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Go behind the usual suspects on an Italian food discovery.

Discover why the southern regions of Puglia, Basilicata and Campania are Italy’s newest food hot spots that everyone's raving about. Explore breathtaking Bari, take in the sights of the cave city of Matera while learning to cook with the locals, sample olive oil and homemade wine at a small, family-run farm just outside of Rome, and munch mozzarella cheese, sip limoncello and learn to prepare the world's best pizza in the place where it was born, Naples! This eight-day Italian culinary odyssey is set to get you salivating.

Start
Rome, Italy
Finish
Naples, Italy
Destination
Italy
Style
Original
Theme
Food
Code
ZMZS
Physical rating
Ages
Min 15
Group size
Min 1, Max 12

Why you'll love this trip

  • Make lunch with a family that lives just outside of Rome, sampling homemade wine and olive oil before sitting down for a farmhouse-style feast.

  • In Bari, join a local expert for a masterclass where you will learn to make Apulian focaccia and the famous orecchiette (little ears pasta).

  • Lose yourself in the ancient cave-city of Matera, which sits dramatically on the edge of the Gravina gorge.

  • Get your hands doughy in a cooking class by learning how to prepare the world's best pizza at its birthplace in Naples.

  • Meet local producers in the region, learn about their crafts and sample the amazing food and drink heritage they've built.

Is this trip right for you?

  • There are some longer travel days on this itinerary, particularly from Matera to Naples (5 hours). There will be stops to break up these journeys. It’s also a great time to relax and get to know your fellow travellers.

  • We recommend that you pack lightly, so you can carry your luggage up and down hotel stairs, but you are welcome to use your preferred luggage style (backpack or suitcase).

  • This trip departs from Rome to Bari on the morning of Day 3. If you wish to spend more time exploring this city, we recommend staying additional time in Rome either before or after your trip. We can help you book additional accommodation at our starting point hotel.

  • Don’t let the heat keep you from exploring the world! Summer temperatures can be very high in Italy (over 40°C), which can make things uncomfortable. It’s important to use sun protection, wear layers to combat the heat, and drink plenty of water. Please note that many hotel rooms in Europe are not equipped with air-conditioning. Please carefully consider the time of the year you wish to travel and your suitability to that season.

  • This trip aims to give you an exciting, diverse and well rounded experience of Italy's cuisine. While we endeavour to cater for specific dietary requirements, some meals and food activities are set in advance and may be difficult to adjust. Italian food often has a focus on cheese and meat and can be also challenging for severe gluten intolerances. If you have dietary requirements , simply contact your agent at the time of booking for further information on how this may impact on your ability to take part in included activities and meals. Come with an open mind and open mouth, and you won’t be disappointed!

Map of South Italy Real Food Adventure including Italy
Sample some of the delicious gelatos in Rome, Italy
Enjoy a glass of vino in Rome, Italy
Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast, Italy
ZMZB Rome Food Artichokes
ZMZB Rome Female Traveller Gelato

Itinerary
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Buongiorno! Welcome to the cobbled streets of Rome. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting tonight at 6 pm. There are no activities planned before the meeting, so you can arrive any time before then. There are so many things to do in Rome – the Colosseum, the Forum, Piazza Navona, the Spanish Steps, Via Condotti, Piazza Venezia, the Vatican City and St Peter's Basilica – so arriving a day or two early is recommended. Don’t forget to do as the Romans do and sip an espresso at one of the tiny cafes and sample the many flavours of gelato that colour the city. For those captivated by the eternal city, throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain to ensure a return visit to Rome. After the welcome meeting, get to know your fellow foodies over a bowl of pasta in the rione (administrative division) of Monti, home to some of the city's most famous monuments.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Urban Adventures - Tasting La Dolce Vita - EUR90
  • Urban Adventures - Wine Tasting with Sommelier - EUR95
  • Rome - Pantheon One Hour Guided Tour Urban Adventure - EUR35
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.
Special Information
It’s very important that you attend the welcome meeting as we will be collecting insurance details and next of kin information at this time. If you are going to be late please let your travel agent or hotel reception know. Ask reception or look for a note in the lobby for more information on where the meeting will take place.

