While Italy has a ton of great culinary tours, we think Puglia really is THE place for foodies. Here’s why:
1. You’ll tour the hottest new area in Italy
Never heard of Puglia? I don’t blame you. It’s not on everybody’s radar. But it has been called the “next Tuscany.” Meaning, we believe, that Puglia offers the same beautiful and authentic cultural experiences that Tuscany did 20 to 30 years ago.
Puglia boasts a range of bonuses. Being an undiscovered gem (more on this below), you can explore a truly authentic part of Italy not really touched by tourism and experience what life is really like in Italy.
It has amazing coastal towns, world-famous restaurants, amazing history and culture, and a truly delicious cuisine full of local specialties.
Especially if you’ve traveled to Italy before and already explored the main sites like Rome, Florence, Amalfi, and Venice. Then your next stop really should be Puglia.
But don’t take our word on it. Even celebrities are getting in on the action. Puglia is where Justin Timberlake married Jessica Biel got married. Helen Mirren, Gerard Depardieu, and Francis Ford Coppola all have homes here. And the likes of Madonna, Jude Law, Sienna Miller, Stanley Tucci, John Malkovich, and Prince Harry have vacationed here. People Magazine also chose it as one of the top destinations to marry like a celebrity.
Needless to say, this hidden gem won’t stay hidden long, so be sure to visit soon!
2. You’ll learn very simple traditional Italian cooking
The deep south is Italy’s poorest region. That is reflected in their simple local cuisine full of tradition. It is called cucina povera, which can be translated a few different ways, including “poor kitchen” “poor cooking” or “peasant food.” But it is celebrated all over the world as truly one of the best.
Essentially, it is the idea of making do with what you’ve got and combine simple ingredients to make dishes that more than the sum of their parts.
So the poor Italian peasants made the most of gardens, forests, and oceans to create their cuisine. Anything abundant and affordable became the backbone of a dish. And nothing goes to waste. Stale bread becomes breadcrumbs or pieces of not so great vegetables become stock. Wild greens and mushrooms are foraged when in season, along with tiny, thin wild asparagus.
This has lead to a very unique point of view on Italian cooking, usually steeped in age-old traditions and recipes that continue to this day.
So in Puglia, especially if your family heritage stems from southern Italy, you will be reliving your grandmother’s recipes at every meal. You’ll remember dishes you had long forgotten about and, in a way, reclaim your heritage.
Another bonus with the cucina povera, is that the cooking is all very simple and easy. You don’t need to spend hours learning a complicated sauce. So both beginner and expert cooks can leave with a ton of new recipes and ideas they can recreate at home!
3. You’ll eat delicious fresh food
The cucina povera also has a nice and amazing “side effect” if you will. When you live off the land in such a way, everything is very fresh and local.
In Puglia, you’ll never find cherries in July or August. You’ll only find the sweetest, most delicious cherries in May when you can pick right off the tree. Looking for broccoli in summer? Forget about it.
Eating what’s in season — and usually grown just a few miles away — is just a part of life in Puglia.
And it ensures you are always eating the tastiest, freshest food around.
This includes, of course, the freshest seafood caught that morning in one of the local coastal towns. And meat the local butchers will still hand-cut for you. And of course, the bread made fresh that morning. Oh, and don’t forget about the mozzarella and other fresh cheese made every morning.
You’ve never experienced such an appreciation for food anywhere.
4. You’ll see some amazing sights
From fields of olive grooves to amazing coastal towns to world-famous restaurants and Unesco World Heritage sights, Puglia has it all.
We can start with the fact that Puglia has over 60 million olive trees. So needless to say, you’ll be seeing a lot of them. Being that many of these trees are very old, some hundreds of years old, it makes the landscape see much more rustic and historic. As if you are walking through time.
Puglia is also known for its amazing coasts. Further south, you’ll find amazing beaches and water. Whereas the north tends to be a more fishing culture with rocky beaches. Towns like Trani have amazing ports where fishermen are selling that day’s catch right from carts next to their boats. And towns like Polignano a Mare features cliffs and crystal clear water that makes for an amazing view.
Speaking of views and Polignano. The world-famous restaurant Grotta Polizze is located there. It was chosen as one of the top 14 restaurants with a view. So any good Puglia culinary tour should include this stop.
Then there are amazing sights like the Castel del Monte, steep in mystery and featured on the back of the Euro penny. Another Unesco World Heritage sight in Puglia.
Speaking of which, while not in Puglia, Matera is so close by, many consider it part of Puglia. It’s a city not to be missed and you’ll feel like you are walking back in time. In fact, it is so well preserved, it was used to film Passion of the Christ and the latest Ben Hur.
5. You’ll get to immerse yourself in the Italian way of life
Don’t get us wrong, Rome, Venice, Amalfi, Florence, they are all amazing! But honestly, sometimes when you visit these spots, you feel there are more tourists than locals. You end up standing in line to see a tourist attraction, and not really experience true Italy.
This is why Puglia definitely can be so great. While there is lots to see and do, there aren’t a lot of tourists yet. It truly is a hidden gem. It is a raw, off-the-beaten-path experience where you can really immerse yourself in Italian culture.
