Category: Italy – May/June 2025

We drove to Gallipoli today, another seaside town. It has a beach, although small, and lots of boats to take visitors all around. As you enter the town, you see a large fort that commands attention and maintained the town’s safety.

Their main church was very basic, compared to so many we saw all around Italy. I broke down and bought another sun hat, to add to my collection at home.

We really enjoyed Gallipoli, but were ready to drive to Lecce, across Puglia to the east side of Italy’s “heel.” We took highways instead of narrow, winding roads and zipped along at breakneck speed! Of course, we still got passed by every car and truck like we were standing still!

We arrived to our hotel, which wasn’t actually in Lecce, but about 3km away. That was a bit disappointing because we had to drive into town to experience what Lecce had to offer. It wasn’t a big deal, although remember that Jim is still walking on a leg that he damaged in Matera. He still made it okay.

After parking just outside one of the seven gates surrounding Lecce, we walked into town and found it to be just as charming as we heard. The first destination was the incredible historic centre, one of the most beautiful in Puglia. The Piazza del Duomo, the Basilica of the Holy Cross, and its Palace of the Celestini, as well as all the Gates of the Old City, are the greatest examples of Baroque architecture in Italy.

It was overwhelming to think about how the builders of these beautiful buildings could create something so special. Also, the excavation of ancient buildings continues. There were several digs occurring as we walked around, with ancient ruins unveiled.

However, as we walked to all of these buildings, we were overwhelmed by the crowds of tourists that met us at every turn. It seems that busloads of people, both on tours and from cruises, wanted to see Lecce as much as we did. So, as much as we wanted to enjoy the city, we didn’t stay as long as we had hoped.

Finding a restaurant for an early lunch was our next goal. After passing a number of restaurants, filled with lots of people, we ended up at a small place that specialized in typical US food. It was a hoot. The sign inside said it all. We shared a sandwich, fries, and it was a fun change of cuisine. Notice the packets of Heinz ketchup and mustard!

Now, time to return to our hotel to get ready for our very early morning trek of 1.5 hours to return the car at the Brindisi Airport and then board a flight to Rome. I wish we could have stayed longer to explore other areas besides the touristy ones, but maybe on another trip!

This was another day to visit another UNESCO World Heritage site – Castel del Monte. This castle was built in 1240 by Emperor Frederick II of Swabia (who ever heard of Swabia?). In 1266, it was repurposed from a normal castle to use for military needs and even a place of detention for illustrious prisoners.

Sadly, after being looted multiple times since it was abandoned in the 17th century, many of the marble appointments, mosaic floors, and sculptural details no longer exist. In the arches around the main door, you can see the marble details. In 1876 the Italian State acquired the castle and it was declared a World Heritage site in 1996. Its octagonal shape is repeated throughout the entire structure, a sign of perfection. There are eight rooms on each of the two floors and the interior courtyard is also in an octagonal shape, based on an ancient crown design. The remnants of the splendor in the castle are visible in the marble columns, but not much elsewhere. When built, it was equipped with amenities unique to the times, including plumbing, bathrooms with a sink and latrine, ventilation systems, and fireplaces.

Time to head into Bari, one of the larger cities in Puglia. We wandered around to find a good place to have lunch and finally found a restaurant that had a lot of US-like foods. So, for a change, we had a pulled-pork sandwich and some of the best fries we have ever had. Okay, we are in Italy, not in the US, but it was a nice change from the typical Puglia cuisine.

By the way, the name of this area in the “heel” of Italy has been called Puglia and Apuglia. We were wondering which was correct and found that either is acceptable. Italians may call it Puglia (silent g), while English-speaking people may refer to it as Apuglia. Culturally, Puglia is steeped in history, with influences from the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Normans, among others. This diverse heritage is reflected in Puglia’s architecture, archaeological sites, and traditions, providing a rich tapestry of experiences for visitors and locals alike.

