Cooking in Apulia - Olive Oil and Orecchiette

Olive Oil and Orecchiette - Cooking and Culture in Apulia

Apulia, the remote region comprising the heel of the Italian boot, enjoys a traditional cuisine that is the very essence of a healthy Mediterranean diet. Our weeklong stay in a privately owned 16C Palazzo offers a relaxed and informal insight into Apulian cooking, with a particular emphasis on the history, cultivation and flavours of the delicious oils from the ancient olive groves of Apulia.

A visit to a masseria (working farm), swimming at the coast, some gentle strolls through olive groves to give us a real feel for ‘la terra’, plus the glories of Lecce’s Baroque architecture and the whitewashed port of Gallipoli, form the backdrop to a series of hands-on cookery classes and delicious meals.

TRIP ITINERARY

DAY 1

L, D included

After meeting at Bari airport in the early afternoon, a road transfer brings us to a superbly-restored 16C palazzo, with a garden containing a swimming pool, palm and lemon trees. Aperitivi and dinner, introducing some Apulian specialities, are served by candlelight in the baronial hall.

DAY 2

B, L, D included

In Otranto, one of the last towns in Apulia to fall to the Normans in 1070, we explore the Aragonese castle with its massive walls and visit the Cathedral of Santa Maria Annunziata with its marvellous mosaic floor depicting the tree of life with a mixture of pagan and Christian symbols, and heroes from history and fantasy (including the Queen of Sheba, Alexander the Great and King Arthur). We drive back, stopping in a little sheltered cove to picnic and swim. Dinner at the palazzo is prepared by a local cook with a reputation for delicious and authentic Salentine cooking, and to complement the meal we sample Apulian red wines such as Primitivo (probable precursor of Zinfandel).

DAY 3

B, L, D included

This morning we drive to Lecce and explore the town on foot - between 1660 and 1720 it was extensively rebuilt in the high Baroque style. We admire the Duomo, bell tower, archbishop’s palace, seminary and the façade of Santa Croce and there is time to buy the famed Leccese cotognato (quince paste) before a special lunch in a private 18C Neo-Classical villa. On returning to the palazzo there is time for a swim before we have a hands- on class preparing our dinner - maybe aubergine rissoles and fish baked in a tiella (a traditional Pugliese dish), and one of the sweet almond and citrus concoctions of the south.

DAY 4

B, L, D included

In the ancient, walled port of Gallipoli we visit the fish market before admiring the baroque façade of the cathedral and exploring the atmospheric narrow alleyways. We have lunch in a trattoria by the sea, then head for a nearby beach for a swim once we have digested the excellent pasta with crab. For dinner at the palazzo this evening we prepare a typical southern Italian fish soup.

DAY 5

B, L, D included

A class on pasta pugliese has us all making orecchiette, the ‘little ears’ which reputedly get larger the further south one travels in Apulia! We travel to the coast to swim and stroll on the castle walls in Castro before lunch in a local restaurant noted for its array of antipasti based on fish and pasta dishes. The afternoon brings a chance to relax in the garden by the pool, or go for a walk in the ancient olive groves outside the village. For dinner we prepare swordfish rolls and fava bean puree with chicory, an Apulian classic.

DAY 6

B, L, D included

Following a leisurely breakfast and a stroll through the lemon trees within the walled garden (and perhaps a swim in the pool), we visit an ancient, very picturesque, local farm. We taste their olive oil and eat their home produce for lunch - salad from the garden, home-reared meat grilled on a wood fire and of course, plenty of local red wine such as DOC Salice Salentino. In nearby Galatina, the centre of the phenomenon of tarantismo, we see the fine early 15C frescoes in the Franciscan church of Sta Caterina d’Alessandria.

DAY 7

B, L, D included

We all give a hand to prepare a picnic, maybe making pizza rustica and orange and fennel salad with pomegranate seeds, before setting off for a local market to buy plenty of late summer fruits such as figs and persimmons. The ancient frescoed rock church nearby is a World Heritage Site, which we visit before picnicking and swimming on the coast. Our farewell dinner is in a restaurant specialising in fish and shellfish, celebrating our week’s immersion in the culinary heritage of this wonderful region of Italy.

DAY 8

B included

En route to the airport, we pause to visit the charming Romanesque abbey of Santa Maria di Cerrate.

Price includes:

All accommodation for Days 1 through 8 on a twin shared basis

All meals (with wine at lunches and dinners) as listed in the daily notation

All hands-on and demonstration cooking lessons as described

All wine and olive oil tastings as described

All land transportation as described except during free periods

All entrance and sightseeing fees except during free periods

Gratuities for palazzo and restaurant staff

Visa and Health Requirements

Visitors from the EU and the US currently require a valid passport, but not a visa, for entry to Italy. If you are a national of any other country, please check visa regulations with your nearest Embassy of Italy.

At present there are no specific and compulsory health requirements for entry to Italy. Residents of countries in the EU can only claim free (emergency) medical treatment in Italy by presenting their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which is issued in the UK by the Department of Health. You may also wish to check the advice given to travellers by the FCO.

Insurance

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If you are already insured or a non-UK resident, please inform us of your policy at the time of booking.