Itinerary Puglia Food & Wine
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Puglia Food and Wine Puglia Food and Wine Why you'll love this itinerary A five day discovery of Puglia, seeing the highlights Visit key locations of Aberobello, Matera, Locorotondo of the region along with a culinary focus. You'll do so and Ostuni. in a safe and secure way - a private tour, your own driver with a sanitised vehicle, on call support. We organise the itinerary, accommodation, a driver to take you to all the destinations, a guided visit in Matera Try recipes handed down through the generations, and the food/wine/cooking sessions. Puglia is considered 'foodie heaven' given the quality of the fresh produce and these culinary traditions. For self guided visits we provide detailed information on Puglia and the places that you visit. You will have a cooking lesson with a chef, where the focus will be on cooking typical Puglia dishes, first We also we provide on-call local support both before taking you through the types of ingredients used and and during the trip. their provenance. There are three accommodation choices for this You will be driven to visit an olive grove with ancient itinerary, detailed on the following pages. olive trees, an underground oil mill thousands of years old, and will taste a range of different olive oils. You will taste wines that are specific to Puglia. www.italywithpleasure.com Itinerary - Puglia Food and Wine Day 1 – Buongiorno Puglia! You will be picked up in Bari from your arrival point and taken to your accommodation. For your time in Puglia you stay in the picturesque seaside town of Monopoli. The historic centre of Monopoli is a gem: it is lined with elegant baroque palaces of the noble families, evocative lanes amongst the whitewashed buildings, as well as a charming seafront and cute piazzas with the traditional ‘passeggiata’ in full swing each evening. Monopoli Over the next few days you'll have plenty of time to explore Monopoli at your own pace, enjoying the sea views and being immersed in the local lifestyle. Day 2 – Locorotondo / Winery / Alberobello You will be picked up and driven to your first stop, the town of Locorotondo. Take the time to look around Locorotondo, an absolutely gorgeous town, in fact voted as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy ("Borghi piu belli d'Italia"). It is perched on a hilltop and along its narrow lanes you feel like being in an Locorotondo earlier time. Moving on to the nearby winery that produces wines that are are unique to the Valle d’Itria subregion of Puglia. The winery is family run, and focussed on making quality wines expressive of the area. The traditional varieties that are grown include minutolo and susumaniello. You will be shown through the vineyard. The terroir provides the basis for these excellent wines – deep limestone soils combined with cooling breezes. You taste their range of wines following the visit. Onwards to Alberobello. The picturesque Alberobello, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a unique town with streets lined with 'trulli'. In fact it is known in Italy as the “Capital of trulli”. Trulli are small stone houses with a distinctive conical The lanes of Locorotondo roof, built 300-400 years ago. You will be fascinated by the magical and fairytale atmosphere of this place. Day 3 – Matera You will be picked up and driven to the town of Matera in the neighbouring Basilicata region. Visiting Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is like a step back in time. In fact this is one of the oldest continually inhabited settlements in the world. The oldest cave dwellings go back to the Bronze Age. Alberobello www.italywithpleasure.com Itinerary - Puglia Food and Wine In Matera you will meet a local expert guide to have the key sights explained during your private two hour walking tour. The town consists of houses carved out of the rock face along the side of a steep ravine. Visit the 'sassi' cave area, and enter one of the typical houses built into the rock, showing the difficult existence in these conditions. Also visit a cave church hewn out of the rock, featuring Byzantine frescoes and with interesting histories as their usage has evolved and adapted over the years. Note: some churches and museums charge for entrance in Cave church in Matera Matera, this is to be paid in cash at the time (€2-€3). Day 4 – Olive Oil / Ostuni / Cooking In the morning your driver will first take you to the olive grove. This family owned estate produces superior extra virgin olive oil from trees that are many centuries old. This land has been worked for thousands of years - you are shown the remnants of the ancient Roman agricultural production here, along with items from habitation from the middle ages through until modern times. Byzantine-style frescoes, Matera After seeing the ancient trees, you enjoy a degustation of a range of olive oils. This allows you to compare the differe nt tastes from the