The Culture of Food in Puglia & Matera with Sophie Minchilli
-
Basilicata & Puglia
-
October 3-9, 2027
I’ve been coming to Puglia since I was born. My father, Domenico, is from Bari, the capital of this sun-soaked regio, and his family home has always been my base for exploring everything Puglia has to offer. Over the years, I’ve built a life and career around sharing the food, places, and people I love here, through tours, social media, and my book The Sweetness of Doing Nothing.
This six-night journey begins in Bari, where we’ll spend four days discovering the city’s hidden corners and using it as a base to explore the surrounding countryside and coast. You’ll meet many of the producers, cooks, and artisans I’ve come to know over the years, and experience the region the way I have: through meals, stories, and warm hospitality.
Midweek, we’ll head to Matera, a stunning cave-filled city in nearby Basilicata. There, we’ll stay in a luxurious 5-star cave hotel and spend two days exploring one of the most magical towns in Italy.
I hope you’ll join me for a week of unforgettable meals, meaningful connections, and a deep dive into the food culture of southern Italy. – Sophie Minchilli
Day 1: Arrival & Introductions
Settling in
We begin our week in Bari, the capital of Puglia. Our base is the Grande Albergo delle Nazioni, a modernist hotel situated right on the Lungomare, where each guest room overlooks the Adriatic Sea. You’ll have time to settle in and rest before we meet later that evening.
In your room you’ll find a welcome package, including some local snacks, a bottle of wine, a tote bag for any treasures you pick up throughout the week, and our guide to Bari and Matera with recommendations for places to eat and shop to help you make the most of your free time.
Welcome drinks & dinner
We’ll gather for drinks at the hotel’s rooftop bar, with panoramic views of the Adriatic. Sophie will introduce herself and walk you through what to expect in the days ahead. You’ll also meet Giorgio, our licensed guide, who will be with us throughout the week.
From there, we’ll take a seaside stroll to one of our favorite fish restaurants, where classic seafood dishes are reimagined with a modern twist. Dinner begins with an array of antipasti, followed by housemade pasta featuring the catch of the day, and finishes with dessert and after-dinner drinks.
Day 2: Exploring Bari
Lungomare
Today is all about Bari. Sophie will lead us on a stroll along the sea, pointing out buildings designed by her great-grandfather, including the family home. We’ll stop by the fish market and the old port, where our friend Giorgio—a Bari native and longtime tour guide—will meet us.
Bari Vecchia
Giorgio will take us through the winding alleys of Bari Vecchia, where life spills into the streets. Here, you’ll see orecchiette-makers selling fresh pasta from small tables outside their homes, families gathering for meals in open courtyards, and locals stopping for quick espresso breaks.
Throughout the walk, we’ll snack on local street food, turning lunch into a moveable feast with freshly baked focaccia, gelato, and coffee.
Time to wander
Free time to explore and shop at your own pace.
Spaghetti all’assassina
We’ll walk through the newer part of Bari, home to many of the city’s bars and restaurants. Our destination is a modern hotspot, made famous when Sophie dined here with Stanley Tucci. We’ll have a special demonstration of spaghetti all’assassina—the fiery, caramelized pasta dish Bari is known for—before sitting down to dinner.
Day 3: Murgia and Trani
Morning
Today, we head inland to the Murgia, a lesser-known part of northern Puglia. At Villa Fenicia, we’ll start the morning with coffee before setting out into the Parco della Murgia del Ceraso for a seasonal foraging walk. Guided by our hosts, we’ll gather wild herbs, figs, thistle, cardoons, and more. Around midday, we’ll return to Villa Fenicia for a short cooking lesson with Francesco and Simona, discovering how these ingredients once shaped daily diets. Lunch will be a relaxed four-course vegetarian meal, enriched with stories of local traditions.
Afternoon
In the afternoon, we continue to Trani for a stroll through its charming streets, a visit to the city’s iconic Romanesque basilica by the sea, and a final pause for coffee before returning to Bari..
