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This gastro tour of Pulgia stays in two amazing locations in one of the most beautiful areas of Italy, Polignano and Martina Franca.
We go deep into the food, wine, scenery and culture of the region Italian’s call “Apulia” through cooing lessons, wine tasting, visits to villages, markets and artisanal cheese and salami makers all guided by one of our local team
Puglia’s cuisine has been influenced over the centuries by its neighbours – and invaders. The Greeks, the French, the Germans, the Arabs – all of them have influenced today’s Apulian cuisine.
This striking land, kissed by the Mediterranean sun for over 300
days a year, is scattered with fortified castles and whitewashed hill towns and Trulli (Puglia’s distinctive conical shaped dwellings), and carpeted with a silvery sea of olive groves. Best explored with our local guides by foot and bicycle.
It also has an incredibly rich natural phenomenon: the area produces most of the country’s extra virgin olive oil, full-bodied wines and is famous for its intensely flavoured olives, table grapes, almonds and figs.
Other local specialities include orecchiette, an ‘ear-shaped’ pasta, seafood risotto, fava beans (which are dried and made into a paste) and burrata, a creamy cheese similar to mozzarella.
Let us take you on a journey into Pulgia and show you how us Italian’s would visit this region. How we find the best local, seasonal produce and where and how to enjoy it. Let us introduce you not only to food and drink but to the artisans that make it their passion in life to produce it. And while we are there we will guide you with stories and expert insights by our local team that call Apluia “home”
Transfer to Polignano You will be met a Bari Airport by one of our English speaking representatives for a private transfer to your boutique hotel in Polignano. Dinner is included at the hotel
A free day to relax and enjoy local life in the very beautiful whitewashed seaside town of Polignano. Wander the ancient streets, enjoying speciality gelato with time to chill on the unique beach of Lama Monachile Polignano A Mare, often described as one of the worlds best-kept secret beaches
After Breakfast, we visit a small local pasta producer for a demonstration on how it is made and suggestions on how to eat it! Following our pasta demonstration visit, we will make our way toward Matera in the Basilicata region. This is an astonishing UNESCO World Heritage Site: the city has gained international fame for its ancient town, the Sassi di Matera (meaning stones of Matera). The Sassi originate from a prehistoric (troglodyte) settlement, and are suspected to be some of the first human settlements in Italy. Because of the ancient and primitive scenery in and around the Sassi, it has been used by filmmakers as the setting for ancient Jerusalem. Numerous famous biblical period motion pictures were filmed in Matera, including Mel Gibson’sThe Passion of the Christ. We finish our day by trying some of the local artisan bread that are famous in the region.
After breakfast, we meet our guide for a visit to Cisternino. Cisternino is a small, utterly charming old town centre that has remained virtually intact for centuries. Its whitewashed houses, narrow, shady streets, historic churches and elegant central piazza open out onto a series of panoramic viewpoints from which visitors can take in the surrounding countryside, with its rolling hills, dry stone walls and white-tipped conical trulli roofs piercing the green fields. Then on to a local Apulian farm for a cooking experience where we’ll learn how to cook some of the most typical Apulian/Italian dishes: pizza, focaccia and local specialities like panzerotti, calzone and taralli. We eat what we make for lunch…buon appettito!!!
Today we cruise along the Apulian Coast, spending the day with local fishermen, learning about their trade and techniques of this ancient profession. As we travel along the Adriatic coast, we see and learn about the wonders of the Adriatic, including the caves of Polignano a Mare, the remains of the ancient city Egnatia, the white Savelletri houses, the Torre Guaceto marine reserve. A splendid way to experience Puglia!
After breakfast we visit the Old Town of Martina Franca. Martina Franca is a in the heart of Puglia, southern Italy. The town’s jewel is its lovely historic centre, a memorable maze of winding alleys, where whitewashed simplicity sits side by side with baroque extravagance. The town is built on a hill in the green Valle d’Itria, the trulli area of Puglia. Martina Franca is an incredibly photogenic town, so come equipped to take lots of pictures: the narrow lanes that are so hard to photograph well in other Italian cities are here illuminated by whitewashed walls, pale stone and tiny open spaces. After the tour we will visit a local farmer to try the local delicacy of Capocollo of Martina Franca. The cured sausage is similar to salami and made on farms in the Valle d´Itria. After our capocollo tasting, we are off to a winery to taste the Primitivo and Negroamaro wines made from typical local grapes. To complete such a glorious day, what’s better than a dinner al fornello – an outdoor ding experience in real Pugliese style!
After breakfast, it is time to explore Alberorello by pedal-assisted E-bike. Alberobello, a UNESCO World Heritage site and symbol of Puglia, has teh best examples of trulli, characteristic dry-stone houses with conical roof dating back to the fourteenth century, giving the town a fairytale feel. We then take a guided tour of Locorotondo, considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Locorotondo is a small town of the Itria Valley that fascinates visitors with its old town and the characteristic pitched roof white houses. Our e-bike tour ends at a local winery, where you will learn more about the wine making process and taste excellent wines made from native grapes, in combination with typical local products.
Tour ends. After breakfast, we will transfer you to the airport in time to catch your flight
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