DAY 5: A VISIT TO CASTEL DEL MONTE
Today we travel to Castel del Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Literally meaning ‘castle on the hill’, this is a very fascinating building.
The castle was built by the emperor Frederick II in the thirteenth century. The fascinating thing about this building is the innovative design. The castle is built to an octagonal pattern, with octagonal towers on each corner, and is imbued with symbolic significance relating to mathematical and astronomical phenomena.
We continue on to Trani, which has long been an important centre with its natural harbour, a coastal town with a fishing village feel. Many people visit Trani to see the stunning Romanesque cathedral perched right on the waterfront. We see where the Knights Templar would depart to the east from, originally the final point for missions to leave these shores. We look around the old Jewish quarter, as Trani has long been significant for the Jewish population.
Today the harbour in Trani is a fishing port ringed by waterfront restaurants. Each morning the fishermen sell their fresh fish from the pier where they dock. Lunch is a seafood meal, in a seaside restaurant making the most of this fresh catch.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch (4 courses including wine)
DAY 6: FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD
This morning we visit a family run winery, focussed on making quality wines from the traditional varieties that are grown in this area such as fiano minutolo and susumaniello. The winemaker takes us through the vineyard, and we taste a range of wines. Some of these wine varieties were so rare that they were not made commercially up until a few years ago.
Following the winery we continue on to the nearby town of Locorotondo, voted as one of the “Borghi più belli d’Italia” (one of the most beautiful villages of Italy). The town is perched on a hilltop overlooking the Valle d’Itria, a broad fertile valley. The historic part of town – the centro storico – is circular with little lanes lined with historic buildings, including some impressive baroque details. As today is the weekly market day in Locorotondo, we get to see how the locals do their shopping – rows and rows of stalls with cheese, seasonal fruit, vegetables, and other fresh produce.
In the afternoon we visit a ‘masseria’. A masseria is a historic farm centre, originally with all the estate’s workers living in the fortified buildings. Nowadays some of these estates are still agricultural enterprises, while others have been converted into boutique lodges. The masseria that we visit still produces organic extra virgin olive oil from trees that are many centuries old. This land has been worked for thousands of years – we are shown the remnants of the ancient Roman agricultural production here, along with items from habitation from the middle ages through until modern times.
In the evening we have a special experience, taking a cooking lesson from a local chef. Since you’ve been with us for a week, now you will all be Puglia food experts. The focus will be on cooking typical Puglia dishes, first taking you through the types of ingredients used and their provenance. The cuisine of Puglia is based on the produce at a very local level, so is different to the food from other Italian regions. Seasonal vegetables, as well as focaccia and other breads, dominate this cuisine. All these are based on the abundant fresh ingredients as well as the ever-present extra virgin olive oil – a simple and effective cuisine. Recipes have been handed down through the generations and are truly expressive of the Mediterranean diet. The purity of flavour expressed in this cuisine is gaining it a reputation internationally, such that you’ll now find Pugliese dishes in top international restaurants.
The session is hands on and we are all involved in making a series of dishes, and we finish off the session by dining on the meal we’ve prepared.
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner (4 courses including wine)
