Ostuni and the olive-oil masserie

A peppery whiff from crushed olive leaves trails the car as you leave Bari, while the flat Adriatic light sharpens every dry-stone wall. Ostuni rises at 218 meters, limewashed since the Middle Ages to beat the heat, its curling lanes leading to the late-Gothic cathedral. Down in the plain, gnarled millennial trees still bear Ogliarola and Cellina; this is why Puglia’s “green gold” holds multiple PDOs, and why old underground presses shaped the local economy.

From there, the day flows easily: hotel pick-up in Bari, your dedicated driver at the wheel of a Mercedes for full-day use. Explore Ostuni at your pace, then continue 8 km to a fortified masseria to step into hypogean frantoi and taste single-varietal extra-virgins while he drives and stands by. In the afternoon, follow the coastal road back: coves in the Torre Guaceto Reserve, a swim if conditions allow, and a quick espresso stop in Carovigno before a smooth return to Bari.