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It was soon after we started travelling around Italy that we made a major realisation. The longer we stayed in any one place, the more we loved it.

 

Sounds obvious, right?

 

Perhaps, but it’s that focus on a gentler pace that’s at the heart of Espressino Travel’s Italian holiday experience. Yes, it’s a tour, showing you the best of Lecce, the Salento and Southern Puglia. But you’ll be based in one place the entire week and we’ve tried to keep the time on the road to the absolute minimum. And that’s exactly how it should be.

 

On a practical level, there are better ways to spend one’s vacation time than living out of a suitcase, packing and unpacking, checking in and out of various hotels. But there are other, more profound, benefits that come from an extended stay; the ability to peel back layers of the city to reveal nuances and secrets that were easy to miss at first glance. Whether it’s a spectacular piazza at midnight or having a grocer personally pick out the best piece of fruit in the store for you, there’s a simple joy in being present in the moment, relaxed in the knowledge that you can dig even deeper the next day or just come back for more of the same.

 

For us, the true character of Italy comes through in its people. No matter how spectacular the scenery (and in Lecce, it’s pretty spectacular) our favourite memories have always been personal encounters. Whether it’s a simple ‘where are you from’ or a ‘you have to taste this’, it’s never hard to make new friends in Italy. A few words in Italian, however hesitant, are inevitably greeted with warmth and generosity. That’s why we’ve included a basic Italian lesson on our tour. Return visits turn into relationships. The longer you stay, the deeper the friendships.

 

You’ll enjoy getting to know Puglia. A week in Lecce will allow you to feel its pulse, its rhythm and its soul. You’re a traveller, after all. Not a tourist.