We welcome you, our students, friends, and guests to join us for a week-long (6 nights) food and cultural immersion in the unique landscape, architecture and coastal towns of Puglia, Italy. We will all stay together at an exquisite, private villa near the neighboring towns of Ostuni, Trani, Brindisi, Alberobello and close to the warm waters of the Adriatic Sea!

About Puglia: Nestled in the southern part of Italy, in the heel, Puglia is a captivating destination brimming with breathtaking landscapes, intriguing history, and delightful towns. This region is a gem for food, wine and olive oil lovers. It is increasingly popular, and we are finding now is the time to really get an authentic visit before this region becomes as popular as Tuscany and Venice!

Your home for the week is a gorgeous, villa located minutes from several beaches and small towns. Each room has en-suite bathroom and are beautifully characteristic of the area.

Puglia's most famous sight is the trulli, unique houses with conical roofs found in the area around Alberobello. Trulli dot the countryside of central Puglia but the highest concentration of trulli is in the town of Alberobello itself. Its trulli zone has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Our location is close to seaside swimming, walking by the water, relaxing with a book, or exploring the villages.

Each morning, 2 students along with the chef will prepare breakfast for the group. Free time after this for the group prior to meeting up again for the day’s activities and excursions or for preparations and learning of the recipes. On cooking days, we will enjoy a lighter, al fresco lunch and have an evening meal of the recipes we have created together.

The area where we are staying is very famous for their tomato variety called Pomodoro Fiaschetto – very delicious and used in many traditional recipes!

We plan to have a ‘nonna’ from the area come one afternoon to show us how to make orecchiette, one of the traditional pasta shapes of the area!

Group excursions: We combine different activities with cultural visits as well in every area we visit with guests. In Puglia there is much to see and experience, from farmers markets to guided tours of neighboring cities. In addition, we do spend time visiting local wine makers and producers of olive oils and other local specialties.

Locorotondo is another town in the area that is worth a visit Gorgeous seaside town of Monopoli Learning to make pasta Local beach in Puglia Comments from past trips: One of the guest rooms, all beautifully appointed. Each bedroom has its own bathroom as well.

Our last evening together, we will enjoy discussing what we have learned, fallen in love with and what we will take home from our experiences. Let’s enjoy our last taste of Italy together with new friends and recipes!
We also encourage our participants to let us know if there are any particular Italian recipes you are interested in learning in advance so that Chris may incorporate with his lineup.