Touring
Puglia, Italy
Located
right in the heel of Italy's boot, Puglia's 6 provinces
showcase more than 500 miles of lapis-lazuli coastline on both
the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. Puglia
is also Italy's top olive oil producer, celebrated for its red
Salice
Salentino wine, orecchiette
(ear-shaped pasta), and abundantly fresh seafood dishes like pignata
di polpo, a delightfully fresh squid stew.
It's
only fitting to explore this off-the-well-trodden tourist track
region by forgetting self-made itineraries and going with a small
independently run tour group that's run by lifetime locals. Since
gastronomy is a time-honored tradition here, what better way to
experience the food than to join a grandmother in her kitchen
and learn how to make tagliatelle.
Inside a Grandmother's Kitchen in Puglia
All
guests who sign up with YLTOUR
can pick accommodations ranging from hotels, country houses, farms,
luxury B&Bs, and inns as their home base with daily excursions
to Salento and the Itria
Valley. In addition to cooking classes in private kitchens,
YLTOUR owner Ylenia Sambati has been promoting Puglia's healthy
foods and delicious culinary traditions since 2000 by personally
tailoring individual itineraries to include:
*
wine tours and tasting
*
pastry and pizza making classes with the region's top chefs
*
papier maché and pottery decoration classes
*
local food market & cheese farm visits to source fresh scamorza,
ricotta, primo sale, & mozzarella
*
hands-on participation in olive and grape harvesting
*
pizzica
dance workshops
Ylenia's
goal is to completely immerse you in the local heritage behind
what makes Puglia's healthy rustic food, family- friendly atmosphere,
and natural beauty so intriguing.
By Steve Mirsky
Photos
courtesy of YLTOUR