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PUGLIA

Alberobello, Locorotondo, Ostuni, Lecce, Matera, Vieste

TUSCANY

CINQUE TERRE

SICILY

NAPLES & AMALFI

PUGLIA

VENICE CARNIVAL

A treasure trove of art, culture, history, and nature.

Puglia is a treasure trove of art, culture, history, and nature. A land of sun and hospitality, it’s located on the heel of the boot in southeastern Italy, in a strategic position in the heart of the Mediterranean. Centuries of history and a range of charming landscapes are just some of the reasons why it’s such a unique destination, one where you’ll enjoy some truly unforgettable photographic experiences. We will focus on landscapes and seascapes, as well as capturing the local architecture, people and culture.

Puglia, with its 500 miles (800 km) of coastline, is hugged by two incredible seas. The Ionian and the Adriatic have crafted a variety of different shores, with steep cliffs overlooking colorful sea bottoms and golden beaches sloping into crystal clear waters. Inland, the uncontaminated realm of nature comprises great valleys and gentle hills covered with olive trees, vineyards, and luxuriant forests, as well as some surprising Mediterranean gravine (ravines).

From the Ancient Greeks to the Romans, from the Byzantines to the Normans, and from the Swabians to the Angevins, many civilizations have followed one another in ruling Puglia. Over the years, numerous archaeological excavations have brought back to light priceless artifacts and works of art and architecture testifying to the history and wide-ranging cultures of the different societies that were once here. And so you’ll find menhirs, cave churches, medieval castles, Baroque and Romanesque churches, noble palaces and historical residences, enchanted hamlets and art cities, charming masserie (manor farms) and casali (rural homes).

This adventure is designed not only to guide you to the most photogenic locations carefully planned for the best light, but to aid you in mentally visualizing a scene before capturing the decisive moment. Our aim is to raise your awareness and spark your creativity so that you not only go home with images to be proud of but use your new found skills to improve and expand your photographic technique in general. Apart from the technical aspect of learning your camera settings and capabilities, you will learn how to turn an ordinary image into an extraordinary image by using your own creativity.

In addition, you will become knowledgeable on how to survey the landscape, utilize and approach your environment, photograph people indigenous to the region and the cultural considerations and challenges of photographing in a foreign country. Our time together will include individual and group discussions, inspiring ideas and great fun. We cannot think of a better location to express your creativity than the unique region of Puglia, Italy!

Puglia, with its 500 miles (800 km) of coastline, is hugged by two incredible seas. The Ionian and the Adriatic have crafted a variety of different shores, with steep cliffs overlooking colorful sea bottoms and golden beaches sloping into crystal clear waters. Inland, the uncontaminated realm of nature comprises great valleys and gentle hills covered with olive trees, vineyards, and luxuriant forests, as well as some surprising Mediterranean gravine (ravines).

From the Ancient Greeks to the Romans, from the Byzantines to the Normans, and from the Swabians to the Angevins, many civilizations have followed one another in ruling Puglia. Over the years, numerous archaeological excavations have brought back to light priceless artifacts and works of art and architecture testifying to the history and wide-ranging cultures of the different societies that were once here. And so you’ll find menhirs, cave churches, medieval castles, Baroque and Romanesque churches, noble palaces and historical residences, enchanted hamlets and art cities, charming masserie (manor farms) and casali (rural homes).

This adventure is designed not only to guide you to the most photogenic locations carefully planned for the best light but to aid you in mentally visualizing a scene before capturing the decisive moment. Our aim is to raise your awareness and spark your creativity so that you not only go home with images to be proud of but use your new found skills to improve and expand your photographic technique in general. Apart from the technical aspect of learning your camera settings and capabilities, you will learn how to turn an ordinary image into an extraordinary image by using your own creativity.

In addition, you will become knowledgeable on how to survey the landscape, utilize and approach your environment, photograph people indigenous to the region and the cultural considerations and challenges of photographing in a foreign country. Our time together will include individual and group discussions, inspiring ideas, and great fun. We cannot think of a better location to express your creativity than the unique region of Puglia, Italy!