Time to move on to Matera, an incredible ancient city that has been occupied since the 8th century BC. The oldest part of Matera is called the Sassi, which consists of approximately twelve levels spanning the height of 380 m, connected by a network of paths, stairways, and courtyards. There are streets where buses and cars drive, but also original “roads” that probably were used by horses or donkeys. As the cobblestone roads wend their way down from higher areas, they consist of a step, about two meters of angled downward slippery stones, then more steps. Jim fell on the stones and was scared that he may have damaged his artificial knee. His right leg bent back under him. As uncomfortable as it was, he continued to walk for the balance of the trip. (He went to the orthopedist once we were home and found out that he tore a muscle just above his right knee. He wore a brace from mid thigh to mid calf for two weeks and then slowly was able to bend the leg. Fortunately, he was in pretty good shape before the fall. It looks like he will be okay.)

We drove a short distance to Martina Franca, a very charming town that is captivating. As you enter the town, you see an amazing sculpture of hands that have beautiful meanings. Once you know this, the hands give you a sense of peace and hope. The area near this city center is filled with locals who catch up on the town gossip and laugh as they enjoy each other’s company. I felt that I could spend much more time here, given the proximity to other towns and the beautiful scenery. The typical arch entry leads you to beautiful streets and a city center fountain that is another meet and greet destination. One thing we did see was a woman covered in tattoos and lots of piercings. One thing we experienced was that tattoos were everywhere, and some all over the body. It was difficult to see them, when you consider the discomfort of having needles putting dyes into your skin! Yikes! Some were colorful, some mainly black, but I always wonder how they will fair as the body changes and parts drop! This is just my silly bias speaking…

It was time to go to Otranto, our base for the next couple of days. The entrance to the town, a five minute walk from our hotel, welcomed us with an arch that beckoned us to enter. As you go through the arch, the narrow streets open to a variety of shops and restaurants. Otranto is right on the water, on the Mediterranean side of Puglia. One restaurant, right at the entrance to the town, had a long line to get in. We decided to go the next night, early, to see what the fuss was about.

We went to what could be described as a cafeteria fast food restaurant for lunch. They had a variety of tasty options to try. And, surprisingly, it was pretty good. Afterward, we wandered toward the beach on the Mediterranean side of Puglia. It wasn’t crowded and the water was crystal clear. The gentle waves were very inviting, but not for us at this time.

We returned to our hotel for a little rest and enjoyed visiting the beautiful swimming pool at our hotel. It was a nice change to relax and not be going from one place to another.

Dinner was at a small, lovely restaurant, where we enjoyed orecchiette (shaped like an ear) with meatballs, a typical pasta in Puglia, and a Caprese salad. We found that Caprese salads differed in various parts of Italy. The best one so far was in Sicily, because the tomatoes were large, vine-ripened, juicy, and delicious. The tomatoes in Puglia were a tad larger than typical cherry tomatoes and the fresh mozzarella was served in small balls, instead of slices. Of course, we loved it all anyway. The sauce, salad, and the service were excellent. By the way, the stalls with sweets were everywhere, colorful and filled with varieties that we couldn’t identify.

After dinner, it was getting dark and Otranto became a very different town. It came alive with lights, children, and music. We were entranced and were pleased that we decided to stay after dark.

Candy stands are everywhere and they have so many varieties. The shops are unique, but one captivated me with a dress that I had never seen before. I had to take a picture. And, finally, sunset in Otranto was beautiful.

Tomorrow, we head to Gallipoli, another seaside town not too far away. Then we head to Lecce, a stunning town for our final night before our trek home to Mexico.

Another beautiful day awaited us. Today, we decided to go to the Grotte di Castellana. The first cave is about six stories tall, with an opening at the top that makes the formations glow. There are stalactites (from the roof) and stalagmites (growing from the floor), created by dripping water over thousands of years. We were told that the stalactites grow about an inch every 100 years.

The colors were amazing and formations looked like statues, welcoming visitors from their high perch. The history of the Caves of Castellana begins in the upper Cretaceous (100 – 90 million years ago), when Puglia was still below sea level of the ancient Mediterranean, inhabited by numerous colonies of mollusks and marine plants. For millions of years, these life forms had succeeded each other, generations after generations, and their empty shells and carcasses accumulating on the seabed, had formed a gigantic deposit of mud and sand which, with its slow but continuous growth, had gradually compressed to form a layer of limestone with a thickness of several kilometers. This is a vast system of caverns that extends for about 3 kilometers at an average depth of 70 meters. We went through cavern after cavern, noting the changes in colors, shapes, and formations.

