Day 1. Bari arrival / Trani / Andria
Day 2. Altamura / Locorotondo
Day 3. Alberobello / Martina Franca / Ostuni / Cisternino
Day 4. Matera / Manduria / Avetrana
Day 5. Lecce / Salice Salentino / Corigliano d'Otranto
Day 6. Corigliano d'Otranto / Maglie / Botrugno
Day 7. Gallipoli / Torre Vado / S.M. di Leuca / Otranto
Day 8. Departure
"In Puglia, there is a feeling of being marooned in an older kind of time."
(
Patience Gray)
Ask for everything you might need about culinary traditions....
Puglia wine tours, Cooking classes, Apulia cultural tours, Fly&Drive
Apulia is full of good restaurants of every type, but the best eating in the region may be found in the superb “trattorias” and casual restaurants with which virtually every town is populated, often in places where you least expect to find that ideal mix of unbelievably good simple food, enchanting surroundings, and good wine. Good reasons to enjoy this culinary trip
The humble food of Apulia often referred to as “cucina povera”, the cuisine of poverty, is celebrated as one of the best examples of the healthy Mediterranean Diet. Three things are essential to the Apulian kitchen: wheat, vegetables, and olive oil. Semolina flour is transformed into a variety of handmade pastas (some shaped like little ears, others like concave shells, others still like thick ropes) which are boiled with wild or cultivated greens, tossed with hearty meat ragùs, or cooked into soups. Wheels of rustic bread are baked in the ovens of Altamura and other Apulian towns, to be enjoyed as companions to daily meals and serve as the starting point for numerous appetizers, salads, soups, and simple desserts.
Some example of the most interesting offering are: “orecchiette”, (little ears) the typical pasta of this region manually made with hard flour and water, pressed with a thumb to resemble little ears that catch and hold the pasta sauce;“friseddha”, a twice-baked ring-shaped bread; “tiella”, rice baked with potatoes and seafood or vegetables to make an unusual main course; “ricci” (sea urchins) savoured raw, flavoured with a squeeze of lemon to underscore their briny flavour; “turcinieddhi” (offal) prepared with lamb's hearts, lights and intestines, skewered and cooked on a blazing grill, then eaten with raw celery and sharp sheep's milk cheese; “panzarotti”, a wrapper of dough filled with ricotta, mozzarella or onions; “burrata”, (buttered) a small wet ball of cow's milk fresh mozzarella, filled with diced mozzarella soaked in cream; “ricotta forte” is a spicy sheep's milk ricotta (aged for a month), “scamorza”, a mild creamy cheeses that hang in ball and pear shapes in cheese shops; “fava bean puree” with sautéed chicory and olive oil; “polpi arriciati” (curled octopus).
But also an outstanding array of vegetables to be eaten only in season, like: fava beans, artichokes, broccoli, eggplants, sweet peppers, tomatoes, along with wild pungent greens such as chicory or cicorielle, wild hyacinth bulbs or lampascione, arugula, and dandelion.
Itinerary and price requests:
If you are interested in this package, tour dates could be scheduled upon demand, for individuals or private groups of minimum 8 people. If you would like us to customize it for you, mail us your requirements and we will reply with a tailored itinerary.
Prices will depend on typology of chosen accommodations, number of partecipants, requested period and additional services.
Day 1 : Bari arrival / Trani / Andria
Arrival in late morning. Meet the assistant and transfer for a private visit to “Bari vecchia” (“old Bari, the historical centre). Transfer to Trani and lunch in a amazing restaurant.
In early afternoon visit to the city centre, with its magnificent Cathedral overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Proceed towards Andria for a wine tasting and then reach the Masseria.
Check-in, welcome dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Altamura / Locorotondo.
Breakfast and check-out. Transfer to Altamura for a fantastic bread making and tasting, followed by an amazing cheese making and tasting. Lunch based on local recipes.
Transfer to Locorotondo, to enjoy the famous “belvedere” (panoramic overview of the Itria Valley) and check-in at a charming “masseria”. Time to relax. Afternoon olive oil tasting, followed by an evening hands-on cooking class with dinner.
Overnight.
Day 3: Alberobello / Martina Franca / Ostuni / Cisternino
Breakfast. Transfer to Alberobello for a visit to its well-known trulloes, then move to Martina Franca for a guided visit to the Rococò village. Lunch at a renewed restaurant.
Afternoon guided tour of Ostuni (“the white village”), then move towards Cisternino for a stroll in the historical district. Dinner, with meat tasting, in a traditional “fornello”.
Back home and overnight.
Breakfast and check out. Transfer to Matera for a half day guided tour to the famous Sassi (“Stones”) and a breathtaking view of the “gravines”. Lunch with typical local recipes.
In the afternoon move towards Manduria for a ”Primitivo” wine tasting. Then continue to Avetrana, for an amazing olive oil tasting followed by a refined traditional cuisine dinner.
Overnight in an historical Masseria.
Day 5: Lecce / Salice Salentino / Corigliano d'Otranto
Breakfast. Transfer to Lecce for a guided tour, with ice cream tasting, and lunch in typical “trattoria”.
In the afternoon guided visit of a winery for a wine tasting, in Salice Salentino. Transfer to Corigliano d’Otranto and check-in in Masseria.
Dinner in traditional “masseria”, with Pizzica music entertainment. Overnight.
Breakfast. Truffle hunting and lunch, based on truffles.
Afternoon dedicated to the shopping in the near Maglie village. Dinner in an elegant restaurant in the near village of Botrugno.
Back to the Masseria and overnight.
Breakfast. Transfer to Gallipoli for a guided visit of the “island” and an olive oil limestone mill. Transfer to Torre Vado for an amazing boat tour along the Ionian Coast, with “sea urchins, mussels and seafood” lunch on board.
In the afternoon transfer to Santa Maria di Leuca, the southernmost point of the region called “Finibus Terrae”. After the visit, continue driving along the Salentine Adriatic Coast to reach the oriental town of Otranto. Free time for a stroll in the old district and shopping. Dinner based on fish recipes.
Back to the Masseria and overnight.