Group Size

4-8 Guests

 

Experience | Difficulty

  • Beginner, amateur, enthusiast and semi-pro photographers
  • DSLR, mirrorless, compact or iPhone cameras
  • Busy schedule
  • Travel by car or minibus
  • Moderate elevation changes and lots of walking
  • (non-photographers also welcome)

Weather | Sun

May – Temps 72/55 F  23/13 C  Sunrise 5:41 | Sunset 8:20 (20:20)
October – Temps 70/55 F  23/13 C  Sunrise 7:23 | Sunset 6:31 (18:31)

 

Includes

  • 8 Days
  • Travel, landscape, seascape, architecture, and people photography
  • Professional photographer | guide
  • Photo walks & discussions
  • Small group size (4-8 guests)
  • 4 or 5-star hotels
  • Breakfasts
  • 2 Dinners
  • Local transportation

Travel Information

Arrival & Departure Airport: Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport, Bari, Italy (BRI) – Transfer time to hotel 30min
Our adventure begins at 11 AM on the first day and ends at noon on the last day.
Travel Visa: A visa may be required depending on your nationality. Go to Visa Map to find out.

 

Accommodations

Martina Franca – Borgo Egnazia, Le Alcove Luxury Resort nei Trulli or Similar
Lecce – Risorgimento Resort or similar
Matera – Sant’Angelo Luxury Resort or similar
Vieste – Hotel Il Porto or similar

 

Helpful Links

> Borgo Egnazia – by Michael Chinnici

Puglia Prices & Dates


AdventurePriceREGISTER
From: $7,995
Photographer Leader

Photographer Leader

Attilio Di Giangiacomo

May 18-25, 2025

*All prices are per person and based on double occupancy. Please select single occupancy for a private room. For your convenience, we offer optional early arrival and late departure accommodations so you can extend your stay before or after the trip. We typically stay in upscale boutique hotels in the 4 and 5-star category. Not all destinations offer these types of properties. We look for unique hotels that offer cultural, historic, and/or authentic features. Depending on the size of the group, smaller boutique hotels may have limited room inventory. In some countries or in remote locations, we may be limited to lodges or branded chain hotels. In Cuba, we stay in upscale family-owned Casas (bread & breakfasts). On all of our tours, breakfast is almost always included, but not guaranteed. Meal categories listed include (B) for breakfast, (L) for lunch, and (D) for dinner.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

Puglia 8-Day Photo Adventure

Day 1 | Bari - Martina Franca

We meet in the morning at our early arrival hotel in Bari, where we’ll discuss PWA’s “10 Guiding Principles of Photography” and our “THE ART OF SEEING” photographic technique. During a group lunch, we will have informal discussions on what our guests are trying to achieve in their photography, subject matters, styles and techniques. From here we will relocate to Martina Franca, where we will base ourselves for the the next 3 nights.

In the evening we celebrate with a “Welcome Dinner” at one of our favorite Italian restaurants. (D)

Day 2 | Martina Franca - Alberobello - Locorotondo

We’re up early to explore the stunning towns of Alberobello and Locorotondo. Alberobello with its iconic conical roofed trulli whitewashed houses and narrow pedestrianised streets is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town is protected because it is has been deemed an exceptional example of a building construction style dating back to pre-history that survives both intact and functioning to this day.

After lunch we move on to Locorotondo. Surrounded by the green countryside of the Valle d’Itria is Locorotondo, this attractive hilltop town and is officially one of the Borghi piu belli d’Italia – translation… one of the most beautiful towns in Italy. Locorotondo means “round place”, named that because of the circular layout of the streets in the old town (centro storico) with the Chiesa Madre di San Giorgio (The Mother Church of Saint George) in the center.

