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Some of the Most Beautiful Christmas Traditions of Salento

Dec 19 2021

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The festive season is magical anywhere, but even more so in Salento. Towns and villages come alive with street markets and exhibitions full of treats, handicrafts, and traditions unique to the region and the season. Full of carefully displayed nativity scenes, beautiful sunny days and mouth-watering candy dishes, Southern Italy really is the place to be during Christmas time. Here are some of the delightful traditions of Salento that add to the lights and cheer and make this the most wonderful time of the year.

Taranto: the longest Christmas in Europe!

In the city of Taranto, Christmas celebrations begin as early as November 22nd, when a marching band performs all night long down the streets! Their songs appear to have originated from tunes played by Abruzzo shepherds, who came to Taranto with their flocks and bagpipes and played in the city's alleyways in exchange for food. They received pettole in return for their music, which is why November 22nd is also known as the frying day. Families make large amounts of pettole, which are fried leavened dough balls boiled in extra virgin olive oil and then rolled in salt or sprinkled with sugar. 

Legend says this tradition stems from the mistake of a housewife who, after kneading dough, was distracted by the band playing tunes out on the street. When she returned home, she tossed the dough, which she could no longer use for bread, into boiling oil. Her kids were overjoyed by the taste of the fried balls, which she called "pettole", inspired by pitta, which means "little focaccia." She and the kids then took the remaining pettole down the street to give to the pipers.

La Fiera dei Pupi: The Puppet Fair of Lecce

Now let’s visit Lecce. It is lovely all year round but especially vibrant during Christmas time. The city centre is decorated in lights and buzzing with cultural artisan markets like the Fiera dei Pupi. 

Fiera dei Pupi, or “the puppet fair”, is an exhibition where you can buy the traditional figurines for the nativity scene. This fair has existed for over seven centuries, and master puppeteers come together to display their incredible skills in wood, clay and paper-mâché work. Each figurine is made with extreme care and attention to serve as the perfect gift or souvenir for you to take home.

Presepe vivente di Tricase

A Living Nativity: the “presepe” of Tricase, Specchia, and Pezze di Greco

The Presepe or “crib” tradition involves Italian families uniting around the crib each evening before Christmas eve to make Mary and Joseph go one step further towards the manger. Baby Jesus is absent during this time, hidden somewhere in the house. He will appear only at midnight on Christmas Eve during another, more festive, family gathering. 

Tricase's living nativity scene is one of Italy's most beautiful nativity scenes, according to the Touring Club. It is also one of Apulia's eight oldest nativity scenes, being over 40 years old.

Specchia was the first of Salento's ancient towns to be listed as one of Italy's most beautiful villages. During the Christmas season, it hosts one of the most stunning nativity scenes that you absolutely must visit when on holiday in Puglia, near Lower Salento. More than 200 figurines are set up to represent everyday life scenarios in Salento. Some share stories like the longest night in history and the birth of Jesus, as depicted in the courtyard of Palazzo Risolo in Piazza del Popolo.

In Pezze di Greco, baby Jesus lives in a rocky village dating back to the end of the 1800s and the 1900s. The mountainous region filled with caves and olive trees provides a historical atmosphere to take tourists back in time to relive the birth of baby Jesus. Pezze di Greco's "living crib" includes scenarios acted out by hundreds of actors sharing the tale of the timeless event. Animals, antique crafts, scents, music, historical relics and instruments combine to make this one of the most exciting and characteristic traditions of Christmas.

Posted by Editor · Categorized: FarmStay, Visit Puglia · Tagged: Homecooking, italian food, Italian holiday, slow food, slowfood

We’re Dreaming of the Delicious Bread of Altamura During Quarantine! Here’s Why it’s Special

Jul 06 2020

Altamura Bread

“Altamura bread, by far the best bread to be had, so good that the wise traveller takes a supply with him for his onward journey.” (Horace’s Satires) 

It seems that everyone is making bread lately and we really aren’t surprised. After all, breadmaking can be incredibly therapeutic and the reward of warm, carb-y goodness after all that kneading and patient waiting is even more enticing. Breadmaking has been around since the Stone Age, so there is something about making bread that taps into our primal desires to nourish and provide sustenance to ourselves and our families (as if you needed another excuse to make bread). 

Whether you’re a bread connoisseur or just a lover of carbs, the bread of Altamura (or pane di Altamura) should be on everyone’s radar. The Roman poet Horace claimed it was the best bread he’s ever eaten and we’re not about to argue with him. After all, this is the only PDO-protected bread among Italy’s 1,000 types, which means that in order for it to truly be a loaf from Altamura it has to be made from local ingredients (look, Italians are serious about the quality of their food!). 

