There’s something especially exciting about traveling to a place for the first time. After years of leading culinary tours with The Chopping Block, I’m thrilled that in May 2027, we’ll be adding an entirely new destination to our lineup: Puglia.
Located in the heel of Italy’s boot, Puglia has been on my travel wish list for a long time. It’s a region known for its centuries-old olive trees, whitewashed hill towns, sparkling Adriatic coastline and some of the most deeply rooted food traditions in Italy. From fresh burrata and orecchiette to olive oil, rustic breads and local wines, the food here is simple, seasonal and connected to the land.
But what makes me even more excited about this trip is who I’ll be exploring Puglia with: my friend and co-tour director, Viktorija Todorovska.
Viktorija and I have led our popular Cook Like a Tuscan tour (which still has one spot available this fall!) together, and I couldn’t ask for a better person to experience a new region of Italy alongside. She’s a sommelier, wine educator, cookbook author, former instructor at The Chopping Block and, most importantly for this adventure, someone who knows and deeply loves Puglia.
Here’s how she describes it:
"Sometimes when I am asked why I love Puglia, I am at a loss for words. It seems difficult to put into word the impossibly blue sky, the gnarled olive trees that look like centennial story-tellers, the shimmering Mediterranean. And how do you describe the texture and flavor of the crusty bread of Altamura, the captivating bitterness of chicory, the silky texture of Primitivo wine? But maybe the most difficult thing to describe is the sunny disposition of the Puglian people, the openness and kindness of their welcome, the sheer warmth of their smiles and the deep love of their land that is in every gesture."
After reading that, how could you not want to go?
Viktorija in Puglia
A Week of Food, Wine, and Discovery
Our Gourmet Immersion in Puglia, May 3-10, 2027, will take just 14 travelers on an seven-day journey through Southern Italy. Like all of our culinary tours, this trip is designed for people who want to experience a destination through its food and wine, while also digging deeper into the history, culture and people who make it special.
We’ll begin in Bari before making our way south to Lecce, where we’ll spend three nights. And because we believe in getting right to the good stuff, one of our first stops will be a family-owned masseria surrounded by ancient olive trees, where we’ll learn about and taste one of Puglia’s most important products: olive oil.
From there, the week unfolds with the kinds of experiences I love most when I travel. We’ll visit one of Viktorija’s favorite wineries to explore Puglian grapes including Primitivo, Negroamaro, Susumaniello and Verdeca. We’ll spend a full day cooking at the Puglia Culinary Centre at Castello di Ugento, where we’ll prepare regional dishes and even learn to make Italian gelato, which Viktorija and I enjoy quite a bit!
Me and Viktorija enjoying gelato in Tuscany
We’ll also make our way into Valle d’Itria, Puglia’s green heart, where we’ll stay in beautifully restored trulli, the distinctive conical stone buildings for which the region is famous. Along the way, we’ll explore the ceramics tradition of Grottaglie, eat our way through Ceglie Messapica, wander the trulli-lined streets of Alberobello and visit the whitewashed towns of Locorotondo, Cisternino and Ostuni.
And then there’s the bread and cheese.
One morning, we’ll travel to Altamura in time to taste its famous bread fresh from an ancient wood-fired oven at a centuries-old family bakery. Then we’ll spend time with the DiCecca family learning about the production of burrata and other local cheeses. The following day, we’ll visit a dairy farm to taste burrata about as fresh as it can possibly be.
For Viktorija, that simplicity is at the heart of Puglia’s appeal:
"I love Italy and its foods, but Puglia remains the only region where I can eat the local food all day and never get tired: the simple, unadulterated flavors, the flavorful local ingredients, the uncomplicated dishes. My tastebuds sing at the thought of the deliciousness of Puglia."
Seeing Puglia Through the Eyes of Someone Who Loves It
One of the things I’ve learned from leading culinary tours is that who you travel with can completely change the way you experience a destination. Having Viktorija as our guide into Puglia’s food and wine culture means we won’t simply be checking famous sights off a list.
We’ll be visiting some of her favorite producers and restaurants, meeting people she knows and learning about the region from someone who returns again and again. I’m personally looking forward to experiencing Puglia through her eyes, and I’m so happy that we’ll get to share those discoveries with a small group of travelers who are just as curious about food and wine as we are.
As Viktorija says:
"The moment I set foot in Puglia, I have an overwhelming feeling of being home. And no matter how many times I visit, there are always surprises lurking around every corner, a little restaurant serving amazing food, the long-guarded family recipe of a passionate cook, a wine tasting of sunshine. The exploration never stops!"
I think that last sentence perfectly captures what I love about culinary travel, too. No matter how much you know about food or how many times you’ve been to Italy, there is always something new to taste, learn and experience.
We’ll finish our week by traveling from the hills to the Adriatic Sea, spending our final night in Monopoli. On our last evening together, we’ll board boats and head out onto the water, looking back at the Puglian coastline as the sun sets and raising a glass to the week we’ve shared.
I can already picture it.
Our Gourmet Immersion in Puglia takes place May 3-10, 2027, and because the trip is limited to just 14 travelers, we’ll be able to experience Puglia the way we love to travel with Onward Travel: as a small group, gathered around tables, learning from local experts and sharing plenty of incredible food and wine along the way.