It’s believed that Locorotondo was first settled by the Greeks several centuries B.C. The earliest historical records go back to 1195 and a document written by King Henry VI of Swabia referring to the place as “Rotondo”. The town has endured centuries of economic decline, cultural turmoil, uprisings and invasions. (B)

Day 3 | Ostuni (“La Citta Bianca”) - Lecce

Ostuni, from the Greek Astu-neon, or new city, has a long history from the Romans to the Bourbons. It has been given the epithet La Citte Bianca – the white town. This fortified city is considered one of the most stunning in Southern Italy with its dazzling uniformly whitewashed houses that starkly contrast against the pink brown of its prominent Gothic cathedral.

It would be easy to spend a whole day here wandering through its medieval streets and alleyways. But by the late afternoon we are on the road to Lecce where we will check in to our next hotel. In the evening we explore Lecce for some long exposure sunset, twilight and night photography. (B)

Day 4 | Lecce (“Florence of the South”)

Known as the “Florence of the South”, Lecce is perhaps Puglia’s best known treasure. The city’s multitude of churches and palaces built in the baroque style have won numerous nicknames including the Florence of the south, Rome of the south, or the Florence of Baroque.

We will explore and photograph this amazing city from the early morning light until sunset. Noteworthy sites are the Basilica of Santa Croce, the Piazza Sant’Oronzo with its ancient Roman amphitheatre and Piazza Duomo, the location of the cathedral. (B)

Day 5 | Sassi di Matera

On day five we depart Lecce early for the neighboring Basilicata region and the city of Matera, and another UNESCO World Heritage Site, The Sassi di Matera.

Matera consists of remarkable cave dwellings and probably the only place on earth where people can claim to be still living in the same houses as their ancestors of 9000 years ago. Everything in Matera starts with its caves. To understand them, you have to understand the geology. The town sits on a ridge with deep canyons to either side. The top of the ridge consists of clay. The sides of the canyons, by contrast, contain exposed layers of softer, sandier rock.

At least 9,000 years ago, and probably much earlier, humans settled in natural caves in the canyon walls, extending them until thousands of grottoes honeycombed the town. The caves make up Italy’s oldest continually inhabited dwellings and, in the words of Unesco, “the most outstanding example of a troglodyte settlement in the Mediterranean”. Matera and its inhabitants make for an amazing day of photography. (B)

Day 6 | Polignano a Mare - Trani - Vieste

On day six we drive to the Promontorio del Gargano in northern Puglia. Along the way we will visit the beautiful coastal villages of Polignano a Mare and Trani. We’ll slow the pace to take in and photograph the stunning seascapes and landscapes that surround us. (B)

Day 7 | Vieste - Monte Sant’Angelo

Like a young belle who’s beautiful without even realizing it, the town of Vieste clings modestly to a spectacular promontory on the Gargano peninsula resembling a cross between Naples and Dubrovnik with a bit of Puglian magic mixed in. The narrow alleys of the old town, decorated with lines of drying clothes and patrolled by slinking cats and the odd friendly dog, are an atmospheric place day or night, off-season or on.

If time allows we will visit the hilltop village of Monte Sant’Angelo. In the evening we prepare to enjoy a wonderful “Farewell Dinner” overlooking the sea, with great fun and laughter as we discuss all the highlights of the trip. (B) (D)

Day 8 | Bari

On day eight, we awake to our final group discussion, review our past weeks photos, trade contact information and bid you farewell. From here we will be returning you to Bari Airport for your voyage home.

We urge you to extend your stay in Italy and make good use of everything you will learn on our Photo Workshop Adventure. (B)

(B) Breakfast, (L) Lunch, (D) Dinner, (E) Excursion

 

May all who come as guests... leave as friends®

 

OPTIONS AND BENEFITS

Pricing

All prices are per person and based on double occupancy. Please select single occupancy for a private room. For your convenience, we offer optional early arrival and late departure accommodations so you can extend your stay before or after the trip. We typically stay in boutique hotels in the 4-star category. Not all destinations offer these types of properties. We look for unique hotels which offer cultural, historic and/or authentic features. Depending on the size of the group, smaller boutique hotels may have limited room inventory. In some countries or in remote locations, we may be limited to lodges or branded chain hotels. Breakfast is included only if included in our room rates.

