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Day 2 - Archeology and Nature in Gargano – After breakfast, pick up your bag lunch and go by coach to meeting point. The route will take you from the ’bosco’ (wood) of Vieste alongside the Foresta Umbra, then on to Monte Sacro, famous for the ruins of the Abbazia (Abbey) of the Santissima Trinità. Start your hike  from Sagro, whose woods are known for its large Cerris oak trees. After about a 3-km walk, arrival at the Masseria (typical Apulian farmhouse) Fusillo. Then  on to Monte Sacro with the ruins of the abbey that are based on a trapezoidal shape. Back to your hotel for dinner. Duration: approx. 10 hours – Distance:  21km/13mi – Difficulty: moderate to difficult

 

Day 3 - The Foresta Umbra and the National Park of Gargano - After breakfast, pick up your bag lunch and leave by coach. This hike runs through the woods,  the ‘Foresta Umbra’: Caserma di Caritate (300m/984ft a.s.l.), Baracconi and Iacotenente (800m/2624ft a.s.l.) then descends to Ginestra (lower and upper) and  Caritate. Setting off from the Caserma di Caritate, follow the paved road for approx.1 km until you get to a picnic area. At the bottom of this area, you  will find a sign indicating the trail to Baracconi (first sign). The trail winds up the hill in 25 bends, in one of which you will find the second sign. As  you go on, you will find signs pointing the way to ‘grava di Pozzo Lombardo’, and further on a sign indicating ‘la grava di Malanotte’. After about a 3- hour -hike, you’ll get to Baracconi, near the ‘Villaggio Umbra’. Transfer by GT (Gran Turismo) Top Class Coach to your hotel where dinner awaits you. Duration:  approx. 11 hours - Distance: 26km/16.1mi – Difficulty: difficult.

 

Day 4 – National Park of the Alta Murgia and Castel del Monte - After breakfast, pick up your bag lunch and leave by coach for meeting point (approx.1.5  hours) to start your hike on a trail with a specialized guide in the area surrounding Castel del Monte, to admire the local flora and fauna of the Murgia as  well as masserie (traditional Apulian farmhouses) and dry stone walls. A visit to a ‘masseria’ is scheduled where you can sample local products and in the  afternoon you’ll enjoy a guided tour of the Octogonal Castle, symbol of Emperor Frederick II’s power and might. Transfer to Salento by GT (Gran Turismo) Top  Class Coach (approx. 2.5hrs). Get settled in your hotel and ready for dinner. Duration: approx. 4hrs – Distance: 15km/9.3mi – Difficulty: moderate.

 

Day 5 – Porto Selvaggio, Palude del Capitano and Gallipoli - After breakfast, pick up your bag lunch and leave by coach. Hike starts at the ‘Portoselvaggio  e Palude del Capitano’ Regional Natural Park, an area stretching from Santa Caterina to Sant’Isidoro, with a mixture of high cliffs, coves, bays and inlets.  The pine trees provide shade for the trails that run through the park where you can see prehistoric caves, ‘specchie’ (man-made stone hills) walls of ancient  villages, coastal watchtowers and fish fossils. This was first park to be established in Puglia, a park for all seasons. Transfer by coach to Gallipoli,  brief visit to the old town. Then on to your hotel where dinner awaits you. Duration: approx. 10hrs – Distance: 15km/9.3mi – Difficulty: moderate.

 

Day 6 - Italian Sud-Est and Otranto - After breakfast, pick up your bag lunch and leave by coach for the start of your excursion. A hike along the Adriatic  Coast of Salento to Otranto, the easternmost city in Italy, on cliffs shaded with gold and sand that is a mixture of white and black – it reflects the many  dichotomies you will encounter on this hike. Final destination is Otranto where you will explore this ancient town. Transfer by coach to your hotel where  dinner awaits you. Duration: approx. 10hrs – Distance: 18km/11.1mi – Difficulty: moderate.

 

Day 7 – Terra d’Arneo and Lecce - After breakfast, pick up your bag lunch and leave by coach for the start of your excursion. Beautiful hike, this time in  Terra di Arneo surrounded by the ‘macchia’ (scrubland) in the vicinity of the high speed test track. You’ll be enticed by the penetrating and delightful  fragrance of cheese and ricotta from the ‘masseria’, which you can buy during the stops. An itinerary that meanders through olive groves, long stretches of  straight roads, bothpaved and unpaved and elegant country villas. Plus gigantic oaks and caves. Then you will be taken by coach to Lecce for a brief tour of  the historic centre. Transfer to your hotel where dinner awaits you. Duration: approx. 10hrs – Distance: 18km/11.1mi – Difficulty: moderate.

 

Day 8 – Departure – After breakfast there may be free time and then transfer to airport for your departure.