crafting wonderful tours of Italy

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The Puglia Culinary Tour – Itinerary
….crafting wonderful tours of Italy
Day 1 – Buongiorno Puglia!
We meet in Bari, and from here we start our culinary
discovery of Puglia.
Our first stop is at Ostuni, known as “la città bianca”
(the white town). Ostuni is a cluster of whitewashed
buildings on a hilltop overlooking the coast, with a
maze of narrow streets and steps. The fortified
citadel dominates the surrounding areas, looking out
over an expanse of olive trees.
Towards evening we reach our first destination, the
masseria. ‘Masseria’ is the name given to large
historic farmhouses. These were fortified, largely selfcontained rural centres. The masseria where you will
stay has been tastefully renovated as a boutique
accommodation provider.
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 1700’s. Around the grounds you will see
numerous aspects of times gone by, giving an insight
into the lifestyle here in centuries past – you are
immersed in history.
But we don’t forget the needs of the present! There
masseria offers all you would expect during your
time here, such as wifi and a swimming pool.
Tonight we dine together, in the masseria’s own
excellent restaurant which serves food grown right
there in their own organic farm. Our first taste of
Puglia.
Meals: Dinner (four courses with wine included)
www.italywithpleasure.com
Ostuni
The lanes of Ostuni
Masseria lifestyle
Day 2 – Alberobello, accompanied by wine and
food
Alberobello: We depart in the morning for our first
stop, Alberobello, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Alberobello is the only town with streets lined with
the unique 'trulli', in fact it is known in Italy as the
“Capital of trulli”. Trulli are small houses with a
distinctive conical roof. They are made from
limestone dry-stone walls, and often have several
roof cones joined to form one dwelling. By walking
along its narrow streets, you will be fascinated by the
magical and fairytale atmosphere of this place.
Most of these trulli are 300-400 years old. We explore
this town together, and learn about the history of
these buildings and about the cryptic symbols
painted on the roof-cones.
Alberobello
Lunch in a 17th century farmhouse
Before lunch you have some free time to browse the
shops of Alberobello and to wander around.
Wine and Cheese: Following our visit to Alberobello
we travel on to another masseria. Here we first have
a tour of this 400 year old fortified farm, which
features a historic ‘agrumeto’ citrus garden. We find
out about how this historic garden operated,
including an ingenious irrigation system.
Next we will have a demonstration of mozzarella
making by a ‘casaro’, a cheesemaker. In fact the
cheese will be made with milk from his herd of cows
that live right next door.
Watching mozzarella production
Wine and cheese degustation
We move into the masseria to have a tutored tasting
of wines from Puglia presented by a sommelier. This
serves as an introduction to the wines of this region,
many of which may be unfamiliar varieties.
Along with tasting of a range of cheeses from Puglia,
Followed by a long lunch
we have a relaxing lunch here in the masseria.
After this bucolic afternoon, we depart the masseria
and make our way back to our accommodation.
Cooking: This evening we have a special
experience, taking a cooking lesson from a local
chef. The focus will be on cooking local dishes, first
taking you through the types of ingredients used
and their provenance. The cuisine of Puglia has
developed based on the produce at a very local
level, so is different to the food from other Italian
regions. Vegetable based dishes such as grilled
zucchini predominate, as well as foccaccia and
other breads. All these are based on the abundant
fresh ingredients as well as the ever-present olive oil.
The purity of flavour expressed in this cuisine is
gaining it a reputation internationally, such that
you’ll now find Pugliese dishes in top international
restaurants.
The session is hands on and we are all involved in
making a series of dishes, and we finish off the
session by dining on the meal we’ve prepared.
Our chef demonstrating technique
Dinner preparations
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch (three courses with wine included)
Day 3 - Locorotondo
Serving pasta
Today we first visit Locorotondo, voted as one of the
“Borghi più belli d'Italia” (most beautiful villages of
Italy). The town is perched on a hilltop overlooking
the Valle d'Itria, a broad fertile valley. The town is a
great place to explore on foot as it is compact
centre spans on central piazza. The historic part of
town - the centro storico - is circular with little lanes
lined with historic buildings.