Today you’ll visit a local family at their farm just outside of Rome and take a tour of their small vineyard and vegetable garden. The family's patriarch makes his own wine and refuses to drink anything else at home (and brings it along with him wherever he goes)! He's sure to offer you a drop, and once you've had a swirl and a sniff, you won’t want to say no. Depending on the season, you may head to a local market or shop to pick up some extra ingredients before joining the family at home to cook up a Roman farmhouse feast. Eat, drink and be merry in a way only the Italians can, before returning to Rome in the late afternoon and doing as you please for the rest of the day.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Rome - Farm tour and cooking class
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch

Take a train from Rome to Bari (approximately 4 hours). Bari a port city on the Adriatic Sea and is widely known for its maze-like alleyways, Old Town churches like the Basilica di San Nicola, food markets and long sandy beaches. On arrival your leader will take you on a city orientation walk. This evening is free for you to discover the food of this region – perhaps ask your group leader to recommend some dinner options that feature local specialties, particularly with freshly-caught seafood, then stroll the coastal boulevard and perhaps sip some of the local limoncello.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Bari - Leader-led orientation walk
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Explore the region with a visit to a masseria (fortified farmhouse) in Rutigliano for an olive oil and wine tasting. You’ll get the chance to taste varietals grown on the property. Also, enjoy the local specialty burrata – a luxurious version of freshly made mozzarella. Later on, join a local expert for a masterclass where you will learn to make Apulian focaccia and the famous orecchiette (pasta shaped like little ears). By using a thumb imprint technique, you’ll be continuing the tradition of nonnas across the region.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Rutigliano - Mozzarella Tasting
  • Rutigliano - Olive Oil and Wine Tasting
  • Rutigliano - Pasta masterclass
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch

Transfer to Matera and explore the otherworldly architecture on a guided walking tour. Learn about the fascinating history of a place once considered the shame of Italy. Up until the 1950s, Matera was severely impoverished, and many residents lived in the Sassi caves without running water or electricity. Learn about this remote city’s transformation and go deep with a tour of the underground Ipogeo Materasum – a series of roads, cisterns and places of worship that lie up to 12-metres below. Then, journey into the other belly of Matera with a local Amaro Lucano tasting. This famed herbal digestive was first made in Matera. Enjoy dinner overlooking Sassi and make a toast to this surprising city.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Matera - Guided Walking Tour
  • Matera - Ipogeo Underground Cistern
  • Matera - Amaro Liqueur Tasting
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Travel to the hub of industry in Naples, most well-known as being the birthplace of pizza. Once arrived, take an orientation walk around town to get your bearings, and head on a street food crawl, where you’ll taste the best of the region. By now, you will have realised the regional specialties of each place you visit, and Naples (in Campania) is no different. Naples boasts a robust cuisine with influences ranging from Greek, Spanish, French and Arab cultures. Learn about street food traditions and sample local delicacies such as cuoppo (fried fish), portafoglio (fried and folded pizza), zeppole (rich donut fritter with sweet cream) and sfogliatella (shell-shaped sweet pastry). Delicioso!
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Naples - Leader-led orientation walk
  • Naples - Street food crawl
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner

After breakfast, the day is free for you to explore the city. If you’re feeling active, you could head out of Naples visit the historic grounds of Pompeii in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius (approximately 1 hour by train). You leader can help you with logistics of getting there and back in time for your final evening. No food trip to Italy would be complete without a pizza making demonstration, and you’ll save the best for last. In the evening, learn to prepare this southern classic in the place in which it was born and then settle in for a delicious dinner with the group.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Naples - Pizza making demonstration
Optional Activities
  • Mt Vesuvius - Crater Rim Walk & Summit Climb - EUR10
  • Pompeii - Archaeological Site - EUR15
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner

With no activities planned for today, you are free to leave at any time. That doesn’t mean that your adventure has to come to an end! If you would like to spend more time in Naples, we’ll be happy to book additional accommodation for you (subject to availability).
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.

Meals

6 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners

Transport

Private vehicle, Public Transport, Taxi, Train

Accommodation

Hotel (7 nights)

Included activities

  • Rome - Farm tour and cooking class
  • Bari - Leader-led orientation walk
  • Rutigliano - Mozzarella Tasting
  • Rutigliano - Olive Oil and Wine Tasting
  • Rutigliano - Pasta masterclass
  • Matera - Guided Walking Tour
  • Matera - Ipogeo Underground Cistern
  • Matera - Amaro Liqueur Tasting
  • Naples - Leader-led orientation walk
  • Naples - Street food crawl
  • Naples - Pizza making demonstration

Dates & availability

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Important notes

A Single Supplement is available on this trip, please ask your booking agent for more information.

There are some long travel days on this itinerary, particularly from Matera to Naples (5 hours). There will be stops to break up these journeys. Its also a great time to relax and get to know your fellow travellers.

We recommend that you pack lightly, so you can carry your luggage up and down hotel stairs, but you are welcome to use your preferred luggage style (backpack or suitcase).

This trip departs from Rome to Bari on the morning of Day 3. If you wish to spend more time exploring this city, we recommend staying additional time in Rome either before or after your trip. We can help you book additional accommodation at our starting point hotel. Any additional accommodation we book for you will already include the compulsory city tax.

Essential trip information

Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Essential Trip Information provides a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.

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