The Culture of Food in Salento & Central Puglia
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Puglia
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April 13-19, 2025
Sophie Minchilli has been spending time in Puglia since before she was even born. Her father, Domenico, is from the capital, Bari, and his family home there has been her base to explore the entire region. She has since built a career there, sharing her passion for the region through social media, tours, and her new book.
Our friend Angelo Calianno, a freelance photographer and journalist, was born in Puglia. He decided to become a professional tour guide to be better able to share his knowledge and passion for his home.
During this six-day tour, you’ll have the time to truly explore all they love about Puglia, from a completely food-centric point of view of course. You’ll wander in small towns and through the countryside, tasting, drinking, eating, cooking, learning, and having fun.
We’ll be based in Lecce and Monopoli, staying in two very different luxury hotels. The days will be full, with adventures both in the countryside and in cities. But don’t worry; you’ll have downtime as well, in the evenings, to head off on your own and explore.
Sunday: Arrival & Introductions
Hotel
We will begin our week in one of Puglia’s most beautiful cities: Lecce. You will be staying in the Hotel Patria Palace, where you will have a chance to settle in before meeting everyone later that evening. You may check in anytime after 3 pm.
You’ll find a copy of our schedule for the week, along with a bottle of wine, water, and some snacks. You’ll also have already received a copy of Sophie’s book The Sweetness of Doing Nothing and you’ll find a branded canvas tote bag to carry goodies you pick up during the week. We will also leave a guide for Lecce and Monopoli with Sophie’s favorite places to eat to help you plan your free evenings.
Drinks & Dinner
At 7 pm, we will meet for a glass of prosecco to start our week. If weather permits, we will be on the panoramic rooftop of the hotel. Otherwise, we will be in the lovely salon downstairs. Sophie and Angelo will be letting you know a bit about them, and what you’ll be doing this week.
We will then head out to dinner, walking a few blocks through the historic town center to one of our favorite restaurants. Family-run, this private space feels more like a home than a restaurant. We’ll start our week enjoying specialties like burrata and orecchiette and begin learning about the local wines.
Monday: Cooking & History
Market & Cooking
After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll meet our friend Gianna for a market walk and cooking lesson. Gianna has one of the oldest cooking schools in Lecce. We’ll stroll through the town center, stopping for a coffee before heading to the market. Then we’ll go to her palazzo to prepare a traditional menu, from appetizers to desserts. Finally, we’ll gather around the table to enjoy our lunch, paired with local wines.
Afternoon
A bit of rest after our big lunch.
Lecce
In the early evening, we’ll meet for a walk through town with Angelo as our guide. Lecce has a long history and is one of Italy’s most important baroque towns. Often called the Florence of the south, we’ll learn about the fascinating architecture which dates back to Roman times. This walk will also help orient you for the rest of your time here.
Aperitivo
We will end our day together with an aperitivo at a little bar nearby.
Tuesday: Galatina & Gallipoli
Galatina
After breakfast, we head to Galatina to wander the streets and visit the Basilica di Santa Caterina d’Alessandria, constructed in the 14th century. The unique fresco cycle, which covers the entire interior, is one of the most important medieval spectacles in Italy.
Just as important, we will have a mid-morning snack: a pasticciotto. It was in this town, in the 18th century, that the first pasticciotto was baked. These cream-filled pastries are made all over Salento these days, but the bakeries in Galatina still produce the best ones. We’ll be tasting one hot out of the oven.
Gallipoli
We hop back on our bus and head to the coast to the ancient port town of Gallipoli. We’ll wander through town as Angelo explains the history. You’ll also have some free time to visit the shops or walk along the sea. Then we’ll have lunch at one of our favorite seaside restaurants. Located right on the port, we’ll enjoy lunch made with a specialty of the area: shrimp.
Dinner
After a long day of eating, tonight you are on your own in Lecce for dinner. We can suggest some wine bars or nibbles or else a regular restaurant or pizzeria if you are hungry after our big lunch!
Wednesday: Olive Oil & Ostuni
Lecce > Monopoli
After breakfast, we will be packing our bags to change hotels. But before we get to our new destination, we have quite a full day.
Olive Oil
Puglia is one of the largest producers of olive oil in Italy. Today, we will visit an olive oil press that produces some of the best oil in the region. We will learn how it is pressed and have a formal tasting to explore what goes into making a great olive oil.