We have lunch in Locorotondo, in a restaurant that
is keeping alive the traditions of the area. From
homemade fruit salsa, ‘slow food’ cured meats
smoked over almond shells, through to roast
Locorotondo
lampascioni and zucchini flowers.
After lunch we visit a winery, where some of the
wines we taste 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
fiano minutolo and susumaniello. The winemaker
takes us through the vineyard. The terroir provides
the basis for these excellent wines – deep limestone
soils combined with cooling breezes. We taste their
range of wines following our visit.
From the winery, we then move on to the nearby
town of Martina Franca, which has elegant piazzas
that fill up with locals for the evening ‘passeggiata’ –
to see and be seen. We join the promenade as we
admire the ornate doorways and balconies of the
old noble houses. Those that wish to are able to
spend the evening in Martina Franca, alternatively
you can choose to return to the masseria for the
evening.
Rose window, Locorotondo
Lunch in Locorotondo
With the winemaker
Day 4 – The Marvels of Elegant Baroque
In the morning we travel to Lecce, a city that
flourished in the 17th century when extravagant
baroque buildings were built by the ruling classes.
The baroque style features ornate decorations
covering the building facades, carved from the
local cream coloured limestone.
We take a private tour around Lecce with a local
expert guide to have the key sights explained to us.
As well as the architectural and historical features,
Lecce is an elegant town in which to indulge in
more modern pleasures – there are many interesting
Winetasting in the historic cellar
The piazza in Martina Franca
boutiques and cafes, and piazzas full of life in this
important southern Italian centre.
After some free time we have lunch here in the
historic centre of Lecce, at a restaurant that
showcases the local produce. We dine on foods
such as ‘ceci e tria’ (a type of pasta dish only made
in Lecce), pasticiotto (the almond flour pastry made
in Lecce), and of course we finish with the delicious
‘caffe leccese’ (espresso on ice with sweet almond
syrup). We return to the masseria late afternoon
In the evening we are joined again by our chef for a
session focussed on seafood. Using the fish
purchased in the morning’s market, we produce the
traditional dishes made in coastal Puglia. You will be
involved in the preparations of both the fish and the
accompanying vegetable based dishes.
Church interior, Lecce
Lecce
Day 5 – Olive Oil and Polignano a Mare
This morning we visit a farm that produces superior
extra virgin olive oil from trees that are many
centuries old.
This land has been worked for thousands of years we are shown the remnants of the ancient Roman
agricultural production here, along with items from
habitation from the middle ages through until
modern times.
After seeing the ancient trees, we enjoy a
degustation of a range of olive oils. This allows us to
compare the different tastes from the olive varieties
grown here.
We have lunch on the nearby coast in a town
called Polignano-a-Mare, a town clinging to a
promontory suspended above the Adriatic’s
Preparing fish dishes
Ancient olive trees
turquoise waters.
With a history spanning back to the 4th century BC as
a Greek settlement, Polignano a Mare is a charming
town centred around the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele.
Here you will see the remains of an ancient Roman
bridge which was part of Trajan’s Way, and find the
best viewpoints over the sea.
Polignano a Mare encircles a pebble beach,
nestled in a cove between rocky cliffs.
Olive oil tasting
Our meal here is in a stunning location right on the
seafront. This meal is focussed on cuisine from the
Adriatic, as befits our coastal location.
In the evening we return to Ostuni for an evening
wandering the hilltop town. Ostuni is quite different
at night, with the whitewashed lanes all lit up.
Polignano a Mare
Day 6 – From the Markets to the Michelin Star
This morning we visit the local markets. The weekly
market is a key feature of life in small towns here.
With our chef we work our way through the market
purchasing a range of produce for using in today’s
lunch preparation. All fresh, local and in season –
the term here for the most locally grown produce is
‘kilometre zero’.
Back at the masseria we work with the chef to
develop a lunch fitting for our final day celebrations.
And as well as the ingredients sourced at the
market, we also go foraging in the nearby fields for
wild greens and herbs. In Puglia there are a wide
range of plants that grow naturally on the fields and
rocky borders that add a unique touch to dishes.
Often these wild foods have excellent health giving
properties.