From the caverns we went to Polignano a Mare, a charming town that is known for its crystal clear water. There are more caves just above the water that you can visit via boats. We decided instead to enjoy the town and have a lunch famous for its puccia. These buns are soft and are filled with a variety of fillings, including seafood (usually octopus). We shared one with polpette (a delicious meatball) a ragu sauce, and burrata cheese. It was a very special, typical of this town.

The day was not over. We then moved on to Monopoli, another ancient town that continued to charm us. They were getting ready for a concert as part of the Prospero Fest at the port. We didn’t stay, but it looked like a wonderful concert later in the day.

Time to return to Alberobello for dinner. A nearby restaurant, Terra Mossa, made a yummy four cheese pizza, which Jim enjoyed with a Peroni beer and me with an Limoncello Spritz. It was the perfect cap to the busy day.

Tomorrow, we explore more nearby towns. The winding roads and myriad of roundabouts make navigating a challenge, but my co-pilot does a great job! Until tomorrow…

From Rome, we flew to Brindisi, in the heel of southern Italy. We chose a self-driving tour of Puglia and started by picking up our car at the Brindisi Airport. We were offered a medium-sized car but opted to stay with the small FIAT Panda hybrid. Our two carry-on bags neatly filled the trunk, leaving our under-seat bags in the back seat. This six-speed little devil was fun to drive. I drove and Jim navigated. Truthfully, I don’t know how anyone could drive all the curvy roads and roundabouts without GPS on their phone (and a good navigator).

Our initial destination was Alberobello, the town known for the trulli. These are round buildings or parts of buildings with the round pointed domed roof made out of slate. We were told that no one actually lives in them, probably because they have no windows and are 18C all year around. They are mostly used for storage (maybe wine?). It looked like the round pointed room was adapted on homes to look like a cupola inside.

Our hotel was in the center of town, walkable, with many restaurants to enjoy. Since we arrived so early, we decided to have lunch nearby. It was recommended by the hotel and we were very pleased. We had a delicious gnocchi, which was more than enough to share. It was accompanied by a beer for Jim and a limoncello spritz for me. We immediately found that the Aperol spritz drink is everywhere, which is why I opted for a different one. It was yummy

With lunch over, we walked through the town, admiring the charm. It is a compact town, but has walkways to show off the trullis. We went into a shop and the owner said we had to go to his roof to see the landscape from that perspective. It was worth the climb. Since, we had such an early flight, we returned to the hotel and relaxed for a few hours.

When we awakened, we decided to go to dinner in town. There is an app called thefork.com that allows you to make a reservation online for a specific date and time. I booked a table for 7:30 at TerraMossa to sit on the terrace. When we arrived, they said that the reservation was for tomorrow, not tonight. DUH! I must have been half asleep. They still made room for us and we enjoyed a four cheese pizza. This would be our go-to meal almost every day.

Pizza is offered everywhere. Some had toppings that we didn’t like, so we stuck with a margarita (tomatoes and cheese), mushrooms (only porcini mushrooms available), or a four cheese pizza.

Now, it was time to go to bed and get ready for a fun day tomorrow.

After another amazing breakfast, we headed to the Abbey of Monte Cassino. The Abbey is spectacular, sitting atop a hill overlooking the town of Cassino. It was the original home of St. Benedict, who established the Benedictine order around 529 A.D. It was ransacked and rebuilt four times. During WWII, it was bombed and re-built after the war. The beautiful statue of St. Benedict is original. the craftsmanship and detail inside is a monument to the abilities of the times. At this time, only nine priests live in the abbey.

