Culture and Cuisine in Puglia: From Fasano to Lecce

Your first full day in Puglia is all about the finer things in life, namely good food and world-class wine. Wheat, olive oil, vegetables and fish are the pillars of Puglian cuisine, and you’ll get up close and personal with each of these ingredients during a private cooking course at a traditional masseria (Italian farmhouse). It’s a truth universally acknowledged that Italy is home to some of the best food in the world, and Puglians tend to argue that their cooking is the crème de la crème of Italian cuisine. The region is renowned for its wide variety of pastas, including orecchiette (meaning ‘little ears’), and baked products such as friselle (Altamura bread), taralli (made from yeast-free dough) and panzerotti (stuffed pizza dough pockets). Your cooking experience will begin in the masseria’s vegetable garden, where you’ll pick various seasonal fruits and vegetables, before joining the chef in the kitchen to cook a traditional recipe with your gathered ingredients. After taking the time to perfect your dishes, you’ll have the chance to sample them, alongside some regional wines.

Nicknamed the White City (or ‘Citta Bianca’) in honour of its whitewashed old town, the beautiful town of Ostuni sprawls across a hilltop between Bari and Lecce. Paved alleyways meander through the old houses, where many local artisans can be found, while the 15th-century Gothic white stone cathedral stands tall and elegant over the town. Explore Ostuni’s architectural highlights alongside an expert guide, who will show you inside the cathedral, reveal the town’s history and take you for an olive oil tasting at another traditional masseria. Here you’ll also get to see the original oil mill in operation and learn about the olive oil production process.

Enjoy a final leisurely breakfast at your Savelletri hotel, before hopping in your hire car and driving one-and-a-half hours to Matera, where you’ll stay for the next two nights. The town is best known for its fascinating cave dwellings, which are carved into the surrounding limestone and were inhabited from ancient times up until the 1950s. Since then, the caves have been the subject of intense rehabilitation work and are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Some of the rock churches are open to the public and decorated with ornate Byzantine frescoes. As part of your itinerary, we can arrange a walking tour of the town with a private guide, which includes visits to the most significant sites and the Sassi caves.

Today you’ll depart from Matera and drive to Lecce, a journey which takes around two hours. Located further into the ‘heel of Italy’s boot’, Lecce is known for its baroque-style buildings and Roman amphitheatre. Some of the city’s standouts include the central Piazza del Duomo, the Cattedrale di Lecce and the Basilica di Santa Croce. Spend your first evening admiring the architecture in the centre and sampling some of Lecce’s cuisine, before relaxing in your hotel, ready for another day of exploring tomorrow.

Beautiful sandy beaches and sun are not the only reasons to visit the Salentine Peninsula, and today you’ll explore the ‘heel of Italy’s boot’ in more depth. Southwest of Lecce, the coastal town of Gallipoli remains an important fishing town to this day, where fishermen can be seen sitting in the shade mending their nets. Tour the town with a local guide and enjoy some delicious fresh fish for lunch from the nearby fish market. From Gallipoli, you’ll then head to Santa Maria di Leuca, renowned for its stunning sandy beaches. The final stop on your tour is Otranto, another charming seaside town, still partially enclosed within medieval walls.