Evening
Dinner on your own tonight. We are happy to offer recommendations and assist with reservations.
Day 4: Valle D’Itria
Today we’ll spend the day in the Valle d’Itria, one of Puglia’s most picturesque areas, with rolling hills dotted with trulli, olive groves, and vineyards. This fertile valley has been prized since ancient times for its agriculture and for its strategic position between the Adriatic and Ionian seas.
Olive Oil
We’ll begin with a visit to an olive oil press, where we’ll learn about both the traditional and modern pressing processes, as well as the importance of olive oil and its history in the region. We’ll take part in a guided tasting, sampling different types of oils produced here.
Lunch
From there, we’ll continue to nearby Martina Franca, the beating heart of the valley. Its role as a historic trading center is reflected in its Baroque architecture and elegant piazzas. Here, we’ll stop at a traditional fornello, a type of butcher shop unique to this area. We’ll choose our cuts of meat, which are then grilled in a wood-burning oven, and we’ll enjoy a hearty meal.
Trulli
If you’ve only seen one photograph of Puglia, chances are it’s one of Alberobello. This fantastical little village is made up of Trulli, round, cone-roofed stone houses that date back centuries. Angelo will explain how these structures came to be as we wander around this UNESCO-protected town.
Evening
Dinner on your own. Let us know if you’d like help making plans.
Day 5: Matera
City of stone
We pack our bags and head to Matera, an ancient city carved into the cliffs.
Angelo will lead us on a walking tour through this UNESCO World Heritage site, known for its dramatic landscape of cave dwellings, rock-hewn churches, and winding stone paths. Matera’s history stretches back thousands of years, and its timeless setting has made it a backdrop for films such as The Passion of the Christ and The Omen.
We’ll visit main historical monuments and step inside a few cave homes, where we’ll learn how these dwellings evolved from prehistoric shelters to today’s carefully restored residences. This introductory walk will help you orient yourself for free time over the next two days. Before checking into our hotel we will stop by one of our favorite restaurants for lunch featuring specialities from Basilicata.
We’ll make our way to Sextantio, our cave hotel, facing the Murgia Park. Each of us will be staying in our own cave room, which preserves the ancient structure and materials while incorporating minimalist design elements. Though we are in “caves,” they have been transformed into luxurious retreats, offering an evocative experience steeped in history.
Evening
Free time to explore Matera at your own pace.
.
Day 6: Altamura
Bread
Altamura is located between Bari and Matera and is home to one of the most respected and ancient bread-making traditions in Italy. Pane di Altamura, famous all over Italy, is made from hard durum wheat and still baked in wood-burning ovens. We will be visiting one of these living cultural monuments, seeing how it is made, and having a tasting of the freshly baked bread and focaccia.
Cheese
We then head down the street to visit Sophie’s dear friend Vito at his family’s business. Vito and his family are considered to be one of the best cheese makers in Italy.
While they make traditional cheeses like mozzarella, burrata, and scamorza, they also have created award-winning newer cheeses like their blue cheese topped with wild berries, which chefs from all over Italy feature in their restaurants.
We will not only have a cheese-making demonstration but, of course, will get a chance to taste these wonderfully unique cheeses.
Pastries
We will then walk into the historic center of town, passing by the impressive 13th-century cathedral, heading towards a bakery located next to the monastery of Santa Chiara, where the bakers still use the ancient recipes handed down from the nuns. We’ll try a special cream-filled pastry – Tette delle Monache (Nun’s Breast!) and a coffee before heading to Matera.
Dinner
In the early evening, we will meet to walk through the winding white streets of this ancient town for dinner at one of our favorite trattorias, tasting our way through some of the specialties of Basilicata.
After our dinner we will walk through the empty streets of Matera, when it is its most magical, making our way back to the hotel.
Day 7: Departure
Our tour has officially come to an end, and you will be checking out of the hotel.
Safe travels, and we hope to see you again!
Is This Tour For You?