Dining on the coast
Local markets
Harvesting fresh greens
After a lazy afternoon at our home base, the
masseria, we head out for our final meal. This meal is
at a very well respected restaurant (with a Michelin
star). This restaurant focusses on taking the local
Pugliese ingredients and presenting them in a
modern manner. Our final meal is a fitting end to
this discovery of the food, wine and lifestyle of
Puglia.
Lunch preparations
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (four courses with wine included)
Day 7 – Arrivederci Puglia!
Today is our last day in Puglia, we organise transport
to you to your departure point in Bari.
And while we bid you ‘arrivederci’, your week will
have provided such richness that a piece of Puglia
will always be with you. Memories are the most
beautiful pictures our minds can paint.
Departure: 9 a.m.
Our final meal
Meals: Breakfast
Note:
La dolce vita
Ask us about the optional additional days available:
Optional add on: Visit Matera, a town built into a hillside where caves and houses
merge together (UNESCO World Heritage site).
Optional add on: Visit Trani and Castel del Monte, the unique octagonal castle
(UNESCO World Heritage site).
The Puglia Culinary Tour
This tour combines the key sights of Puglia with a progressive
exploration of the food and wine specific to the region. Puglia
can be considered a “foodie heaven” such is the quality of the
fresh produce here. During this week you go in depth into the
provenance of the ingredients, the dishes that are prepared,
and in a series of hands on sessions with a local chef you make
the meals the same as the locals do. Note that this tour has
appeal for keen amateur cooks but is also suitable for those
without a background in food preparation – as long as you like
good food and good wine, this tour is for you.
Highlights
How to cook like a local, hands-on cooking lessons with a chef.
Making classic Pugliese pasta shapes, trofie and orecchiette
Forage for wild greens and herbs
Market shopping to buy fresh produce for the meals we prepare.
Use traditional ‘cucina povera’ ingredients, such as grano d’arso
Fish markets to source freshly caught Adriatic seafood
Prepare seafood meals with our chef, a key part of Puglia cuisine.
Make desserts with local ingredients ricotta cheese and almonds.
Mozzarella making demonstration by a ‘casaro’ cheesemaker.
Dine in a Michelin starred restaurant the region’s best cuisine.
Winery and vineyard visit with the winemaker
Olive oil a tutored degustation of several types of olive oil.
Accommodation in a Masseria, a traditional 1700s farmhouse
Lecce, famous for the ornate 16th century baroque buildings
Alberobello, where we see the distinctive trulli, conical houses
Martina Franca, one of the Baroque towns of Puglia
Locorotondo, voted as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.
Ostuni and Polignano a Mare, perched above the Adriatic.
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Puglia Culinary Tour Dates:
6 – 12 September 2017
See also our Best of Puglia Tours,
with numerous departures from
April – September.
Puglia Culinary Tour Price:
Puglia Culinary Tour includes:
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'Italy With Pleasure' provides a tour manager for the
duration of the trip.
All accommodation is included.
Meals as listed in the itinerary.
All costs/entry fees for activities are included.
All transport during the tour is included.
€2400 ( GBP£2000 / US$2600 / AUD$3450 / NZ$3650 / CAD$3450)
ITALY WITH PLEASURE
Small Group Tours of Italy
ITALY WITH PLEASURE is a specialist provider of small group
tours to Italy. We would like to take you to some of our
favourite destinations and unveil to you some of Italy’s
best kept gems.
We take you to the places that we like visiting – we've
travelled extensively throughout Italy, and the itineraries
that we've put together allow you to maximise your
experience of the best that Italy has to offer.
TOURS :
PUGLIA – SICILY – AMALFI
Some features of our tours are:
Contact with local people: Careful selection of a range of
activities and visits allow you to have genuine experiences
in contact with local people... this is what memories are
made of!
All our tours are organised directly by Italy With Pleasure:
Not by third party tour operators.
Our guided tours are in small groups: Tours are always fully
guided and in a small group context, giving a more
personal touch and flexibility where needed.
Experience Italy like a local: As well as organised
excursions, we leave some time each day for you to
explore at your own pace so you can get a sense of how
it is to live like a local.
See you in Italy - a presto!
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crafting wonderful tours of Italy

Transcription

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