Roam
The bread basket of Italy
Puglia: The True Dolce Vita
May 11-18, 2024
The heel of the boot has mainland Italy’s longest coastline, white-sand beaches, winds from the Sahara desert—and the perfect climate for its centuries-old olive groves. Puglia’s rich agricultural legacy includes the fairytale stone villages of the Valle d’Itria and a hearty cuisine that gave the world burrata and orecchiette. Spend some time in Puglia’s laid-back embrace.
Our Host
Chef, Traveler, Writer
Andy Ricker
Trip Guide
Editor, Osterie d’Italia guide
Eugenio Signoroni
R&K Trip Itinerary
More than just the breadbasket of Italy, Puglia is the farming stronghold that nourishes Italy, the laid-back and lovely home of bread, cheese, seafood, wine. Join us for a week of celebrating the finest the heel of the boot produces: outstanding seafood crudo of Italy’s longest mainland coast, famous pasta, mozzarella masters. We’ll be based in a gorgeous masseria—a Puglian villa—that will be all our own, branching out from there for pilgrimages to the birthplace of the region’s distinctive salumi and cheese, and raising many glasses with some of Italy’s most innovative winemakers.
May 11-18, 2024
Day 1
May 11 Sat
A first taste of Puglia
- MASSERIA BELVEDERE
- Contrada Belvedere, 72012 Carovigno BR, Italy
- +393393218479
- Private transfer from either Bari or Brindisi Airport (your choice, both work for this trip) to our masseria along the coast
- Welcome cocktails poolside with Andy and Eugenio
- A first night dinner in the traditional osteria Cibus in Ceglie Messapica—a hymn to this corner of Puglia with a tasting of local salumi, cheeses, and pasta
Day 2
May 12 Sun
A First Deep Dive
- MASSERIA BELVEDERE
- Contrada Belvedere, 72012 Carovigno BR, Italy
- +393393218479
- Breakfast in the shade on your own time at our Masseria
- A visit to Francesco Carriero farm to see how pata negra pigs are transformed into the famous local salume, Capocollo di Martina Franca
- Rural Pugliese cookout at the farm: beer, grill, sun, vibes
- Dinner at our masseria, with a lesson in making local specialties such as orecchiette and focaccia barese from the acclaimed chef Pasquale Fatalino
Day 3
May 13 Mon
A Butcher’s Feast in Martina Franca
- MASSERIA BELVEDERE
- Contrada Belvedere, 72012 Carovigno BR, Italy
- +390835332744
- Languorous morning with optional time on the nearby Adriatic coast
- Nodini, burrata, and stracciatella are only a small part of Puglia’s unmatched variety of traditional dairy products. We discover it all in Masseria La Lunghiera in Turi for a long instructional visit and a relaxed lunch
- Free time, walks, and drinks in the trulli town of Alberobello
- Dinner in the greatest of all traditional fornelli, Da Riccardo, to taste an array of region’s best meats: bombetta, straccetti, gnummarieddi, and more
Day 4
May 14 Tue
Formaggio e Pane
- Sextantio Le Grotte Della Civita
- Via Civita, 28, 75100 Matera MT, Italy
- +393393218479
- Roadtrip! Pack an overnight bag (we’re keeping our rooms at Belvedere) and head west into the fabled lands of Basilicata.
- Check in at the luxury cave dwelling hotel Sextantio in Matera
- Light lunch with cheese and salumi in Latteria Rizzi
- Visit and aperitif in a traditional grotta from XVII century
- Dinner at the big-plate, big-flavor destination Stano
- A night exploring the hill town of Matera
Day 5
May 15 Wed
Slow Matera
- MASSERIA BELVEDERE
- Contrada Belvedere, 72012 Carovigno BR, Italy
- +393393218479
- Check out from Sextantio and head for the hills (of Alta Murgia)
- Spend the day in Alta Murgia with our friends the Dicecca brothers to discover the area and its cheeses, flavored with the herbs that grow in these mountains
- Lunch with the DiCecca brothers in the hills
- Sample Altamura’s traditional bread at Di Gesù bakery
- Transfer back to Puglia, light dinner in the lowlands
- Back to our familiar rooms at Masseria Belvedere
Day 6
May 16 Thu
The Fruits of the Sea
- MASSERIA BELVEDERE
- Contrada Belvedere, 72012 Carovigno BR, Italy
- +393393218479
- Leisurely morning at the Masseria with yet Pugliese breakfast
- A visit to the iconic pasta producer Benedetto Cavalieri, famed for its Ruote Pazze and other artisanal pastas
- Lunch at Osteria degli Spiriti in Lecce
- SIESTA
- A lesson on the fish from Torre Guaceto and a great dinner with the flavor of the sea in the contemporary osteria XFood, which is known for working with neurodivergent individuals from the local community
Day 7
May 17 Fri
Olive Oil and Wine
- MASSERIA BELVEDERE
- Contrada Belvedere, 72012 Carovigno BR, Italy
- +393393218479
- Puglia is one of Italy’s biggest producers of olive oil, and its centuries-old olive trees are one of the region’s biggest attractions. Near the fairytale stone-house village of Alberobello, we’ll have an insider’s visit to Intini Olive Oil, which makes a gorgeous product with indigenous varietals
- A beautiful last lunch at Botteghe Antiche in the village of Putignano
- Farewell party in Masseria La Cattiva, a young and eccentric natural winery whose founders have been feeding our wine supply lines throughout the week
Day 8
May 18 Sat
Arrivederci
- Bari or Brindisi Airport
- One final languorous breakfast at our Masseria
- Private transfer to Bari or Brindisi Airport for flights home