For any food lover, this is an extra plus. You can wander through town and local butchers, bakers, cheese makers, fisherman, and more. All selling more to the locals than tourists. But they are so happy to share their culture when any foreigner walks in. They take pride in everything and before you know you it, you’ve been handed a fresh peach to eat at the farm stand, and slice of cheese to try at the cheese shop, and an extra bag of taralli to try from the baker. You’ve practically eaten your lunch while shopping for it.
Thus, you are immediately immersed in the Italian life. You may not be a local, but you’ll certainly feel like one.
6. You’ll stay in some amazing places
Don’t get us wrong, there are amazingly beautiful places to stay throughout Italy. However, Puglia seems to boast a more interesting range of cool and unique venues.
Of course, the trulli that dot the countryside are famous. They were originally used as temporary homes for farmer and shepards who didn’t want to go all the way back into town each night. They would stay for a few nights in these stone huts while working the land or their flock. They are famous also due to being dry mortar, meaning they don’t use mortar to build them. That way, when the tax collector came around every 10 years or so, they just knocked the house down as to not have to pay taxes on it.
Many of these have been converted into quaint Bed and Breakfasts, which are definitely very unique. However, they can be a bit small.
There are also several amazing and historic villas available in Puglia. These are where a great culinary tour can really shine. With enough space for a nice sized group, a pool to relax during the downtime, and beautiful kitchens to cook up local specialties, the villa becomes your home away from home. And your group gets to really settle in and experience true Italian culture and cuisine.
7. You’ll get to enjoy some unique, local specialties
Every region in Italy has their signature dishes, usually with ingredients that are local and plentiful.
Puglia is no different, showcasing an amazing amount of delicious dishes that are truly unique. Bonus points: as mentioned above, almost all of them are super simple to make, so you can leave any Puglia culinary tour with a wealth of new recipes and ideas.
Here are just a few samples. Again, you won’t find all of them all year, as Italian’s eat very seasonally. But each new season brings a wealth of new delights.
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Orecchiette with broccoli rape. This is one of Puglia’s more famous dishes. Orecchiette means “little ears” and it is a very traditional Puglia pasta. The grandmother’s of the area make it look really easy to hand-make the pasta, but it is actually a very aquired skill. Thankfully the dish itself is very easy to make. Broccoli rape (otherwise knows as rapini, broccoli raab or broccoli rabe) is a slightly bitter green. It’s cooked with the pasta and served with a generous amount of garlic, anchovies, chili flakes, and extra virgin olive oil. Definitely a real treat.
Stracciatella. Probably one the best dairy products on the planet. Not technically cheese, though casually most people call it that. Stracciatella cheese is composed of small shreds—hence its name which means “a little shred”. Most of you will know it as the inside of burrata, which is stracciatella wrapped in mozzarella. I like keeping my stracciatella separate and enjoying fresh mozzarella on it’s on. Both are best enjoyed fresh that day made by a local (CHEESE SHOP NAME) since neither keeps well even when refrigerated.-
Favetta. Another very traditional Puglia dish. Essentially it is a fava bean puree and it is normally paired cicoria, broccoli rape, or any other bitter greens, usually foraged from a nearby field. So comforting and simple on cool winter’s day.
- Eggplant parmigiana. While this is made all over Italy, it is especially popular in Puglia, espec
ially during late spring and summer when eggplant is super prevalent. This of it as an eggplant lasagna, where slices of fried eggplant replace the noodle. You layer the eggplant with tomato sauce, cheese, grated parmesan, and basil. Then bake in an oven until everything comes together and the top is nice and browned. Seriously delicious. - Braciole Baresi. This is another very traditional dish. Essentially, it is a horse filet
(yes, they eat horse in Puglia, although you can use beef if you want) which is rolled around a filling of parsley, garlic, lardo, and pecorino cheese. Every kitchen (meaning every grandmother) has a slightly different variation on the filling, but the idea is all the same. The roll is closed up with toothpicks, then very slowly cooked in a tomato sauce for several hours until the sauce becomes thick and tasty. The sauce is used on pasta (normally orecchiette again), and the meat is served as the next course. Simple and super delicious. - Panzerotti. We’ll round out our Puglia food tour with this traditional dish found at just
about every Puglia celebration, from weddings to birthday. To Americans, you can think of this as a fried calzone. The dough is filled with tomato and mozzarella — but can really be filled with anything — then fried up for a quick, very tasty treat.
Well, I hope you see from this list that a Puglia Culinary tour has a lot to offer. There are a few to choose from in the area with a range of services. Some will give you a few cooking lessons and then let you fend for yourself. If your the adventurous type, this might be for you. 
However, we recommend choosing one that is all-inclusive. It will just make your stay in Puglia that much easier and more relaxing. You don’t have to worry about driving and braving the Italian roads. Your hosts can order a variety of food for you to try at each restaurant. You’ll see a lot of great sights without having to worry about planning or scheduling anything.
Also, choose a tour that takes you shopping. Just arriving and having the ingredients all laid out isn’t letting you truly experience the Italian culture and way of life. Nothing beats going into the baker’s shop and smelling the freshly cooked bread, or heading to the cheese shop where you can see the fresh cheese being made right before your eyes, or getting to explore all the fresh produce at the market.
I think you’ll agree, Puglia is a great destination for a culinary tour, and we hope to see you at a table there very soon!
Ready to head to Puglia? Then we have the tour for you!
Click here for more info.
