6-day
Specific Tour
Unlimited
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There is a corner of Italy where, if you stand in the square and listen, you will hear Greek. Not schoolbook Greek — Griko, the dialect kept alive for twenty-five centuries by the villages of Grecia Salentina. This trip goes exactly there.
Six days across Magna Graecia: from Matera, the “Cappadocia of Italy” whose cave dwellings are protected by UNESCO, to Taranto, founded by the Spartans; from Sternatia and Calimera, where shop signs are written in Greek, to Otranto and the largest mosaic floor in Europe; and from baroque Lecce to the fairy-tale cone-roofed houses of Alberobello.
We travel by coach and ferry, departing from Kiato, with the Igoumenitsa – Brindisi crossing in four-berth cabins, a modern air-conditioned coach and an experienced Greek-speaking tour leader throughout.
Matera: the Palaeolithic “Sassi” cave dwellings, a UNESCO site — where “The Passion of the Christ” was filmed.
Sternatia & Calimera: the Greek-speaking villages where Griko is still spoken, with Greek signs and streets named after Athens and Constantinople.
Otranto: ancient Hydrus, with its “Tree of Life” mosaic and the underground cistern of 68 columns.
Lecce & Alberobello: the “Florence of the South” and the town of white conical trulli, a UNESCO site.
Departure from Kiato — no need to travel to Athens first.
€600 with ferry tickets in a cabin included.
City entrance fees and hotel city taxes already covered.
Experienced tour leader from our office throughout the trip.
Departure date: 10/10/2026
Departure from Kiato at midday and, with suitable stops along the way, arrival in Igoumenitsa. Time at the duty-free shop and boarding the ferry to Brindisi. Settle into your cabins and enjoy the ship’s facilities, with cafés and restaurants on board. Overnight at sea.
Arrival at the port of Brindisi and departure for Matera. It is called the “Cappadocia of Italy” because its rock dwellings have been inhabited since Palaeolithic times, and also the “twin sister of Bethlehem” — Zeffirelli filmed “The Passion of the Christ” here. A treasure under UNESCO protection. Guided walk and free time. We then continue to Taranto, the only Spartan colony in Magna Graecia. We visit the historic centre, spread over a small island between two seas, with time for coffee by the waterfront. Check-in at the hotel. Overnight.
After breakfast we head for Sternatia, which its inhabitants still call by its old name, “Chora”. The Griko dialect is spoken by older and younger generations alike; besides the famous cisterns and the underground olive press, you will see signs in Greek, from the greengrocer’s to the coffee house. We continue to Calimera, where the municipal garden holds a funerary stele, a gift from the City of Athens, reading “You are not a stranger in Calimera” — and where the streets are named Athens Street and Constantinople Street. Via Martano we reach Otranto, ancient Hydrus, founded by Greeks twenty-five centuries ago. We visit Santa Maria dei Martiri, home to the largest mosaic floor in Europe, the “Tree of Life”, and the underground cistern with 68 Roman columns on Greek bases with Byzantine capitals. Time for lunch at the seaside taverns. In the afternoon we discover Corigliano, with its imposing castle, its square, the church of St Nicholas and the Lucchetti Arch of 1497. Return to the hotel. Overnight.
After breakfast we explore Gallipoli — its name is Greek and means “beautiful city”. It is also called the pearl of the Ionian. The old fortified town with its Byzantine monasteries recalls that it was an episcopal seat belonging to Constantinople and kept Orthodoxy until 1513; beside it stands the newer town (Borgo) with its 16th-century bridge. We will see the Greek Fountain, considered the oldest fountain in Italy, with its three reliefs. We then visit Lecce, the “Florence of the South”: a historic centre of local stone in baroque and rococo style. It has been called the “Athens of Apulia” for its inhabitants’ devotion to the arts. Free time for lunch. Overnight.
Breakfast and departure for the jewel of a town, Alberobello. The word trulli does not mean what it does in Greek: it comes from the Latin turrula, “little tower”, and describes medieval stone buildings with a round footprint, whitewashed walls and a grey conical roof. The historic centre is a UNESCO monument and one of the most important sights in southern Italy. Time for photographs and lunch, then on to Brindisi. Boarding the ferry to Igoumenitsa. Overnight at sea.
Arrival at the port of Igoumenitsa, boarding the coach and departure for Kiato, with the necessary stops along the way. Arrival and end of our trip.
• The order of visits may be adjusted for operational reasons, without any service being omitted.
• A valid new-type national ID card or passport is required.
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| Departure | Adult | Child |
| 10 October 2026 | 600€ | 600€ |
Prices per person. Everything listed under “What’s included” is already in the price. Single room: 750€ (supplement +150€).
Price and availability last updated: 21 September 2026
No account needed. We will let you know if anything worth knowing happens.
We arrange your trip. For the days in between, these two partners cover tours, tickets and activities in Italy.
Skip-the-line museum tickets, guided walks and day trips, with free cancellation on most options.
Activities, experiences and local guides — book ahead and keep your days free of queues.
These activities are provided and sold by our partners. You complete the booking on their page, at exactly the same price.
Departure is from Kiato at midday on 10/10/2026, by luxury air-conditioned coach with suitable stops on the way to Igoumenitsa.
It includes transfers and sightseeing by coach, ferry tickets Igoumenitsa – Brindisi – Igoumenitsa in a four-berth cabin, 3 nights in a hotel with breakfast, hotel city taxes, city entrance fees, the tour leader and professional liability insurance.
Two nights at sea in a cabin (days one and five) and three nights in a hotel with breakfast.
A valid new-type national ID card or passport.
Yes, the single room supplement is €150.
In Grecia Salentina in Apulia the Griko dialect survives, a form of Greek with roots in ancient Magna Graecia. In villages such as Sternatia and Calimera you will see Greek signs and hear the dialect spoken by locals.