olive varieties grown here. You will be then be driven to Ostuni, known as “la città bianca” (the white town). Ostuni is a cluster of whitewashed buildings perched on a hilltop overlooking the coast. Walking through the narrow streets of Ostuni you have the wonderful combination of a long and fascinating history, along with many excellent cafes where you can relax. Ostuni looks out to the coast over an expanse of olive trees. We advise keeping your camera at the ready! Then you will have a special experience, taking a cooking The olive grove lesson from a local chef. The focus will be on cooking typical Puglia dishes, first taking you through the types of ingredients used and their provenance. The cuisine of Puglia is based on the produce at a very local level, so is different to the food from other Italian regions. Seasonal vegetables, as well as focaccia and other breads, dominate this cuisine. All these are based on the abundant fresh ingredients as well as the ever-present extra virgin olive oil - a simple and effective cuisine. Recipes have been handed down through the generations and are truly expressive of the Mediterranean diet. Ostuni www.italywithpleasure.com Itinerary - Puglia Food and Wine The session is hands on and you are involved in making a series of dishes, and you finish off the session by dining on the meal that you’ve prepared. Day 5 – Arrivederci Puglia Today is your last day in Puglia, we organise private transfers for you to your departure point in Bari and bid you “buon viaggio”. Cooking Pugliese style www.italywithpleasure.com Accommodation (A) Monopoli Accommodation Option A: Monopoli In Puglia we stay in the charming town of Monopoli. The historic centre is lined with elegant old buildings, evocative lanes amongst the whitewashed buildings, and piazzas with the traditional ‘passeggiata’ in full swing each evening. Alongside the town centre is a small swimming beach. The rooms we use in Monopoli You stay at the Albergo Diffuso Monopoli, a boutique accommodation provider with a personal touch (rated 4.5 / 5 by Tripadvisor with a 'Certificate of Excellence'). The rooms are located in a collection of historic buildings in the centre of town . We've chosen this central type of accommodation so that you can really get a feel for the lifestyle of a town in Puglia. Cost: €1700 Puglia Food & Wine Itinerary, with accommodation in Monopoli Reference: PFW5DA www.italywithpleasure.com Accommodation (B) Masseria Salamina Accommodation Option B: Masseria Salamina During this tour you stay in traditional ‘massseria’ accommodation. A ‘masseria’ is a large farmhouse, and previously these were fortified, largely self-contained rural centres. The masseria where you will stay, Masseria Salamina has been tastefully renovated as a 4 star boutique accommodation provider (see www.masseriasalamina.com ). By staying in the masseria you will be directly experiencing Puglia’s history. Set amongst olive groves and fig trees, the buildings were constructed in the 17th century. The property was established as an agricultural enterprise even earlier. But we don’t forget the needs of the present! The masseria offers all you would expect during your time here, such as wifi, air conditioned rooms, and a swimming pool. The masseria’s own excellent restaurant serves food grown right on their own organic farm. Cost: €1900 Puglia Highlights Itinerary, with accommodation at Masseria Salamina Classic Room The pool at Masseria Salamina Reference: PFW5DB www.italywithpleasure.com Accommodation (C) Masseria Salamina Accommodation Option C: Masseria Il Melograno The Masseria Il Melograno is a 5 star hotel featuring all the amenities that you'd expect.....and more! (see www.melograno.com ). As well as their large outdoor pool, they have an indoor pool, spa treatments and a sauna. A short ten minute drive (by complementary shuttle) is their own private beach club. Enjoy their cocktail bar overlooking the clear Beach club facilities turquoise waters of the Adriatic. They have a superb restaurant serving local fare with a modern twist. Cost: €2100 Puglia Highlights Itinerary, with accommodation at Masseria Il Melograno Superior room. Reference: PFW5DC Their private beach club www.italywithpleasure.com Inclusions Matera Package Inclusions All Accommodation is included. Accommodaion Puglia Highlights with accommodation option A includes breakfast. Albergo Diffuso Monopoli (reference PFW5DA) Price: €1700 All transport during the tour is included. Travel is with a professional driver and is solely for your party (no Puglia Highlights with accommodation option B other passengers). Vehicles are sanitised daily. Masseria Salamina (reference PFW5DB) Price: €1900 We provide transport to all the destinations as detailed in the 'Itinerary - Puglia Food and Wine'. Puglia Highlights with accommodation option c Masseria Il Melograno (reference PFW5DC) We include a guided visit in Matera, plus all the Price: €2100 food/wine/cooking sessions.