Join me, Ylenia and our Italian mammas in Puglia to cook, eat, drink and discover this amazing "off-the-tourist-track" region in Southern Italy!
We've specially designed a delicious 9-day/8-night food and wine lover's journey in Puglia. One in which you'll not only taste the many delicacies of the region, but you'll also cook them! You'll be immersed in the culture, lifestyle and traditions of the people of the region. You'll have exclusive access "behind-the-scenes," inside professional kitchens and to other destinations no other tour provides. With Ylenia by our side the entire way (she has been in the tourism business in Salento for over 10 years) it will be so much more than a culinary journey. We'll meet and work with many Salentine people and, like those on this year's tour, you'll fall in love with how warm and welcoming they are. It will be a truly local and memorable experience.
We have four tour dates available and each tour is limited to a maximum of 12 participants. The small group ensures you more personal attention and a more authentic experience. All classes and tours will be in (or with a translation into) English, but this will also be an opportunity to learn and/or practice Italian.
We'll
watch a cooking demonstration at a winery and then dine on these
dishes paired with Pugliese wines. Make pasta and
traditional meals with Italian mammas. Become Italian pizza makers for
an evening at a local pizzeria. Watch an artisan cheese maker at work
and then dig into the still-warm freshly-made, creamy ricotta. Picnic in
an olive grove surrounded by hundred year-old olive trees.
Sample seafood right out of its shell minutes after it's been
caught. Go into the kitchen of a famous Lecce pastry shop and learn
about the sweet side of
Salento, with samples, of course. There will be guided walking tours
of Baroque Lecce, the
fisherman's village of Gallipoli, the seaside resort town of Otranto,
the Trulli of the Itria Valley and the "white city" of Ostuni. These
are just a few of the highlights of this trip; there's so much
more...
What's included in the tour:
- 9 days/8 nights stay at the gorgeous Masseria Provenzani (1 mile from the beach and a 10-minute drive to Lecce)
- Experience Puglia like a local - We will have a local guide with us the entire trip
- All breakfasts, lunches and dinners
- Local wines included with all lunches and dinners
- Private shuttle to and from the Brindisi Airport or train station and to all destinations during the trip
- Welcome private olive oil tasting
- Guided walking tours of Lecce, Otranto, Gallipoli and the Itria Valley
- SIX cooking classes (three hands-on and three demonstration)
- Cheese making demonstration with tastings
- Gelato making demonstration & tasting
- Guided visit to a Lecce pastry shop with a pasticciotto-making lesson and tastings
- Becoming a pizza-maker for a night – making your own pizza at a Lecce pizzeria
- Two winery visits and tastings
- Liqueur tasting
- Beach time to enjoy the gorgeous Puglia coastline and lapis-lazuli sea
- Cook in Puglia recipe book – including some recipes from the chefs we’ll visit
- Cook in Puglia apron and welcome gift bag
- Assistance with making your travel arrangements to the Brindisi airport and any pre- and post-tour travel arrangements
*Airfare, transportation to Brindisi and travel insurance are not included.
Dates and Details ~
Tour Dates:
- April 27 to May 5, 2013 (SOLD OUT)
- May 25 to June 2, 2013 (8 SPACES REMAINING)
- September 16 to September 24, 2013 (SOLD OUT )
- October 5 to October 13, 2013 (6 SPACES REMAINING)
Price: $3,500 per person based on double occupancy
Single room supplement: $400
Deposit: A nonrefundable deposit of $1,000 per person is required to confirm enrollment.
Final Payment: The final payment is due no later than 90 days prior to the start of your tour.
Travel Insurance:
We recommend travel insurance to protect against loss of enrollment fees for late cancellations.
The following company is one that offers travel insurance:
Please note that we make this information available for your convenience. We have no financial interest in the web site or the services it offers, and any contract you make is your right and responsibility.
For more information: you can read and see many of the tasty things we cooked and the exciting excursions we took on the 2012 tour here: Food Lovers' Tour in Puglia
For even more: to see more photos from the 2012 tour, visit the Facebook page for Food Lover's Odyssey and my section here on Puglia to read more about this food lover's dream region in Italy.
How to book your tour ~
Choose your tour date, email me at: chefkathyayer [at] yahoo.com. I'll send you the booking form that corresponds to your tour. You will need to fill out the booking form and send it back to me via fax or email along with the deposit.
What guests from the 2012 culinary tour in Puglia said about their trip:
"I felt like a queen for nine days!"
"There is no way we could have had this experience traveling on our own or have found all the lovely people of this region."
"Mamma Giulia and Mamma Anna are stars in the kitchen, loved their old-time cooking style."
"You just want to eat more & more & more; and you do."
"Luca, Luca, Luca! We loved pastry Chef Luca Capilungo!"
"I can't wait to get home and cook a Salentine meal for my friends."
