The Italian jewel city of Lecce and the surrounding region of Puglia is the latest culinary destination organized by Tour de Forks, the group well known for its Sicilian and Australian food tours. Puglia is an historic and culinary gem far from the crowds, in the heel of the boot of Italy. The seven-day tour from September 3-10, 2007, highlights this region’s landscape dominated by vineyards and olive trees; its architecture covered in baroque ornamentation; the magical cone-shaped houses called “Trulli”; and especially, its famous cuisine, a simple, fresh, flavor-packed Italian taste experience unique to this region.
Highlights include…
- Truffle hunting with famed restauranteur Giuseppe Lolli and his truffle hounds
- Demonstrations and tastings of the famous bread of Altamura
- Wine tasting and tour of the 17th century Leone di Castris winery
- Hands-on Pugliese cooking class
- Tour the caves of Matera, a troglodyte settlement in the Basilicata region
- Tour an olive oil mill and taste artisanal olive oils
Tour leaders are Michele Scicolone, food writer and author of 6 Italian cookbooks, including The Sopranos Family Cookbook; 1,000 Italian Recipes; and Savoring Italy: Recipes and Reflections on Italian Cooking, and her husband, Charles Scicolone, wine director for New York’s famed I Trulli and Centovini restaurants.
Cost: $5,800 (not including air fare)
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