2025 October 18 to 25
Prices listed are per person:
Shared Room: $5198
Private Room and Shared Bath: $5848
Private Room and Bath: $6948
Physical Challenge
Highlights
Reside for a week in the beautifully restored 14th century Villa Cappelli, perched next to the fabled Appian Way.
Visit medieval towns and villages ranging from Adriatic coastal fishing ports to inland market towns.
Relax by our private, clothing-optional pool in the villa’s courtyard and enjoy a complimentary cocktail hour every evening.
Sample local delicacies prepared in the villa’s kitchen, using olive oil produced at the villa and exported to gourmet shops.
Dine freely and enjoy wine or homemade liquors such as the local specialty limoncello with dinner. All meals and drinks during our week are included in the tour fee, except for one dinner on your own in the nearby village.
Taste wine produced at the villa and sample the vintage of nearby vineyards.
Meet neighbors who rarely see tourists and who enjoy mingling with the guests.
The top floor of the villa has three rooms that share a huge living room and one bath, which could be a fun location for friends traveling together.
Authentic Italian experience without any “tourist” traps — you’ll see very few other foreign visitors as you immerse yourself in the slower pace of life in Puglia.
Overview
A Week at 14th-century Villa Cappelli
We designed this gay travel Italy culinary tour to give guests a truly authentic taste of the Italian region of Puglia. Every meal features local specialties, whether sampled at an agriturismo farmhouse or cooked with guests’ help at the villa. With each day bringing tours of charming villages and interaction with the locals, guests will truly immerse themselves in “La Dolce Vita.”
Stay in a villa whose history goes back to the 14th century. The villa was restored to its ancient splendor by a gay American with deep family roots in the soil of Puglia and his partner. Walk or bike along the ancient Appian Way and other lightly traveled roads. This pristine countryside reflects centuries of pilgrims, soldiers and other travelers, including Crusaders on their way to Jerusalem.
Puglia was isolated enough from Rome and Florence that the Renaissance barely affected life in the region. Many churches and homes pre-date the Renaissance, some over 1000 years old. From local fishing villages to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Castel del Monte to ancient Roman bridges and conical trulli structures in the fields, you’ll experience all that Puglia has to offer. Each day, enjoy the food and wine of the region, freshly prepared in the kitchen at Villa Cappelli, or at restaurants in Terlizzi and around the area.
As with all our tours, the following day to day itinerary may change due to local availability/weather. Things may be done out of order or on a different day then mentioned in the itinerary. All attempts will be made to delivery the tour within expectations.
Day 1: Bon Giorno! Welcome to Puglia!
All travelers should plan to arrive in Bari today.
Upon arrival at Bari airport or the Terlizzi or Molfetta train station, meet your driver to transfer to Villa Cappelli. It is 20 minutes from the airport on a quiet portion of the ancient Appian Way. The Adriatic Sea is less than 10 miles to the east.
After settling into our rooms, savor a light lunch or mid-afternoon snack and sample the Villa’s wine. We will enjoy our welcome dinner tonight at the villa, sampling the olive oil and other delicacies of the region.
Day 2: Formaggio We Will Go
This morning, we’ll take a trip up to the Murgia National Park where we will visit a local artisan cheesemaker and watch mozzarella being made before our very eyes — and sample some right then and there. We will pick up cheeses to enjoy for lunch and throughout the week.
From here, we’ll head over to nearby Ruvo di Puglia and the Jatta Museum, famous for its Grecian Urns. (Many of Ruvo’s Grecian Urns are on display in the Greco-Roman Galleries at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC and many other world-class museums).
Afterward, we will return to the villa for lunch. Anyone is welcome to join in the cooking of lunch or to simply lounge by the pool until lunch is ready.
The afternoon can be spent exploring some of the sites near the Villa. Puglia is famous for its trulli and there is a double trulli just down the road. These are stone houses made without mortar and used by farmers in past centuries when they were away from their homes and families in the villages. There is also an ancient church (dating from 1000 A.D.) nearby that is always a favorite with guests.
This evening we will travel to Terlizzi, the nearest town, for a delicious group dinner, enjoying some local dishes of the region.