"Every single person we visited welcomed us into their place like we were honored guests."
Puglia and Masseria Provenzani ~
Where is Puglia? Puglia is the region at the "heel" of Italy's "boot." We'll be staying in the southernmost province, Salento. It's "kissed" (as they say) on both sides by the deep blue sea - the Ionian to the west & the Adriatic to the east. Often called the "California of Italy" and referred to as "Tuscany without the crowds," Salento boasts a cuisine based on cucina povera (poor kitchen), vegetables, local olive oil & seafood. The countryside is an endless stretch of olive trees and blue skies. Salento's capital is the baroque beauty of Lecce, and we'll stay in the gorgeous and spacious Masseria Provenzani located just minutes from the sea and the city of Lecce.
On the first day, you'll be welcomed to the masseria by me and Ylenia with a poolside lunch, your "Cook in Puglia" apron and a fabulous gift bag. After an afternoon relaxing by the pool or strolling the masseria's grounds, we'll get the Puglia party started with a private olive oil tasting, followed by a welcome dinner. The masseria has a large kitchen where mamma Giulia will prepare our daily breakfasts. It's also where four of our cooking classes will be held. And there will be plenty of time for relaxing poolside and/or beachside.
Masseria Provenzani
Poolside at Masseria Provenzani
Food Lovers’ Culinary Tour in Puglia
~ 2013 Tour Itinerary ~
Day 1:
- Arrival at Brindisi Airport with a private transfer to Masseria Provenzani
- Welcome drink and a light poolside lunch upon arrival at the masseria where you’ll meet Ylenia, me and fellow travelers
- Afternoon to relax by the pool, in the courtyard or bike to the beach
- Pre-dinner private tasting of local olive oils
- Welcome dinner with your lovely host, Ylenia - Discuss details of the fabulous week ahead
Day 2:
- Breakfast at the masseria
- Gelato demonstration and tasting at a local gelateria
- Walking tour of Otranto and visit to the Otranto Cathedral – with free time in the city to stroll, shop or dip your toes in sea
- Lunch at a trattoria in Otranto
- Winery visit and tour with a cooking demonstration in the winery’s kitchen
- Dinner at the winery
Day 3:
- Breakfast at the masseria
- A day in Lecce with a guided tour, carta pesta demonstration and free time to shop or discover more of this baroque beauty on your own.
- Lunch at a trattoria in Lecce
- Guided visit to a pastry shop where we’ll make pasticciotto (THE pastry of Lecce) and taste other Leccese pastries
- Hands-on cooking class with our Italian mammas in the kitchen
- Dinner at the masseria based on our creations
Day 4:
- Breakfast at the masseria
- Morning at a village in the Grecia Salentina (where inhabitants still speak ancient Greek)
- Visit to a monastery where they make liqueurs and a tasting
- Visit to a laboratory where the village women make artisanal handicrafts
- Lunch in Martano
- Hands-on cooking class at the masseria with our Italian mammas
- Full four-course dinner at the masseria based on your creations
Day 5:
- Breakfast at the masseria
- Full day visiting the Itria Valley and the famous Trulli - with walking tours of Alberobello, Ostuni & Locorotondo
- Lunch will be some of the traditional foods from the Itria Valley
- Dinner at the masseria
Day 6:
- Breakfast at the masseria
- Visit to a pasta making laboratory – Pugliese pasta-making demonstration
- Pugliese Breads and Pasta – Hands-on cooking class with me and our Italian mammas
- Lunch poolside – Lunch will include some of the pasta and bread you made
- Afternoon to relax at the pool (Optional 45-minute Swedish massage available)
- Pre-dinner aperitivi poolside
- Dinner at the masseria
Day 7
- Breakfast at the masseria
- Winery visit with tasting
- Lunch with an ocean view on the terrace in Gallipoli
- Walking tour of the historical town of Gallipoli
- Afternoon free in Gallipoli
- Pizza dinner in Lecce – where you will be a pizzaiolo (Italian for pizza maker) for a night
Day 8
- Breakfast at the masseria
- Dolci di Puglia (Sweets of Puglia) – Morning Pugliese pastry making demonstration at the masseria
- Late morning ricotta & primo sale cheese making demonstration and tasting
- Picnic lunch in an olive orchard - Lunch will include cheeses from the cheese-making demo, dessert demo and other local delicacies
- Guided tour of the olive groves and mill
- Afternoon to relax by the pool
- Evening stroll in Lecce
- Farewell dinner in Lecce
Day 9
- Farewell breakfast at the masseria
- Private transfer to the Brindisi Airport
Ready to join us and cook, eat, drink, discover and enjoy Puglia? Choose your tour date, email me at: chefkathyayer [at] yahoo.com. I'll send you the booking form that corresponds to your tour.
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