The Culture of Food
All of our tours are designed around experiencing a place through its food culture. Nearly all activities are food-focused, with generous meals and often snacks in between. If you have a small appetite, significant dietary restrictions, are squeamish, or a particularly selective eater, this tour may not be the right fit. Our trips are best suited for those who are excited to eat adventurously, try new things, and fully engage with the local culinary traditions.
Food Intolerances
Southern Italy’s cuisine is deeply rooted in the Mediterranean diet, featuring an abundance of vegetables, grains, and seasonal ingredients. That said, many of our shared meals celebrate traditional dishes that often include fish, meat, and cheese. While vegetarians and those with lactose intolerance will not go hungry, they may not experience the full range of the food culture we highlight. We’re happy to accommodate where possible, but flexibility is key.
Activity Level
Each day involves visiting a new town or village, often on foot. Expect up to an hour or more of walking per day, occasionally on uneven terrain, hills, or stairs. While not strenuous, our pace is steady, and all guests must be able to move comfortably with the group without assistance.
PLEASE READ BEFORE BOOKING: Our hotel in Matera is located in the historic center and requires walking and navigating uneven steps. If you have difficulty with stairs, uneven ground, or hilly terrain, this tour is not suitable.
Travel Companions
Many of our guests find us through social media and come knowing what to expect: immersive food experiences, visits to farms and markets, hands-on activities, and shared meals in rustic, authentic settings. If you’re bringing a friend, partner, or family member, please ensure they’re equally excited about this kind of travel. If they’re not enthusiastic about food, long meals, or rural experiences, they may not find this tour enjoyable.
Pricing:
Pricing:
Double occupancy (2 people in 1 room): €6400 per person
Single occupancy (1 person in 1 room): €7300 per person
The fee includes:
- 4 nights at Grande Albergo delle Nazioni, Bari
- 2 nights at Sextantio, Matera
- Daily breakfast
- All of the meals, activities and transportation outlined above
- Gratuities
Not included:
- Transportation to and from Italy
- Transportation to and from hotel
Itinerary:
Our tours focus on small, family-run businesses, so we reserve the right to adjust the itinerary as needed. Days may be switched, activities added or changed, and locations substituted. A final itinerary will be sent 30 days before the tour begins.
Group Size:
This tour is limited to 12 participants.
Thank you Sophie and Angelo for sharing your knowledge and passion for Puglia with us. The cheese making, especially the burrata, was incredible. And I loved the experience of sleeping in Matera! It was one of the most romantic settings for a hotel I have ever seen.
Carmen
Your Hosts for the Week
Sophie Minchilli
Sophie Minchilli is a writer, tour leader, and co-founder of Via Rosa, which she started with her mother, Elizabeth Minchilli and has been leading food tours in Rome and throughout Italy since 2015. Her favorite part of the work is connecting with the people who grow, prepare, and preserve Italy’s culinary traditions. Her deep relationships with farmers, restaurant owners, baristas, and shopkeepers—many from an older generation—are joyfully visible in the videos she shares on social media. Sophie’s approach to life is rooted in slowing down and savoring everyday pleasures, a philosophy she shares in her book The Sweetness of Doing Nothing: Living Life the Italian Way with Dolce Far Niente. She documents her daily life and travels on Instagram and TikTok and also makes guest appearances on TV including the Puglia episode of Season 2 of Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, available on CNNgo and Discovery+. (here is a clip)
Angelo Calianno
Born and raised in Cisternino, in the heart of Apulia’s Itria Valley, Angelo has spent much of his life exploring the history, cultures and stories of the Mediterranean. A historian, cultural guide and photojournalist, his travels have taken him from England to South America, West Africa and the Middle East—but Puglia has always drawn him home.
For the past 17 years, Angelo has shared his homeland with travelers, bringing its history, traditions and people vividly to life. Today, he lives in the house built by his great-grandparents, surrounded by the Trulli where he grew up. Warm, curious and deeply connected to the land, Angelo offers the rare perspective of someone who has travelled the world yet knows that the most fascinating stories are often found close to home.