Private Guided Adventures

We offer amazing private guided photo adventures, cultural tours and vacations for individuals, couples, families and groups. We can customize any of our published adventures, as well as others, to meet your individual needs, schedule, budget and interests. This may include the finest 5-star accommodations, business-class travel, and private guides and fixers who are able to make the impossible possible. If you are not interested in a photo-centric vacation, but you love our approach to private travel, we will be happy to design and deliver an amazing adventure focused on travel, culture and cuisine. Click here to request a quote. Feel free to call us at 1-888-834-0288 or contact us for more information.

Travel Insurance

We offer travel insurance through the internationally recognized Travelex Travel Insurance Company, as well as evacuation and medical transportation insurance through MedJet, one of the best in the industry.

The cost for travel insurance can be as low as 4% of the total trip cost, depending upon age and other factors. Knowing you have trip cancellation coverage can make a big difference should you have to cancel for some unforeseen reason. Travelex Insurance Services is a BBB Accredited business with an A+ rating. Click here to learn more about why you should consider travel insurance.

Rewards Program

Start earning points today and SAVE $200 - $900 off future trips!
Simply register for one of our amazing photo adventures and begin earning points today!

How The Program Works
For every adventure reservation you make with Photo Workshop Adventures, you earn valuable points which you can redeem on your next trip. This is a great way to save up to 8% off future trips. Our Rewards Program is designed with three tiers: Orange, Gold and VIP Members. Points may be applied towards balance payments on your next trip, or you may choose to accumulate points for a free trip in the future.

ORANGE REWARDS
All guests begin with our Orange Rewards Program (Level 1), which earns 4 points for every dollar you spend. You begin earning points immediately after your first trip. A $5,900 spend earns 23,600 points with a value of $236 USD.

GOLD REWARDS
With our Gold Rewards Program (Level 2), you earn 6 points for every dollar you spend. Orange Members who reach 120,000 accumulated lifetime* points (approx. 4-6 trips), automatically move up to Gold Rewards. A $5,900 spend earns 35,400 points with a value of $354 USD.

Additional Gold Benefits:

  • Earn up to double points during promotional events
  • Advance notifications for upcoming adventures and special offers

VIP REWARDS
With our VIP Rewards Program (Level 3), you earn 8 points for every dollar you spend. Gold Members who reach 350,000 accumulated lifetime* points (approx. 8-12 trips) move up to VIP Rewards. A $5,900 spend earns 47,200 points with a value of $472 USD, (8+/-% discount).

Additional VIP Benefits:

  • Earn up to double points during promotional events
  • Advance notifications for upcoming adventures and special offers
  • Ability to Gift or Transfer points to others
  • Receive complimentary airport transfers at the destination location*

Redeeming Your Points
Redeeming your points couldn’t be easier. You can always log in to your account to check your points balance. When you are ready to book your next trip, register and pay your deposit. When you go to pay your balance you will be given the option to apply your points and receive a discount.

THINK ORANGE Magazine

Subscribe to our Think Orange Magazine and eNews. THINK ORANGE is a wonderful mix of stories and tips related to travel, photography, adventure, culture, art, technology, cuisine, lifestyle, people and more. Our objective is to immerse you in a world you may only fantasize about. Raise your awareness and inspire your creativity. Perhaps even help make you a better photographer. We deliver similar experiential experiences that our guests enjoy on our photo adventures. Like all of our adventures, our blog is “photo-centric”, while also allowing you to experience all the nuances and cultural aspects of travel and adventure. Welcome to our world. We hope you enjoy. Our eNews is a great way to receive information about upcoming photo adventures, exciting new destinations, photography tips, special offers and more. Subscribe today!

Gift Cards

Give someone you know a Gift Card, good toward any of our Photo  Adventures, Photo Tours, Private Guided Tours, Online Courses, Prints or Merchandize. Our beautifully personalized eGift Cards and Certificates are delivered to you electronically. They are fully transferable and have a 2 year expiration date. They are available in any amount from $100 to $5000. It makes a great gift for anyone who loves photography, travel or adventure. Order now, or email for more information.

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