, tradition and flavors.

aving nourished soul and body with culture, tradition and flavors.

The approximately 1 hour 20 minute-drive from Bari to Matera goes through the rich arable Apulian farmland and hills where durum wheat is grown to produce the traditional yellowish bread known as Pane di Altamura. Upon arrival in Matera, your tour guide will lead you through labyrinthine narrow alleys and stairways to explore the timeless World Heritage Sassi.

Matera's unique landscape is due to its position on the edge of a ravine, with the old town center split into two by a small hill called Civita, where the medieval town stands. An aerial view of the city shows a butterfly with Civita as its body and the two wings fanning out into the separate districts of Sasso Barisano and Sasso Caveoso.

Sassi translates into "stones", or "rocks" in English. Caves in the ravine's soft limestone were inhabited by ancient man, whose descendants added stone to create rock dwellings and churches in the cliff face. You can easily translate Sassi as Stones into English, curiously referring to the origin of the settlements you are going to visit. Sassi were partly built and partly carved out of the soft ravine limestone: houses and grottoes, or churches and grottoes at the same time, where life in the past was really hard and the economy was based upon pasture, because agriculture was quite impossible in a stone context!

Sassi were considered one of Southern Italy's examples of poverty, but they have been transformed into the most important cultural heritage nowadays, so you will easily understand the reason why such a strange settlement has been listed among the UNESCO sites.

Your guide will describe the "vicinati", in which small groups of neighbors living in damp one-room cave dwellings with their livestock clung together around little yards, labyrinths of winding streets, rock churches and cellars, sharing what little they had with the families living nearby. Visit a cave dwelling furnished as it used to be until as recently as the 1960s, and learn about how the locals eked out a living here.

After visiting the Sassi with their rupestrian dwellings and churches it is time to enjoy a sit-down lunch in one of Matera's most famous restaurants. The four-course meal of regional dishes includes an appetizer, entrée, main course and dessert served with mineral water and the local Aglianico wine.

After lunch you have half an hour to wander round or relax before boarding the coach to head across the ravine for a breathtaking panoramic view of Matera and its ravine, where Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of the Christ" was filmed on location. There will be much to reminisce over during the drive back to the pier.

Panoramic clifftop terraces

After a 60 minute drive from the pier to Polignano, you will follow your licensed guide from the bus drop-off point to the terraces. These are the tops of the hundreds of cathedral-like marine caves eroded into the cliff by the sea, now paved and transformed into amazing terraces affording breathtaking views of the crystal-clear sea water, nearby coastal villages and the caves themselves.

Polignano Town Centre and beach

Follow your tour guide through Polignano's characteristic town centre with its typical Mediterranean atmosphere and narrow winding streets. All around is a riot of colourful flowers and greenery created in both public and private spaces thanks to the mild climate and the local folk's creativity. You will wander along narrow lanes carved out of the old defensive walls and continue to catch glimpses of Polignano's astounding grottoes. Lastly, the tour will take you down to the small white beach of Lama Monachile which an ancient riverbed which has carved out in the cliffs and where locals and visitors soak up the sun in summertime.

Mr Volare statue

A short stroll takes you to a small square nearby with a bronze statue of Domenico Modugno welcoming visitors with open arms.

Follow your tour guide and explore Polignano's characteristic town centre, with its winding little streets covered with flowers, a typical Mediterranean atmosphere. Here people are used to decorate their homes both inside and outside, just because climate is so mild that locals are allowed to transform a public open space into family's or neighborhood's garden.

You then have half an hour free to explore further or try a delicious "gelato" before rejoining the coach for the drive back to the ship through ancient Apulian olive groves with some last glimpses of the crystal clear waters and with Mr Volare's white cliffs still lingering in your mind.

Explore Bari at your leisure during your full-day (8-hour) sightseeing tour via private car. Customise your own itinerary or choose to see an overview of the area's highlights.

Depart the pier with your English-speaking guide in an air-conditioned car and discover the city and surrounding areas at your own pace. Your exclusive tour concludes back at the pier.

Explore Bari at your leisure during your half-day (4-hour) sightseeing tour via private car. Customise your own itinerary or choose to see an overview of the area's highlights.

Depart the pier with your English-speaking guide in an air-conditioned car and discover the city and surrounding areas at your own pace. Your exclusive tour concludes back at the pier.

Explore Bari at your leisure during your full-day (8-hour) sightseeing tour via private van. Customise your own itinerary or choose to see an overview of the area's highlights.

Depart the pier with your English-speaking guide in an air-conditioned van and discover the city and surrounding areas at your own pace. Your exclusive tour concludes back at the pier.

Explore Bari at your leisure during your half-day (4-hour) sightseeing tour via private van. Customise your own itinerary or choose to see an overview of the area's highlights.

Depart the pier with your English-speaking guide in an air-conditioned van and discover the city and surrounding areas at your own pace. Your exclusive tour concludes back at the pier.