Discover Chef Walter's Food Tours - Puglia + Salento

The Sun-Drenched Table: A Food and Wine Tour of Puglia, Italy's Heel

If  Italy is a boot, then Puglia is its sun-warmed, sea-sprayed heel, a  land where the Mediterranean sun is bottled in its olive oil and the  rhythm of life is set by the tides and the harvest. This is a journey  away from the rolling hills of the north and into a flatter, brighter  landscape of ancient olive groves, whitewashed coastal towns, and a  cuisine that is unapologetically vibrant, simple, and rooted in the sea  and the earth.

A Landscape of White Stones and Endless Blue

Your adventure unfolds under an expansive, cerulean sky. The architecture is a brilliant white, from the conical, fairy-tale trulli houses of the Valle d'Itria to the blinding limestone of coastal cities  like Polignano a Mare and Otranto, perched dramatically over turquoise  waters. The air is scented with the salt of the Adriatic and Ionian  Seas, the pungent aroma of wild rosemary and capers, and the earthy  perfume of the red, mineral-rich soil.

The Flavors of the Land and Sea: A Culinary Revelation

Puglian cuisine, or cucina pugliese, is the ultimate expression of cucina povera—turning simple, local ingredients into something sublime.

• The Bread Basket of Italy: Puglia is a land of durum wheat, and bread is sacred. You will taste the iconic, chewy frisella—a twice-baked hard bread ring perfect for soaking up tomatoes, olive oil, and the sea air. You'll witness the creation of orecchiette ("little ears") by skilled hands in the backstreets of Bari Vecchia,  and later savor them tossed with the most classic of sauces: cime di rapa (bitter broccoli rabe).
• The Sea's Bounty: In a coastal trattoria, feast on the day's catch—perhaps a dazzling crudo (raw seafood) platter, briny sea urchins scooped straight from the shell, or a simple, glorious tiella, the Puglian version of paella, layered with rice, mussels, and potatoes.
• The Pride of the Farm: Venture inland to a rustic masseria (fortified farmhouse) where the flavors are robust and earthy. Sample burrata di Andria,  a revelation of a cheese—a delicate mozzarella pouch giving way to a  heart of stracciatella and fresh cream. Savor the fiery, handmade orecchiette con sugo di cavallo (horse meat sauce), a traditional dish that speaks to the region's pastoral history.
• Liquid Gold: Walk among gnarled, millennia-old olive trees, some of the oldest in the world. Visit a modern frantoio (olive mill) to taste the intensely fruity, green, and sometimes bitter  extra virgin olive oil, the undisputed king of the Puglian table.

The Wines: Primitives and Salentos

Puglia's wines are as warm and generous as its people, offering remarkable value and sun-ripened character.

• Primitivo di Manduria: The Sun-Kissed Giant: Journey to the hot, dry lands around Taranto to meet Primitivo, the  robust, full-bodied red known for its jammy dark fruit flavors and a  hint of spice. Taste everything from powerful, age-worthy versions to  the sweet, port-like Primitivo Dolce Naturale.
• Negroamaro: The "Black-Bitter" Heart of Salento: Explore the very tip of the heel, the Salento peninsula, where the  Negroamaro grape reigns supreme. Here, you'll drink Salice Salentino—a  wine that balances the grape's rustic, dark character with a surprising  and elegant smoothness, perfect with grilled meats and hearty pasta  dishes.
• Rosé by the Sea: No tour is complete without a glass of rosato (rosé). Puglia produces some of Italy's best—crisp, dry, and refreshing  with a beautiful salmon-pink hue, designed to be sipped alongside a  plate of fresh seafood with the sound of the waves as your soundtrack.

Your Puglian Feast Awaits

A  food and wine tour through Puglia is a sensory awakening. It is the joy  of a leisurely lunch in a vineyard, the cool shade of an ancient olive  grove, and the thrill of swimming in a crystal-clear sea just hours  before dinner. It’s the warmth of a Puglian family sharing stories over a  table groaning with food they produced themselves.

Come to Puglia. Come to bask in the sun, to dive into the sea, and to feast at the table of il Mezzogiorno—Italy's vibrant, passionate, and unforgettable south.