Day 3: Pasta — The Holy Grail
Ok, pasta’s not really the Holy Grail (although some might disagree), but today we explore both. First, in the morning we’ll all gather to make fresh pasta in the villa’s kitchen. We will crack some eggs, knead some dough and roll out our specialties just like they’ve been doing it in Italy for hundreds of years. Then set the pasta out to dry for dinner then take off exploring.
We will head off to visit Castel del Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is featured on the back of the Italian version of the Euro penny. Built in the 13th century by the Swabian Emperor, Frederick II, Castel del Monte is perched atop a hill, overlooking all of Puglia and the Adriatic. The castle is featured in many myths and legends, including the Holy Grail.
After a tour of the castle, we will head back to the villa for a light lunch. Then after lunch, guests can enjoy some downtime at the villa. Later in the afternoon, an olive oil expert will visit the villa for a course in olive oil production and olive oil tasting. Tonight, we’ll all enjoy a delicious pasta dinner with the fresh pasta we made earlier in the day.
Day 4: A Meal to Remember
After breakfast, we’ll travel to the seaside town of Trani. This charming town features a beautiful port and a giant cathedral that sits right on the sea. It’s a beautiful gem of a city.
Next, we’ll travel back in time to 216 B.C. and the site of the Battle of Cannae, a major battle of the Second Punic War, near the town of Cannae. Here Hannibal decisively defeated a numerically superior army of the Roman Republic, and it is regarded as one of the greatest tactical feats in military history.
From Cannae, we will travel to the famous agriturismo Antichi Sapori and enjoy a truly special lunch in a remote restaurant whose chef has won wide recognition. We’ll explore the restaurant’s huge garden afterward to see just where all the fresh ingredients come from. It’s a meal you’ll never forget.
After a long lunch, we’ll head back to the villa to relax. Dinner tonight will be something light at the villa.
Day 5: Oh my, it’s Matera — and Pizza!
Today we drive through the mountainous Murgia region to Matera, another amazing UNESCO World Heritage Site. This area dates back centuries but is still occupied today by residents, shops, restaurants and even hotels that are built into the soft “tufa” rock.
We will walk the ancient winding streets that are so well preserved that they have been used in many movies, including Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ and the recent Ben Hur. Then we will take our time touring, including a compact cave house museum, then have lunch in a local restaurant before heading back to the villa.
We will return to Villa Cappelli where tonight each of us gets to be a master pizza chef! Then gather in the cozy kitchen so that we can each roll our own crust (made from scratch). We will select toppings from the numerous bowls laid out on the table and put our creation on a long-handled tray to be cooked in the villa’s own ancient wood-burning pizza oven.
Day 6: Alberobello, Polignano & a Meal with a View
We’ll head out this morning to Alberobello, a town famous for its trulli, which are stone buildings made without any mortar. If you’ve ever seen a Puglian guidebook, these structures are often featured on the cover.
After a quick tour of the town, we’ll head over to the seaside town of Polignano a Mare. We will walk the winding ancient streets and enjoy the views from this amazing city that literally juts out into the sea. We’ll lunch together while out and about today!
Dinner tonight will be a light dinner at the villa or a trip into town.
Day 7: Ancient Staples of Fish & Wine
We’ll wake up early today to head to the Adriatic port of Bisceglie and its busy fish market. Select the freshest seafood you will ever find — right off the boats minutes before.
After choosing what we’d all like for dinner, we’ll stop by Giovinazzo. It is a cute fishing village with a magnificently restored medieval town center.
Once back at the villa, we will have a wine tasting and lunch. A sommelier will visit the villa for our lessons. We’ll sample local specialties and learn what to look for in a good wine. After we pick up a few delicious new tips, we’ll share the wine over light local treats.
Then after lunch, we’ll head to a nearby ceramics center with a kiln that dates back two centuries. We will watch Italian artisans craft beautiful items by hand and pick up some amazing souvenirs.
Finally, we’ll all share in an amazing farewell fish dinner at the villa.
Day 8: Homeward Bound
Today we bid farewell to our friends and to Puglia. Join a group transfer to Bari Airport for flights back to Rome and beyond.
Please note that for some flight routings, an overnight stay in Rome will offer the widest choice of flights.
