Explore Italian villages and live like a local on a harvest culinary tour in Puglia! Shop for fresh produce at markets, learn to make extra virgin olive oil, cook real Italian food, and sample wines on this rare cultural exploration.

Situated in the heel of Italy’s boot, Puglia’s intense heat makes summer the ideal time for unhurried living and lazy beach trips. So when is the best time to enjoy the cultural side and to live like a local in Puglia? Let us explore…

How you can live like a local on a harvest culinary tour in Puglia:

• Best time to visit Puglia
• Living like an Italian at Villa Cappelli
  • Harvest and make your own extra virgin olive oil.
  • Shop at food markets
  • Cook with an Italian
• The Ultimate Puglia Experience
  • Art & Craft Classes
  • Cultural experiences (archeology, architecture, luxury)

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The best time to visit Puglia

Due to its flat turf and a warm climate Puglia in autumn is perfect for cultivating and reaping harvests. From plump tomatoes to lush figs, olives, and fields of bountiful herbs, it’s a paradise for foodies. Another drawcard is that it is the ultimate wine-making season!

The Villa Cappelli experience

Atop the ancient Via Appia sits this Villa sits majestically. Northwest of Bari and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it features a unique role in the framework of the Roman roads network. Over 2300 years it activated the development of sites, ideas, works, testimonies, and memories forming a complex cultural environment. Hence it plays a significant role in providing evidence to the revolution in road construction introduced by the Romans.

The harvest culinary tour allows you to harvest your own extra virgin olive oil!

Ever wonder what is “extra virgin” olive oil? Or, how they get all that delicious extra virgin olive oil from the olives? Paul Cappelli, Villa Cappelli owner says, “Visit us and find out for yourself by participating in the harvesting. Plus, take home your own hand-picked bottle/s of gratification!

Puglia Tourism adds, “A slice of bread is all the accompaniment you’ll need to taste the intense aroma of this land’s extra-virgin olive oil.”

Shop at local markets

If time permits, the most important part of the whole “cooking” process is the shopping

Visit Paul’s favorite vendors and shop like a local Italian! Paul says, “First up is our bountiful vegetable shopping from farm stands followed by various butchers, including fresh seafood. Thereafter we collect our fresh-baked bread from the local baker. Lastly, we shop for fresh cheese made every morning. These are a few encounters guests can expect.”

Important: Please note dietary requirements are taken into account!

About the cooking classes

“At Villa Cappelli, you won’t have some high-class chef peering over your shoulder criticizing everything,” says Paul.  In fact, “What you get is us (and we were taught everything via our Italian grandmamas), a glass of wine, and a fine Italian meal with good company at the end of your cooking classes.  “Above all we have fun when we cook,” concludes Paul!

Italian cooking is easy! And Villa Capelli has taught many, from those who could barely boil water to the senior vice president of the Food Network. Therefore you will be in good hands! 

Lessons at the cooking school can be arranged on an individual basis and largely depend on the season. Even if you are not staying at Villa Cappelli, they can certainly work with you to create an amazing Italian cooking lesson.

Eating in Puglia is glorious at any time of year and as summer slides into autumn, it’s no different. Typical dishes to sample include Risotto Alla Mantovana (risotto with pumpkin, wine, onions, and cheese), or platters of roast meats and grilled fish served with vegetables, and freshly harvested apples and plums served with gelato as dessert. Simple, seasonal, and supremely delicious, it’s what Puglian cuisine is all about.

The best Italian village cultural experience

Further down the coast lies Torre Guaceto Nature Reserve, a vast expanse of sandy beaches, wild woods and olive groves. Here you can ride bikes, go on nature walks, learn to kite-surf, or take snorkeling trips over the coral. Travel even further south and you’ll reach the famous Grotta Zinzulusa, an incredible cave full of stalactites and stalagmites, close to the town of Castro.

Combine the rural bliss of the Italian countryside with Baroque towns, fascinating villages, and a stunning coastline. Puglia is also home to sailing schools, and water sports centres.

This is a land rich in art and culture with prosperity just waiting to be discovered! The Adriatic shoreline is characterized by the presence of several crossroads and villages overlooking the alluring sea waters. A magnet of the region is the sea standing at the heart of the tourism mecca! This includes wide sand and rocky shores, islands with pristine nature, secluded beaches, and popular seaside resorts.

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Whether you decide to tour the beautiful neighbouring towns, explore the countryside, or just sit by the pool, you’re sure to have a sweet time doing it. Click here for more information regarding Villa Cappelli

Where to go and what to do in Puglia:

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Other resources

Jetradar – airfare search engine!