Nardò for foodies
Description
A full day for foodies to enjoy the excellence of the typical products of the Ionian Coast of Puglia. In the morning we will visit a small family run masseria (typical farmhouse) near the seaside to see the cheese making process and tasting of the goat and cow’s milk dairy products and aged cheeses (ricotta, giuncata, pampanella, cacioricotta, pecorino, mozzarella, caciocavallo, etc.).
The second half of the morning will be dedicated to the Natural Park of Porto Selvaggio and Palude del Capitano with its cliffs, the unpolluted nature, the turquoise sea, the pinewood overlooking the seaside, the prehistoric cave of Uluzzo, the coastal watching towers built during the Aragonese domination against the attacks of the Turkish pirats, the liberty style villas on the surroundings.
For lunch it’s possible to choose among a fish menu in an informal restaurant overlooking the bay of Sant’Isidoro, a typical restaurant in the historic city center of Nardò, an ancient masseria with a touch of modern design. In the afternoon we will visit the baroque city center of Nardò (with the Cathedral, San Domenico church and Piazza Salandra, one of the most beautiful Baroque square in italy).
A masseria (it’s the same mentioned as option for lunch) in the countryside of Nardò will guest us in one of the few oil bar of Italy where we will have an extra-virgin olive oil tasting.
Last but not least the visit of a winery (located in the hearth of the Nardò DOC wine area, built in the early 19th century and recently renovated) and a wine tasting of its white, rosè and red wines made with Negroamaro, Primitivo, Fiano, Chardonnay and Black Malvasia grapes.
Some idea for changes to the itinerary
It’s also possible to reduce the tour to an half day one or to modify it with a meal (meat, veg or fish menu even with some seafood charcuterie), a visit to Galatina (called the southern Assisi for the wonderful frescoes of the Basilica of Santa Caterina d’Alessandria), the lively and baroque Gallipoli (with an ancient undergound olive oil mill), Porto Cesareo and its sandy beaches and picturesque fish shops, the ghost village of Monteruga, the Monks’ Salt Marsh with pink flamingos, the Museum of Memory and Welcome of Santa Maria del Bagno with the memories of this post World War II displaced person camp which guests 150,000 Jews from 1943 to 1947.