Not far away was the winery of La Ferriera in the town of Atina. The vineyards extend in many directions and provide the grapes for wines that. Were superb. We tasted two white wines, Semiato, which is a mix of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes, Dorato, made from Chardonnay grapes, and two red wines. First was Ferrato, made with Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet grapes, and the other Realmagona, a combination of Cabernet and Syrah. The original vines were brought from France and have been cultivated in this area for a long time. All of the wines were smooth, absolutely delicious and priced between 8,50 and 22,00 Euros. Of course, there were snacks to pair with each wine. Several folks in our group purchased wines that will be sent to them in the US. Lucky them…

Now, time for lunch. Just down the road we ate the Old Cantina Visocci, now restored into a sophisticated restaurant called Mantic. We started with a bruschetta with truffle pate, followed by gnocchi with either a tomato sauce or a truffle sauce, arancini, and finally a tart with pistachios and chocolate. More wine, too. Not bad!

Time for our next cooking class. Today, we are making the secondo, which is usually a protein, but not necessarily. We cut the potatoes, onions, and sausage for the rustic casserole, which was covered in olive oil and baked to perfection by the staff for dinner.

We took a ball of our semolina dough from yesterday and rolled part of it between our palms to make a long, skinny rope that we wound onto a wooden skewer. This would be the basis of our primi for tonight’s dinner with an incredible sauce. We also used part of the dough to cut into rounds and put into small cups, topped with grilled eggplant round slices, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese to make individual eggplant parmesan dishes. We had the eggplant parmesan as an antipasto, then the pasta dish, then the casserole covered with a generous helping of a delicious tomato sauce.

The table was set in the former olive pressing room for a unique experience in dining. At the end, we had what they called a “peach” dessert, but with no peaches. The chef baked these amazing cookies. We made the custard that went in between each cookie and rolled them in sugar. This was how they were served, along with a limoncello liqueur, if you wanted. Another memorable dinner

Tomorrow is our last full day at Casa Gregorio. We will have our pizza party and some musical entertainment to savor at the end of this excellent week.

We had our final brunch, and a very impressive one at that. Today the meal included French toast, Italian-style. I didn’t have it but I think it included Nutella! We had a short break and then attended the classes we selected earlier in the week. We had a choice of water color or acrylic painting, weaving, knitting/crocheting, jewelry, or watching a drone fly over the town while wearing VR glasses. I chose the jewelry class and Jim wore the glasses. He said it was fun to see an overview of the area and I enjoyed making a simple necklace out of copper. I may embellish it once I am home, but it was fun to work with the artisan.

In the early afternoon, Chef Luca (so adorable), walked us through making a Casa Gregorio pizza dough. It is easy and makes a delicious base for whatever you want to add. We started at 4:00 PM and by 5:00, we selected our favorite toppings to create a special signature pizza. Many in our group chose to make a white pizza, without tomato sauce. A couple were more traditional, adding tomato sauce as a starter. There were about a dozen or so ingredients to use, including rocket (arugula), various kinds of ham, Bufalo mozzarella, spicy salame, olives, grilled zucchini, peppers or eggplant. Not a pepperoni in sight. It is not used in Italy at all.

Just before making our pizzas, we adjourned to another fabulous kitchen in the Casa, to purchase aprons, fancy Italian oil cans, and many of the tools we used during the week. It was very tempting, but we had limited space and not a great need.

The “famous” Gregory, who started this endeavor fifteen years ago, was in the kitchen with us to cheer us on. He is an Italian-American and spoke Italian from an early age. His dream was to buy a villa and transform it into a cooking destination. He succeeded magnificently.

We tasted everyone’s special pizza, so by the time it was my turn to make a pizza, I declined. I was already toooo full! Jim made an awesome pizza.

We sampled so many that we couldn’t imagine eating one more bite. However, Luca made a dessert pizza that was amazing. It had chocolate, whipped cream, and sliced pears. It was heavenly. I have eaten a fruit tart pizza before and it was exceptional. Fortunately, I can play with all kinds of choices once home.

His partner Massimo, father to Giuseppe (the younger one, as there is an older one who was our driver and guide for most of our excursions), and David, entertained us in the Taverna downstairs. Decked out as a nightclub taverna, Massimo bedazzled in sequins, sang standards from the 50’s to the 80’s in English and Italian. His voice was beautiful and it was evident that he was a born entertainer. For his second set, his son, David, donning a black sequin sports jacket, joined him and they sang in perfect harmony. It was a perfect end to a lovely week.

