Puglia, the Veggie Garden of Italy and Matera

Fly to Brindisi Airport and join us for one 45-mins group transfer to a masseria (an old fortified farm offering accommodation and food) in the Salento area. Check in and relax, then meet your guide for a light lunch followed by introductions to the tour, Slow Food and the regions of Puglia and Basilicata.

After lunch, join us for a walk in the garden to learn about this operating farm. This afternoon we transfer to Lecce to visit the capital of Salento famous for its Baroque buildings, and dinner will be savored in a typical restaurant for more Pugliese recipes.

After breakfast, we stop by the medieval village of Acaya with its Spanish fortress and quiet atmosphere. Then we continue to explore Salento on a 2-hours guided walk in the Natural Reserve of Le Cesine managed by the World Wildlife Fund. This area offers a pleasant opportunity to walk near the sea before we head to Otranto, famous for its Aragonese fortress and the cathedral dating back to 11th C.

Enjoy a walk in town and lunch on your own.  Return to the masseria for some relaxation, a walk in the organic garden, or a massage, before another delicious dinner together featuring a pasta-making demo and typical Pugliese recipes.

Before we leave the Salento area, today we visit an olive oil producer and learn about the local varieties grown here.

On our way to Alberobello, we continue our culinary journey and stop by the charming Ostuni for a visit and lunch on your own. This is one of Puglia’s most strikingly beautiful cities, a collection of white-washed structures, haphazardly perched upon a hilltop, affording views out over a seemingly endless sea of silvery olive trees and the sparkling Adriatic beyond.  A medieval walled city, it was built without a plan, as its labyrinthine web of streets illustrates. 

Another highlight today is a visit and tasting to a pastry maker in Ceglie Messapica and whose cookie's recipe is a Slow Food Presidium (a project, which promotes foods that are at risk of extinction).

Finally, we reach our first UNESCO Site that quintessentially represents Puglia with its distinctive conic-shape dwellings called trulli. We enjoy Alberobello for two nights, possibly overnighting in trulli, (accommodation to be confirmed depending on availability) a type of “albergo diffuso” ("dispersed hotels" featuring a stay that embrace what already exists), which will surely be another highlight of this journey through Puglia.

In late afternoon, join us for a visit of the town museum, which is housed inside a series of conjoined trulli. Tonight, dinner is in town, and it features a chef in action in his own restaurant sharing one of his favorite recipes, while preparing the next course for us!

Today we start our day with a visit to Polignano a Mare to enjoy more of the Mediterranean atmosphere and walk in town.

Another highlight today is the village of Locorotondo in the beautiful Itria Valley where you can enjoy lunch on your own. Named one of “the most beautiful villages in Italy” (i borghi più belli d'Italia, a designation established in 2001 with the aim of preserving and maintaining villages of quality heritage), Locorotondo shares Ostuni’s luminous white-wash and perched position.  The name means “round place” in reference to its circular historic center. 

Back to Alberobello we visit a local winery famous for the native grapes such as Negroamaro and Primitivo that you can find in full-bodied earthy reds. _If you prefer whites, you will be surely pleased to discover the indigenous grapes such as Verdeca and Bianco di Alessano that pair very well with the fish-based cuisine of Puglia.

Tonight, we visit an agriturismo to learn about their vegetables, cured meat and cheese production over a yummy dinner. Typically, agriturismi feature room and board in a farmhouse, which has been partially or totally transformed to provide accommodation and, in our case, also meals. Our friend Gianni, the owner, today is also showing us how mozzarella is made and for sure you can taste it freshly made in front of you!

It is time to leave Puglia to reach Basilicata region and before we reach Matera, we stop by Altamura, a town that can boast the only bread D.O.P. (Denomination of Protected Origin) of Italy.  D.O.P. products receive the designation based upon a combination of high quality and geo-specificity.

Here in Altamura, we will visit the oldest oven in town which dates back to 13th century and have a tasting of locally-made delicacies such as taralli (ring-shaped pretzel-like snacks typical in the south), focaccia and bread over a light lunch. In terms of Altamura’s much more recent food history, the town that boasts “the best bread in Italy” managed to shutter a McDonalds in December 2002 (the New York Times colorfully covered the story in January 2006).

The rest of our day we spend in Basilicata, visiting our second UNESCO Site: Matera, originally founded by the Romans in the 3rd century BC and suspected to be one of the first pre-historic settlements in all of Italy. The city is famous for “Sassi,” ancient cave-homes dug into the calcareous rock that we’ll visit with a local guide. 

Tonight, dinner is on your own. Please ask us for suggestions and there are surely plenty of options in town to savor the local cuisine and unique delicacies of Basilicata.

This morning you have time to soak in the mysteries of Matera on your own before a ~2-hour optional hike in the Park of Rupestrian Churches nearby to discover another must-see site with breathtaking views of the canyon carved by the river Gravina and to see the caves used since prehistoric times as dwellings, prisons, and churches.

Lunch and afternoon today are on your own to enjoy your time in Basilicata the way you prefer. We are available for any suggestions!

Tonight is our time to celebrate the tour over one last delectable dinner featuring more exquisitely southern local recipes and native wines.

Catch our group transfer to Bari airport. Buon viaggio (“Safe travel”in Italian) and see you soon!