The southern boot of Italy is a tapestry of whitewashed hill towns, luminous seas, and stone-carved history that predates Rome. In the heel, Puglia’s Salento peninsula serves up baroque cities like Lecce, long siestas, and a cuisine so sun-drenched it tastes like summer. Just across the regional border, Matera’s honey-colored cave dwellings (the Sassi) glow at sunrise and echo with millennia of stories.

Across this 7-day itinerary you’ll explore Lecce’s chiselled limestone facades, swim in translucent coves near Otranto, and wander Alberobello’s cone-roofed trulli on a Valle d’Itria day trip. Then you’ll pivot inland to Matera for rock churches, underground cisterns, and platefuls of pane di Matera and lucanian sausages under starry skies.

Practical notes: midday closures are common (1–4 pm), so eat early or late and reserve dinners, especially on weekends. Summer sun is intense—start early and swim often. Drive times are short, but historic centers have ZTL restricted zones; park outside the walls. Within Europe, train and bus combos are easy; otherwise fly into Bari (BRI) or Brindisi (BDS).

Lecce

Lecce is the “Florence of the South,” a city sculpted from buttery pietra leccese. Churches brim with swirling baroque, café tables spill into sunlit squares, and locals sip caffè leccese—iced espresso sweetened with almond milk—beneath the Roman amphitheatre’s stones.

• Top sights: Basilica di Santa Croce, Piazza Sant’Oronzo and the Roman amphitheatre, Duomo and bell tower, Museo Faggiano (a family house-turned-archaeological trove), and artisan cartapesta (papier-mâché) workshops.
• Nearby gems: Otranto’s cathedral mosaics, Baia dei Turchi and Porto Badisco coves, Gallipoli’s island old town, Ostuni’s white lanes, Alberobello’s trulli, and Locorotondo’s wines.
• What to eat: Rustico leccese (puff pastry with mozzarella and tomato), pasticciotto (custard-filled pastry), orecchiette with turnip tops, fried pittule, burrata, and Primitivo or Negroamaro wines.

Where to stay: Browse handpicked stays on VRBO Lecce or compare boutique hotels on Hotels.com Lecce.

Getting there: Fly into Bari (BRI) or Brindisi (BDS). Within Europe, compare flights on Omio Flights; from outside Europe check Trip.com Flights or Kiwi.com. Trains from Bari or Brindisi to Lecce run 35–110 minutes via Omio Trains (from ~€5–€14).

Matera

Matera is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities, a honeycomb of cave dwellings and rock-hewn churches rising above a ravine. At dusk the Sassi twinkle with warm lights, and alleyways dissolve into belvederes with movie-set views.

• Top sights: Sasso Barisano and Sasso Caveoso, Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario (a furnished cave home), Palombaro Lungo (cathedral-sized underground cistern), MUSMA sculpture museum, and the rock churches of Santa Maria de Idris and San Giovanni in Monterrone.
• Flavor file: PDO pane di Matera bread, orecchiette with cruschi peppers, caciocavallo, cured lucanian meats, and Aglianico del Vulture wines.

Where to stay: Sleep in a cave suite or a modern perch via VRBO Matera or explore hotels on Hotels.com Matera.

Getting there from Lecce: Morning train Lecce→Bari (1h40–2h, ~€11) then bus Bari→Matera (1h15–1h30, ~€6–€12) via Omio Trains and Omio Buses. Driving is ~2.5 hours.

Day 1: Arrive in Lecce (Salento)

Afternoon: Arrive at Brindisi or Bari and take the train to Lecce. Check in, then start with a gentle loop: Piazza Sant’Oronzo, the Roman amphitheatre, and Via Vittorio Emanuele II. Duck into Caffè Alvino for a rustico leccese and a caffè leccese to recharge.

Evening: Golden hour at Basilica di Santa Croce—the stone lacework glows at sunset. Dinner at Alle Due Corti (grandmothers’ recipes like ciceri e tria) or Le Zie (home-style orecchiette and eggplant rolls). Nightcap at Quanto Basta, a nationally acclaimed cocktail bar known for Puglian twists (try the rosemary-infused gin sour).

Day 2: Lecce’s Baroque, Crafts, and Tastes

Morning: Climb the Duomo bell tower for a city panorama. Visit Museo Faggiano, a private house where layers of Messapian, Roman, and medieval finds surfaced during plumbing repairs—an unforgettable micro-archaeology lesson.

Afternoon: Meet an artisan for a cartapesta (papier-mâché) demo—Lecce’s classic nativity figures come from this tradition. Lunch at Doppiozero (bruschette, burrata, and seasonal salads) or Trattoria Nonna Tetti (pittule and braised meats). Siesta time: wander shaded cloisters or your hotel courtyard.

Evening: Join the passeggiata along Via Libertini. Dinner at Osteria degli Spiriti (octopus with broad beans; local Negroamaro by the glass) or the experimental, Michelin-starred Bros’ for an avant-garde tasting menu. Gelato at Pasticceria Natale—pistachio or the crema locale.