Tomorrow, we leave for Rome, where we catch an early flight to Brindisi in Puglia (in the heel of Italy). This will start our driving trip to many incredible cities in this area of Southern Italy. The week was fantastic and we would recommend that you consider this on a future trip. You can go to edibledestinations.com for a variety of cooking classes in many countries or directly to Casa Gregorio at italyculinaryholiday.com

This is a typical breakfast at Casa Gregorio. It changes daily but we can always expect delicious choices, along with an espresso, macchiato, fresh juices, and a large variety of teas. We sat out on the patio to enjoy the vista, and great conversation.

Today, instead of going to a premium coffee roaster, we went to a shop/restaurant that specializes in curing and cutting all kinds of pork products. Plus, they have many varieties of cheeses, pastas, and truffle products. It is a very special place and Palma, our host and guide, is the fourth generation in her family to lead the business. She, her sister, and her mother head the company after her great-grandfather started the business many decades ago.

They do not grow their own pigs, but get the hind quarters from a variety of growers, where they prepare the meat, cure it, and hang it in refrigerated rooms for as long as a year or more. Some of the legs are de-boned, some are bone-in. They come from regular pigs and some from black pigs, which are much larger.

After learning about the business of making top-of-line pork products, we had a delicious lunch, creating a charcuterie plate with the many choices on the table. And just when we thought the meal could not get better, we headed to a nearby gelato store that made the most unique flavors. Of course, we still had room for gelato! Pistachio is my favorite but since Jim and I share a small cup of gelato, we have two flavors in the cup – one side with pistachio and the other with a different flavor – in this case, vanilla.

Now it was time to return to Casa Gregorio to begin our cooking class. We started making mini-meatballs for the Italian wedding soup. Then, we learned how to make a variety of pastas, which is the typical first course for an Italian dinner. We made a semolina and and an egg dough, which was made into different types of pasta, with help from an electric pasta rollers. The dough can be used for a variety of pastas, including, lasagne and fresh spaghetti. We had a great time creating these popular kinds of pasta and an even better time enjoying them for dinner. The cream puff dessert was amazing.

It was another wonderful day. Tomorrow, we will focus on wines and making the secondi piatti.

Breakfast was again an event, with many quiches, fresh fruit, and mini-sandwiches. Off to the market, which was not huge but quite busy. The veggies and fruit looked good. There was a profusion of olives, and the fish was very different than we have in Mexico. We also found lots of clothing stalls and other stalls carrying doodads for the house.

Next, we went to a local cheese maker for taste the Buffalo mozzarella and provolone they made. They raise water buffalo, which we visited behind the store. The babies were adorable, but one wanted to lick me. I had finally get away from that precocious baby! The cheeses were unique and delicious. Bufalo mozzarella is prized in Italy and a very special ingredient in all kinds of dishes, including pizza.

We had lunch at a local trattoria in Terracina. We had our choice of pasta with a tomato/sausage sauce, or a white sauce with truffles. Jim and I each got one of the pastas and did a taste test. The truffle sauce on the pasta was a hands-own winner. We had a short shop at the cathedral, which is very simple, even stark, but had its own charm.

After our many stops, we returned to the Casa for a little rest before starting our next cooking class, a variety of antipasti. Italian meals usually start with an antipasto, then a primi, a secondi, sometimes a salad (to cleanse the palette), and dessert, of course.

We made sausage-stuffed mushrooms, bruscheta, arancini (rice in various shapes and deep-fried, grilled peppers, grilled zucchini and egplant, various cheeses and eggplant. The versatile dough we used to make the pasta is made by rolling it on a gnocchi board. It made it so easy and can be used to make gnocchi. We were served all these delicious treats before we started to eat dinner. Easy and delicious.

So, what did we have for dinner this night? We had a focaccia,, a platter of the various antipasti,, our pasta in a delightful Bolognese sauce, with tiramisu to round out the meal. We ate it all!

