Puglia is often marketed as Italy at its most idyllic — whitewashed towns, olive groves and long lunches — and all of that exists here. But what interests me most is the region’s deeper sense of continuity: women still making pasta in Bari’s old streets, bakers preserving centuries-old traditions in Altamura, cave dwellings transformed into remarkable hotels in Matera, and small towns where ancient rituals still quietly shape daily life. Over twelve days we move slowly through landscapes that still feel deeply connected to tradition.

Hosted by Michael Gebicki, whose decades of travel experience and local connections open doors to the people, places and experiences that make this region so special.

Why this journey is special

Bari’s pasta makers
Watch local women making orecchiette in the old city.

Altamura food traditions
Meet bakers, cheesemakers and home cooks preserving ancient traditions.

Stay in cave hotels in Matera
Sleep inside one of Europe’s most extraordinary historic hotels.

Butcher lunch in Valle d’Itria
A wonderfully local Puglian tradition.

Ancient olive estates
Stay in one of Puglia’s finest masserias.

Tarantism traditions in Galatina
Explore one of southern Italy’s most unusual cultural legacies.