Martina Franca
This jewel of a town is the beating heart of the Valle D’Itria. Its importance as a commercial center translates into gorgeous baroque architecture. We’ll walk through town, making our way to lunch which will take place at a typical type of restaurant in this area: a fornello. These are small butcher shops where you can pick out your meat to be cooked in traditional wood-burning grills. You’ll enjoy a hearty lunch of local specialties.
Monopoli
After lunch, we check into our new hotel in the beautiful seaside village of Monopoli. The hotel is unique, carved into the ancient walls surrounding the town and into the sea. Each room is unique and special. You will have some time to settle in, and then we’ll meet for a quick walk through town so you can get oriented.
Dinner
On your own. We are happy to help you make plans.
Thursday: Valle d’Itria
Masseria
After breakfast at the hotel, we are off to an early start to visit a typical Apulian masseria. For three generations, this farm has been run with love, tradition, and innovation. The family will be sharing their stories with us, as well as opening their home.
After a tour of the estate, we will settle into our first workshop. A master cheesemaker will teach us how to braid mozzarella and stuff burrata.
Then we will visit their farmhouse bakery, where we’ll try our hands at making the fiddly orecchiette.
Finally, we’ll sit down for lunch and taste the cheeses, cured meats, bread, focaccia, and pasta, all made on the farm. A feast!
Alberobello
If you’ve only seen one photograph of Puglia, chances are it’s one of Alberobello. This fantastical little village is made up of structures that are called trulli. These round, cone-topped stone buildings date back centuries. Their origins remain a mystery. Angelo will explain how these structures came to be as we wander around this Unesco-protected town, popping in and out of trulli. Also? We’ll be walking off lunch!
Dinner
On your own. We are happy to help you with plans.
Friday: Bari & Farewell Dinner
Bari
After breakfast, we will head to Bari for the day. Bari is our second home since Domenico (Sophie’s father and Elizabeth’s husband) was born and raised here. We will meet our friend Giorgio, who, with Sophie, will share some of their favorite spots, eating our way along the lungomare to the fish market and continuing to explore amid the winding alleys of Bari Vecchia.
Life in Bari Vecchia is lived on the street. Street-level homes open directly onto small alleys, and you can look in to see families gathered around their tables. With Giorgio as our guide, we’ll visit private homes and courtyards, including the famous orecchiette ladies. Along the way, we’ll make street food our lunch, trying the best focaccia, panzerotti, and biscotti.
Monopoli
You have the afternoon free to wander around Monopoli or stroll along the coast.
Farewell Dinner
This evening we will meet for our last dinner together. We’ll be heading to our favorite restaurant for a final fishy feast.
Saturday: Departure
Check-out
Our tour is officially over, and after one last breakfast, you will be checking out of the hotel in Monopoli. Let us know where you are headed, and we can arrange transfers to the airport or train station in Bari or Brindisi.
Is This Tour For You?
The Culture of Food
All of our tours are about exploring places through the culture of food. This means that almost all of our activities are food related. You can expect big meals and often snacks in between. If you do not have a big appetite, have food intolerances, are squeamish, or are a picky eater, this is not the tour for you.
Food Intolerances
Since we are in southern Italy, the cuisine is focused on the Mediterranean Diet, so there will be plenty of vegetables. That said, many of our group meals revolve around local food traditions and may include fish or meat and almost always cheese. If you are a vegetarian or lactose intolerant, you will not go hungry, but you will also not be experiencing the full range of the food culture we will be exploring.
Activity Level
Each day we will be exploring a new town or village. Our days are often long and will involve walking up to an hour or more. While the level is never overly strenuous, you must be able to keep up with the rest of the group.
Travel Companions
Many of our clients find out about us through social media and know what to expect: days spent exploring the culture of food through visits to farms, markets, and more. If you are thinking about bringing along a traveling companion (friend, spouse, relative, partner), please make sure they are aware of the types of things we will be doing. If they are not interested in food, visiting farms, eating in rustic settings, etc., they won’t enjoy this tour.
Pricing:
Double occupancy (2 people in 1 room): €5000 per person
Single occupancy (1 person in 1 room): €5900 per person
Since our tours are based on small family-run businesses, we reserve the right to vary the specifics of the itinerary. We may switch days, add/change activities, or substitute locations. We send out an updated itinerary within 30 days prior to the start date.
The fee includes:
- 6 nights in hotels in Lecce and Monopoli – Buffet breakfast in hotels
- All of the meals, activities and transportation outlined above
- A branded tote bag
- A copy of Sophie’s book The Sweetness of Doing Nothing
Not included:
- Transportation to and from Italy
- Transportation to and from hotel
Each tour is limited to 12 participants
Your Host 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)