We awoke to another beautiful morning, ready for breakfast and another day of activities. The breakfast that greeted us was awesome. There were several kinds of quiche, fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, two kinds of juices, and any kind of coffee or tea you may want.

I neglected to mention that yesterday, Giuseppe, our driver for the day, took us to some nearby ruins. They date from centuries ago. It was an opportunity to get to know the other members of our group and enjoy the beauty of the area.

Today, we went to the town of Arpino, the land of olives about 45 minutes away, where we visited a traditional family-owned olive oil mill. We were schooled on the making of extra virgin olive oil by Vincenzo, whose family has been manufacturing oil for along time. He said they are a small producer with 20,000 olive trees. He, and a large contingency of others, hand-trim the trees after harvesting in the fall so they produce the most olives per tree. The care and love shows.

Afterward, we had a light lunch at the mill, made by his mother. Everything was fresh and delicious, like a farro salad, lupini beans, bruschetta with tomato sauce, polenta, grilled onions, and cheese. Vincenzo showed us how to test the freshness of the oil by taking a small sip and swishing it your mouth to get a grassy flavor and then sniffing it to feel the spiciness in the back of your throat. He also said that olive oil should be kept in metal or dark glass containers, not in plastic, to maintain freshness. Oh well… so much for buying olive oil at Costco in giant plastic bottles. I may have to switch to smaller glass bottles of oil.

We returned to Casa Gregorio to relax until 4:30, when we had our first class. Today, we made cookies and desserts with Luca. We each have a work station with aprons. The names of the cookies/treats are posted on the chalk board and we have a QR code to download all the recipes.

It is amazing how many treats you can make with the same dough. It just takes some finesse.

We had a break afterwards to have a glass of wine until dinner. Then, we were treated to a wonderful risotto, followed by a meat loaf roll, and finally, the completed cannoli. You want to eat everything in the first course, but then you wouldn’t have any room for the second course! Fortunately, there is always room for cannoli!

Tomorrow, we head to the local farmer’s market to experience how the locals buy fish, fruit and vegetables, but more importantly, share the local gossip! We have a few stops, and then return to make antipasti for dinner.

We arrived very early into Rome from Naples to await our driver and the other participants for our seven day cooking adventure. Due to some miscommunication, we finally were connected and met Nicki and Tim from the Cincinnati area, Barbara from upstate NY, Jean Marie from Manhattan, Sue and her neighbor Lori from outside of Philadelphia. They all seemed very friendly and it was immediately obvious that wewould be a good group.

In a little over an hour, and we arrived at Casa Gregorio in the small town of Castro dei Volsci, on top of a mountain between Rome and Naples. The views are spectacular, the breezes welcoming, and the staff attentive. We went to our rooms (20, I believe), and the room was gorgeous overlooking the valley below. According to Giuseppe, we had his favorite room. All the rooms have different names. Ours is Saffron, and the colors reflected that. We also are the only room that has a shower and a whirlpool tub!

We got settled and then met for a little walk around the small medieval town center. After only a short time together, you would have thought we came as a group of old friends. The small church is unadorned but charming. There is a lookout point over the valley that provides a splendid view of the area below.

Casa Gregorio was established in 2012 for North Americans to learn about Italian cuisine in a communal, friendly environment. According to the itinerary, every day has a tour, lunch, a cooking class in the Casa and then a wonderful dinner including what we made in class. Luca, the chef, is not only adorable, but very knowledgeable, considering he has not had formal training.

He is capably supported by Dayana, Sara, Antonietta, Carolina, Letizia, and others, who keep things on track, even with our rowdy bunch. There are several kitchens in the Casa, and I am drooling at how gorgeous and functional they are. We had an early dinner in the large dining room.

We started with an amazing first course of pasta with a light sauce that was bursting with flavor. Of course, there was plenty of wine! The second was a lightly dressed plate of salad greens and a chicken roll filled with cheese and ham. Although gorgeous, we could only eat one of the rolls. And, for dessert an incredible ricotta pie.

It was a long day and after enjoying our new companions at Casa Gregorio and eating an amazing meal, it was time to get some rest. Tomorrow, we have a full day with a tour of an olive oil mill and tasting, lunch, and our first cooking class.