Day 3: Otranto and the Adriatic Coves

Morning: Take an early train or drive to Otranto (40–60 minutes). Tour the Cathedral’s 12th-century mosaic floor by the monk Pantaleone—a storybook in stone featuring Alexander the Great and fantastical beasts. Walk the seafront ramparts and peek into the Aragonese Castle.

Afternoon: Lunch at LaltroBaffo (delicate crudo and handmade pasta with sea urchin) or Peccato di Vino (traditional seafood grills). Swim and lounge at Baia dei Turchi or Porto Badisco, coves of clear water and limestone ledges; bring reef shoes and cash for umbrellas.

Evening: Return to Lecce. Aperitivo in Piazza del Duomo, then dinner at La Cucina di Mamma Elvira (salumi boards, orecchiette al ragù, and an excellent Puglia wine list). If you’re up late, live music often spills from Porta San Biagio.

Day 4: The Valle d’Itria—Ostuni, Alberobello, and Locorotondo

Morning: Set out after breakfast for Ostuni (the “White City,” ~1h by car; public transit via Omio Trains plus bus). Climb alleys to the cathedral’s rose window and stop for a granita with local almonds.

Afternoon: Lunch in Ostuni at Osteria del Tempo Perso (cave dining; orecchiette with tomato and cacioricotta). Continue to Alberobello (30 min) to roam Rione Monti’s UNESCO-listed trulli. If time allows, loop to Locorotondo, a circular hill town famed for crisp whites; taste a glass at a tiny enoteca and admire the balconied lanes.

Evening: Back in Lecce, book a simple seafood feast at Pescheria con Cottura (market-fresh catch cooked to order) or a cozy table at Trattoria Le Zie if you missed it on night one.

Day 5: Lecce to Matera—Cave City at Sunset

Morning: Travel Lecce→Bari (train 1h40–2h, ~€11) and Bari→Matera (bus 1h15–1h30, ~€6–€12) using Omio Trains and Omio Buses. If you prefer to fly in/out at the end, compare European hops on Omio Flights and long-haul on Trip.com or Kiwi.com.

Afternoon: Check into your cave hotel or panoramic apartment near Sasso Barisano. Start at Piazza Vittorio Veneto, then descend to Palombaro Lungo, Matera’s cathedral-sized underground cistern—its scale tells a water-scarcity story that shaped the city.

Evening: Aperitivo at Area 8 (craft cocktails, indie vibe) or at a terrace overlooking the ravine. Dinner at Trattoria del Caveoso (orecchiette with cruschi peppers, lamb skewers) or Ristorante Francesca (cave dining with refined Materan classics). Stroll to Belvedere Luigi Guerricchio for a twinkling Sassi panorama.

Day 6: Sassi, Rock Churches, and Murgia Park

Morning: Visit Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario to see how families lived in a single cave space until the mid-20th century. Continue to the rock churches of Santa Maria de Idris and San Giovanni in Monterrone—fresco fragments and cliffside chapels that feel timeless.

Afternoon: Quick lunch: pane di Matera panini from Il Forno di Gennaro or focaccia from a local panificio. Cross to Parco della Murgia Materana (short taxi or guided walk) for the best skyline views back to the Sassi and prehistoric cave shelters. Return for MUSMA, Italy’s only sculpture museum in caves, a poetic dialogue between contemporary art and tufa stone.

Evening: Reserve Regiacorte for a tasting menu highlighting Basilicata ingredients or keep it classic at Baccanti (cave setting, Aglianico pairings). Gelato at I Vizi degli Angeli—try ricotta-fig or salted pistachio.

Day 7: Slow Morning and Departure

Morning: Climb to Matera Cathedral for sweeping views, then browse artisan shops for olive-wood boards, peperoni cruschi, and ceramics. Coffee at Kappador or a final caffè leccese tribute.

Afternoon: Depart via Bari (train/bus 1h15–1h30 to the airport area; plan ~2.5–3 hours total with check-in). Compare options on Omio Trains, Omio Buses, and flights on Omio Flights or long-haul via Trip.com or Kiwi.com.

Dining short list to bookmark: Lecce—Alle Due Corti (heritage recipes), Doppiozero (brunch and boards), Trattoria Nonna Tetti (comfort classics), Pescheria con Cottura (market-to-table seafood), Quanto Basta (cocktails), Pasticceria Natale (gelato). Otranto—LaltroBaffo (creative seafood). Ostuni—Osteria del Tempo Perso (cave trattoria). Matera—Trattoria del Caveoso (local staples), Ristorante Francesca (cave fine dining), Regiacorte (tasting menu), Baccanti (Aglianico pairings), I Vizi degli Angeli (gelato).

Where to stay (quick access): Lecce: VRBO | Hotels.com. Matera: VRBO | Hotels.com.

This 7-day southern Italy itinerary blends Lecce’s baroque beauty and Salento’s beaches with Matera’s ancient caves, all threaded by big flavors and easy travel. You’ll leave with sandy shoes, olive oil in your bag, and a head full of sunlit stone.