Cooking week · Puglia
Cooking in Puglia
A 10-day, 9-night Road Scholar food and wine program based in Ostuni, southern Puglia. Four cooking classes are mixed with farm, dairy and olive mill visits and trips to UNESCO sites.
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What you will do
- Four hands-on cooking classes: orecchiette, focaccia, panzerotti and pucce, tiella
- Lecce lunch with a taranta dance performance
- Alberobello trulli walk
- Bari old town and Polignano a Mare
- Dairy farm visit in Ceglie Messapica and an underground olive mill
- Matera's Sassi walking tour
- Grottaglie ceramics district
Before you go
Eat the region first, then cook it. Everything here is free and saves to your trip.
Who leads it
Road Scholar Group Leader
An experienced leader (unnamed) who handles introductions and accompanies the group.
Local chefs and experts
Local chefs teach the classes; local experts give three lectures and lead field trips.
Day by day
- Day 1TravelIn transit to Italy.
- Day 2Arrive OstuniArrive via Brindisi, check in, orientation and welcome dinner.
- Day 3Lecce and OtrantoBaroque Lecce lecture and walk, lunch with a taranta performance, then Otranto's cathedral mosaic.
- Day 4Alberobello and orecchietteTasting of ancient produce varieties, trulli walk, then the first class (orecchiette) at a masseria.
- Day 5Bari and PolignanoOld town and basilica in Bari, Polignano a Mare, and a focaccia class.
- Day 6Dairy farmVisit a dairy farm in Ceglie Messapica, free afternoon, class on panzerotti and pucce.
- Day 7Olive millFarmhouse and underground olive mill visit, then a tiella class.
- Day 8MateraWalking tour and lecture on the Sassi, free afternoon.
- Day 9GrottaglieCeramics museum and district, free afternoon, farewell dinner.
- Day 10DepartureBreakfast, checkout and departure.
Itineraries can shift with weather, season and host availability.
What is included
Included
- 9 nights at Hotel Ostuni Palace
- 17 meals (8 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 6 dinners) with wine, coffee and water at meals
- 4 hands-on cooking classes
- 3 expert-led lectures
- 10 expert-led field trips
- 1 performance
- Group Leader
- Taxes and customary gratuity
- Road Scholar Assurance Plan
- Free airport transfers if Road Scholar books your air and you travel on scheduled dates
Not included
- International airfare (unless booked through Road Scholar)
- Airport transfers otherwise (Brindisi is 30-45 minutes away)
- Other drinks with meals
- Any meals not listed in the itinerary
Practical details
- Where you base
- Ostuni (Hotel Ostuni Palace), with excursions to Lecce, Otranto, Alberobello, Bari, Polignano a Mare, Matera and Grottaglie
- Where you stay
- Hotel Ostuni Palace for all nine nights; shared or private room.
- Pace
- Keep the Pace: roughly 0.5 to 4 miles walking a day, often on uneven stone or cobbles with steps. Driving days range about 16 to 167 miles; Days 3 and 8 are longest.
- Arrival and departure
- Hotel Ostuni Palace, Ostuni. Check-in 3:00 p.m. on Day 2, orientation and welcome dinner 6:00 p.m.; ends after breakfast on Day 10, checkout 11:00 a.m.
- Who it suits
- Food-curious travelers wanting a hosted, paced week of Puglian cooking and sightseeing from a single base.
Good to know
- $250 deposit
- Passport valid 6 months past return date
- Ask the operator about dietary needs before booking.
- Several dates sold out or nearly so; check availability
Dates and prices
Per person, 2027: from $4,499 shared / $5,079 private (Mar 15-24) up to $4,999 / $5,729 (later dates incl. Sep 20-29); exact prices vary by date. Early enrollment discount ($100) applied before Aug 31, 2026. Other dates: Mar 29-Apr 7, Apr 22-May 1, May 3-12, Oct 19-28, Nov 21-30, Dec 6-15. Airfare extra.
More trips in Puglia
Trip details are compiled from the published information of Road Scholar, who runs this trip. Dates, prices and availability change; we reconfirm everything with you before you commit.
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