Matera Cooking Class

Arrival ​ Morning

After arriving at our olive farm (transportation is available upon request), we’ll check you into your special, farmhouse accommodation for the evening and let you settle in to your new home. ​ Then, your experience begins with our cooking class in which you take a tour of olive farm, learn how to make traditional fresh pasta and then head into our professional kitchen to learn all of the secrets of authentic Southern Italian cooking. ​ Afternoon ​ After eating everything you’ve made for lunch (along with some other special treats), it will be time to take a nice siesta either by the pool, enjoy a professional massage, take a stroll amongst the olive trees or even head back in your comfortable room for an afternoon sleep. ​ Later in the afternoon, it will be time to taste wine and you’ll be lead through a wine tasting session in which you discover some of the best local wines we have in our region as well as learn all about how they are produced and the traditions behind them. ​ For the evening, we’ll take you for a night out in Matera and show you a little place that only the locals know about where you can try the famous ‘panzerotti’ - a treat that is enjoyed by kids and adults alike across Basilicata and Puglia. ​ Before heading back, we’ll treat you to a delicious, artisan ice-cream (gelato) to round off a wonderful day of food and wine.

​ Morning

Breakfast (with sweet and savoury options) ​ Then, we’ll take the 30 minute drive over the border into Puglia where you’ll visit the medieval town of Altamura. Here, you’ll visit a ‘caseficio’ (cheese shop) that has been in the same family for over 100 years and you’ll get to see them making their daily batch of mozarella and other fresh cheeses. ​ Before getting to try a series of their wonderful cheeses for lunch, you’ll have some free time to explore the beautiful medieval streets of this typical southern Italian town, which features a wonderful cathedral as well as a range of interesting shops and cafes. ​ After lunch, it will be time to head home to the olive farm and take a nice siesta and perhaps even a relaxing massage. ​ Afternoon ​ In the evening, we’ll take you to a local village to experience how Southern Italian butchers cook their meats over an olive wood oven grill and serve you directly on their premises. This is a real treat for people who might enjoy fresh, quality meat prepared in a traditional, rustic setting.

​ ​ Breakfast (with sweet and savoury options) ​ After breakfast, we’ll need to start thinking about lunch and so we’ll head back into the kitchen and learn how to make Silvia’s mamma’s version of the famous ‘parmigiana’ as well as another simple but delicious ‘primo’. This second cooking class will let you discover even more of the secrets of great Italian cooking before sitting down for a final lunch with us - and more wine of course! ​ After lunch, we’ll take you back to Matera or to your next destination.