DAY 1 WELCOME DAY
Arrive Brindisi airport and private transfer to your accommodation in Lecce .
Check in, Dinner in the old town “tipico” style
DAY 2 COOKINPUGLIA COOKING CLASS + LECCE
After breakfast a special cooking class with the locals and Lecce private walking tour discovering the city of Barocco. Dinner at leisure
DAY 3 THE SALENTO RIVIERA GALLIPOLI AND OTRANTO
After breakfast, we discover the Salento southern area with Otranto and Gallipoli, two charming sea towns with picturesque alleys and mediterranean colors. Otranto, surrounded by imposing defensive walls, is a beautiful place to explore. We will take a walk in his picturesque alleys, visit the important Mosaic depicting Tree of Life and take some free time to wander this bleached seaside town. Enjoy lunch on the seafront of the historical seaside town of Gallipoli. The seaside town of Gallipoli, whose name means Beautiful City, is perched on a limestone island, connected to the new part of the town, on the mainland, by an arched bridge. Return to Lecce, free time and dinner at leisure.
DAY 4 THE LAND OF NEGROAMARO WINE + CHEESE FARM
Winery and Cheese farm visit in the morning for an authentic immersive day. Very few people know that Puglia produces more wine than any other region in Italy. Quality is up and the results are definitely putting Puglia on the wine map, with a wine philosophy that shifts from quantitative production to qualitative. This morning we also visit a small Cheese Farm run by a local family. We explore the farm and listen to the producers themselves explain how they work. We will taste both fresh and aged cheeses Light Lunch by the sea Return to Lecce and leisure time. We might find time for an introduction to the wines of Puglia and an Aperitivo.
DAY 5 THE WHITE CITY OF PUGLIA, OSTUNI, OLIVE OIL TASTING AND POLIGNANO A MARE
Today we immerse in the white architecture of central Puglia. Our adventure starts in Ostuni, the white city. On our way to this charming village we stop at an old Olive Oil Mansion for a tasting amongst centenarian olive trees. Light lunch in Ostuni and walking tour in the boho white alleys. We continue our excursion in romantic Polignano a Mare. Check in to your second property
DAY 6 TIMELESS PUGLIA TOWNS: ALBEROBELLO + CISTERNINO
Our adventure in the White Puglia continues today with the visit of Alberobello, famous for its trulli houses and Cisternino. Light lunch traditional style.
Dinner at leisure
DAY 7 BOAT TOUR + MONOPOLI
Relaxing start of the day enjoying your property.
Transfer to Monopoli for a Boat tour along the coast discovering the beauty of the sea and of the landscape. Aperitif on board
Later a walk in the white alleys maze like old town of Monopoli
DAY 8 MATERA
Day tour of Matera the Sassi caves town nestled in the rocks for a totally different experience in the Basilicata region. Light lunch in the old town.
The settlement of Matera dates back to prehistoric times, when the natural caves here were inhabited and then extended, to make dwellings for large numbers of people. Private tour of the Sassi District.
Dinner at leisure
DAY 9 DEPARTURE
transfer to Bari or Brindisi airport
Puglia is a place where food and wine is truly locavore, reflecting maturity and ease, complexity and freedom.For gourmet tours, delicious wines and foodie experiences there is so much the explore in this region of Italy. The quality of Apulian ingredients is in the very nature of the lush region and stems from farming and fishing techniques. It is also the driest region in Italy bathed in sunshine that produces radiant fruits and vegetables with intense flavour. Discover what Slow Food is all about as we explore and meet the best in the business. Puglia, also known as Apulia, is the most south eastern region, occupying the ‘heel’ of the ‘boot’ of Italy. Wine and food tours to Puglia visit many of the hilltop towns. Puglia has an area of 19,366 square kilometres and a population of 4 million. For more information on the region Ask us about a destination wedding in Italy, Puglia is the hotspot for weddings in Italy.
Cuisine – cucina pugliese
Puglia is a rugged agricultural region. Sure, there’s lots of coastline and you know the seafood is good and plentiful. But if you want citrus fruits and vegetables, Puglia is also where you must come. The sun is kind to things we like to eat: tomatoes, artichokes, fava beans, arugula, zucchini, beans, fennel, peppers, onions, and table grapes are all produced in abundance here. Agrumi, citrus fruit, was once a huge industry, especially around the Gargano peninsula; the climate there allows for two harvests every year
Oranges can show up on a plate in unexpected ways, as in a salad that consisted of anchovies, olive oil, pepper and orange slices.
Puglia is sheep territory. You’ll find amazing sheep cheeses. You’ll find an exception to sheep dominance on the Gargano peninsula in the local Podolica cattle, sturdy beasts which can graze on shrubs, stubbles and thickets and withstand a harsh climate to give a very rich milk used to produce the region’s classic caciocavallo cheese. I have visited places that produce 3 different milk cheeses, cow, goat & sheep. And some are blended, with stunning results.
The pasta shape you’ll encounter most often is orecchiette, little ears produced by hand from hard wheat and water. Eggs were a luxury, so the cucina povera has come to prefer an eggless but easily handmade pasta.
Puglia has some of the best bread in Italy. Italy’s only DOP bread is found in Altamura.
The cured meat that amazed me in Puglia was the Valle d’Itria product called Cappocollo di Martina Franca. Farmers markets abound in Puglia, and they are the best source for understanding exactly what is being produced in the country surrounding the towns we visit.
The Slow Food movement in Puglia is alive and well. When you’re in a restaurant that serves traditional food, try the dish called Fave e Cicoria, fava beans and potatoes boiled together, then whipped with olive oil and served with bitter greens.
There is, of course olive oil and wine, now celebrated for their quality. Puglia produces more wine than any other region in Italy. (approx. 22% of the total Italian wine production) 80% of the production is from red grape varieties, Primitivo, Negromaro, Uva di Troia & Malvasia, and Chardonnay and the stunning little known Verduca for white wines. For more on the wines of Puglia
Puglia dominates the Olive Oil production in Italy, with 40% of all oils produced in the 5 regions of Puglia.
There are around 60 million olive trees in Puglia, and the landscape from Bari thru to Lecce is dominated by olive tree groves. A vicious bacterium that is devastating southern Italy’s valuable olive groves is still spreading years after it was identified, because of opposition to measures meant to contain the pathogen. It is estimated that 5 million trees have been destroyed as efforts are made to eradicate the bacteria. Some of the trees, known as monumental trees, are aged between 2500 and 3500 years old. We visit one of these Antica Masseria on the tour.