Altamura bread is incredibly versatile, which means that you can break into this crusty loaf and enjoy on its own, with a generous drizzle of olive oil or with fresh herbs, vine-picked tomatoes and fresh pecorino. This bread is the perfection combo of soft, doughy insides encapsulated by a satisfyingly crunchy exterior (that must be at least 3mm thick), which also keeps it perfectly preserved for a few days without drying out. 

If you love bread as much as we do, then a trip to Puglia is the ultimate foodie’s pilgrimage. After all, there is no better place in the world than one that includes heaping plates of hand-rolled pasta, local olive oil, freshly picked vegetables, warm homemade Altamura bread and flowing wine. Ah yes, now that’s la dolce vita!  

While we may not know what travel will look like over the next few months, once things start to take on some semblance of normal and people begin to jet set once again, we’d love to take you on a trek through the rolling wheat fields and olive groves of Puglia, where sun-bleached homes loom over dramatic Adriatic coastlines and the famed alabaster stone hunts of Alberobello beckon like an Italian fairy tale. 

You’ll visit small organic and sustainable farms, enjoy wine tastings among the local vineyards, take a culinary tour of the small towns that make up Puglia and you’ll even learn how to make pasta. Once it’s safe for us to travel again, we do hope you’ll join us for food, frivolity and some much-needed dolce far niente in Puglia. In the meantime, we hope that you are finding some stress relief through baking and breadmaking; we certainly are. 

 

Posted by Editor · Categorized: FarmStay, Visit Puglia · Tagged: Homecooking, italian food, Italian holiday, slow food, slowfood

Experience the Traditions of Slow Food in Puglia

Apr 20 2017

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Especially Puglia – an international CSA for olive oil and artisanal food – invites you on a week-long culinary Slow Food adventure through the Southern Italian region of Puglia. This Fall, join founder Michele Iadarola and an intimate group of guests for a “Farm Stay” vacation that is one part discovery, one part love affair, and three parts delicious Pugliese cuisine. Curated around participating in the annual Autumn olive harvest, this Farm Stay is for those who want experience first-hand what it means to grow and serve Slow Food in the Italian farm-to-table tradition.

Especially Puglia partners with small family-owned farms and olive groves in Puglia, including one that Michele’s family has cultivated for generations. The region of Puglia produces over a third of Italy’s olive oil, and the Pugliese take deep pride in the worldwide reputation of its exceptionally high quality extra virgin olive oil. And after tasting the robust flavors of Puglia’s EVOO, it will become clear why Especially Puglia is bringing the oil to cooks in the States. The passion for sustainable agricultural traditions and regional cuisine at the heart of the Slow Food movement is alive and thriving in Puglia and its harvest.

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Visit Puglia Itinerary

The Farm Stay itinerary unfolds the story of Italy’s rustic culinary and cultural traditions with each turn. Michele is a masterful tour guide in a region he knows like the back of his hand. In addition to harvesting olives and getting to know Especially Puglia’s partner farmers, you’ll rove through idyllic Italian towns, including Pietramontecorvino, Lucera, and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Castel del Monte. You’ll enter kitchens bursting with hospitality and learn how to cook authentic Pugliese recipes, such as orecchiette pasta – and then eat with the chef. You’ll learn the secrets of traditional canning methods from local artisans, taste hyper-local wines, and let regional musicians introduce you to the music that is the heartbeat of Puglia. Each night, you’ll rest your head in one of the historic farmhouses, or masserie, dotting the rolling hills of the Pugliese landscape.

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Guests Experiences

Caroline, one of last year’s Farm Stay guests, shares her reflections on the adventure:

“There are innate, predictable expectations of what an American tourist will experience in Italy.  But in choosing the road too well traveled, we’ve neglected what this country is at its heart and what it truly has to offer. With pinpoint–and at times, almost unfathomable–accuracy, Michele Iadarola and Especially Puglia’s Farm Stay delivers.  This was a tailored experience designed by Michele to reflect a culture built around love of family, friends, country, and food. The historic riches are undeniable, the beauty indescribable, and the experience unforgettable. Leave the tourists behind in Florence, Venice, and Rome.  Instead, choose to immerse yourself in a rare opportunity to experience unending culinary treasures, surrounded by the most genuine of people, in the most beautiful landscape Italy has to offer.” 

Farm Stay Tour Information

Take a peak into our 2016 tours with a video of the olive harvest, a glimpse into a cheesemaking demo, and our galleries above. Read on for details on how to register for this year’s Farm Stays, and learn more on Especially Puglia’s Farm Stay page or by emailing FarmStay@especiallypuglia.com.

Tour duration: 1 week
Dates: October 29 – November 4, November 5-11 and November 12-18
Sign up here by the end of May.

Posted by Editor · Categorized: FarmStay, Visit Puglia · Tagged: Culinary Adventure, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, FarmStay, Food, Italian holiday, Italy, Puglia, Slow, Wine

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