Price Includes
Price includes: Lodging for 7 nights in double occupancy at Villa Cappelli (some rooms share a bathroom); Limited single rooms upon request if available; All meals during the stay at the villa including local wine or soft drinks, except for one dinner in the nearby village on your own; Services of HE Travel Tour Director (subject to minimum participation); Transfer from Bari Airport or Terlizzi or Molfetta train stations on the first tour day, and back to Bari airport on departure day. Services of a knowledgeable HE Travel tour host (with a minimum number of participants); HE Travel provides complimentary Medical & Evacuation Insurance for every US Resident on our group tours who does not have other coverage.
Not included: Transportation to and from Bari, Italy; Personal items such as souvenirs, snacks, faxes, telephone calls, and alcohol other than at included dinners; Admissions not described as included in the itinerary; Gratuities for guides and HE host.
Optional Tour Choices:
$500 Upgrade to Garden Room at Villa
$500 Upgrade to Courtyard Room at Villa
$500 Upgrade to Regina Room at Villa
Tour Insurance
We strongly recommend the purchase of Trip Cancellation and Interruption insurance to protect your vacation investment in case of unforeseen circumstances such as flight delay, illness, or injury. Click Here to learn more about our Insurance partner.
- What is the physical activity level of this tour?
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Physical Activity Level
This trip offers daily sightseeing with a moderate amount of walking. We will often walk on uneven pavement and paths in cities, villages, the countryside, and historic sites. Someone who cannot walk long distances could enjoy most aspects of the tour. However, they may want to stay near our vehicle instead of joining longer walks.
Villa Cappelli offers mountain bikes for informal riding. The lightly traveled roads near the villa are a mix of gravel and paved roads.
As a culinary tour, this tour will feature a bountiful array of fruits, vegetables, meat, fish and delicious olive oil, sauces, and seasonings. As with all of our tours, we will do our best to accommodate dietary needs of our guests.
- How do I get to the Villa?
- This tour starts and ends in Bari, Puglia, Italy.
Airplane Travel: Most flights to Bari are from Rome. Therefore, North American travelers can depart home the evening before our tour starts, arrive in Rome in the morning, then connect to Bari. Allow at least two hours to connect in the often-chaotic Rome airport (three hours if possible). There are a few direct flights to Bari from Milan’s domestic airport, Munich and other European hubs. If you take one of these flights, allow a long connection window. There are only one or two flights a day to Bari.
Rail Travel: The Villa is a 6-8-hour train ride from Rome or Milan. If you take the train, the closest station is Terlizzi, a four-minute ride from the Villa. Take the express train to Barletta Centrale (Barletta C. Le). From there, transfer to the local commuter railway for the last leg to Terlizzi. Trains run every 40 minutes for most of the day. Schedules are at this website: www.ferrovienordbarese.it/home (click on the British flag in the upper right for English)
To check national rail schedules and Italy rail pass options, see www.raileurope.com. You can also check the Italian Railway site www.trenitalia.com for trains from Rome, Milan or other Italian cities to Barletta.
For those returning to North America after our tour, book a morning flight from Bari to connect with most international flights. If you have time, take a leisurely late morning flight to Rome, spend a night or two there, then fly home.
Does this sound confusing? We're here to help! Our flight/rail specialists have been helping guests arrange travel to the Villa for years. They will be happy to assist you too! Please Contact Us if you'd like travel assistance for this tour.
- What are the rooms like at Villa Cappelli?
- As is befitting a centuries-old building, every room at Villa Cappelli is unique. Eight rooms are on the second and third floors of the main building. Some have private bathrooms and some share bathrooms. Rooms are priced accordingly.
- What room upgrades are available at Villa Cappelli?
- Three rooms sit across the courtyard from the main building. Regina Room: accessible directly from the courtyard with a double bed, private bathroom, kitchenette, sofa, and private bathroom. Courtyard Room: down three steps from the courtyard, with a double bed, fireplace and adjoining large private bathroom. Garden Room: adjoining the garden behind the main building with a double bed, fireplace, private bathroom one level below ground, and whirlpool and small terrace located up a steep set of stairs from the ground-level bedroom area.