7 Day Italian Cooking, Tour and Yoga Holiday in Puglia, Italy
Italian Cooking Class and Yoga Retreat in Italy
This listing has the most popular offer available in Italy
This Italian cooking class and yoga retreat is immersed in nature a few kilometers from the sea in the south of Italy, in the heart of Apulia. During your cooking holiday in Italy, you will become competent in many other dishes made with vegetables and Mediterranean spices. This Italian cooking class in South Italy in Apulia is done with expert village women who will reveal the secrets of delicious Mediterranean cuisine!
Meet the instructors
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Highlights
- Italian cooking classes
- Daily morning Hatha yoga lessons
- Daily breakfast, lunch (from cooking class), and dinner
- Learn how to make fresh pasta like Cavatelli and Orecchiette
- Culinary tour, cultural, and nature tour
- 6 nights of accommodation
Skill level
- Beginner
- Intermediate
Accommodation
You will be staying at Montecarretto Country House during the retreat. A double room or a single room with private bathroom is available. There are three suites: one is in the Trulli main building, one is in the old barn, and the other is in an old ruin, all renovated, preserving the original state.
Each room has the name of the plant grown near or inside it (like the fig tree in the old ruin). All rooms are very comfortable, providing tranquility and repose in a refined and welcoming environment. All have private bathrooms, kitchenette, and terrace.
The accommodation is also equipped with an outdoor sauna (Finnish and infrared).
Program
At the Italian cooking class, Vedaguru Centre will make together a wide range of Mediterranean appetizers and typical Apulian dishes. In this Italian cookery course, you will prepare different types of fresh pasta like Cavatelli and Orecchiette in an authentic way with typical sauces. You will acquire knowledge of how to make focaccia bases with different stone ground flour.
All participants of the Italian cooking classes will receive a cookbook including recipes of all the dishes made during their stay.
Vedaguru Centre has chosen dishes that can easily be made at home, using ingredients that you can find in the market wherever you live.
Before each day, you will have daily morning Hatha yoga lessons before breakfast from Sunday to Friday.
Program example:
Day 1: Arrival day
Day 2
- Free time to relax and have lunch (when arrival is on Saturday)
- 17:00 Visit the historical center of Conversano
- Taste the famous “spumone”
Day 3
- Tiella Barese (rice, potatoes, and mussels) baked mussels, mackerel in Mediterranean style (with olives, capers, and tomatoes), homemade liquors (preparation of Limoncello)
- Taste the famous biological ice-cream
Day 4
- Morning: starters, fresh pasta like Orecchiette and Cavatelli
- Focaccia Barese and salad
- Taste the famous “pasticciotto”
Day 5
- Morning: Pastatelle (typically sweet) Parmigiana
- Apulian salty biscuits (Taralli)
- Afternoon: Extra tour: visit Monopoli or Castellana Caves or winery
Day 6
- Morning: vegetarian risotto, octopus with potatoes, Intorchiate (almonds sweet)
- Free afternoon - relax
Day 7
- Breakfast and departure
Program is flexible according to group, dates, and weather.
Timetable
- 08.00 Hatha yoga
- 09:15 - 10:00 Breakfast
- 10:00 Cooking class
- 13:00 Lunch
- 15:00 - 16:00 Afternoon tour
- 19:30 Dinner
Included excursions
- Trip to Conversano
- Transfer to visit Polignano a Mare (sea) and free time for extra activities (boat tour, SUP, etc)
- Transfer to nearest train or bus to visit Alberobello
Instructors
Carola Altea
After a trip to India in 2008, attracted by Ayurvedic medicine, by the powers of nature, and her passion for anthropology, Carola has known indigenous and ancient cultures present in Kerala. She has worked for years in Greece, learning the culture and the mysteries of the Cyclades. She has lived in Italy, in the Alps, where she rediscovered the ancient traditions and cults. She has studied Ayurveda, pranic healing, yoga, and meditation in India.
Lucrezia D' Alessandro
Lucrezia is a local chef, whose passion for food and cooking has been her devotion for a number of years. Working with only the freshest and most authentic ingredients gives a delightful originality, as well as a superior flavor, to everything she makes or bakes. She will be teaching you some of the secrets of the famous Italian cuisine.
Location
The retreat will take place in Puglia, Italy.
Distances
- Conversano, 7 kilometers
- The Caves of Castellana, 8 kilometers
- Polignano a Mare, 17 kilometers
- Alberobello, 22 kilometers
- Monopoli town 22 kilometres
- Monopoli Capitolo beaches, 28 kilometers
- Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport (BRI) - 50 minutes
- Brindisi Airport (BDS) - 110 minutes
Features
Activities
- Sauna
Food
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Drinks
The following drinks are included:
- Water
- Tea
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Vegetarian
- Lacto-ovo Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten Free
- Organic
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
- Lactose Free
Things to do (optional)
Vedaguru Centre can organize a taxi transfer to the nearest villages, or it is also possible to take a bus from Conversano. They suggest renting a car at Bari airport for those who want to explore more of the area.
What's included
- 6 nights of accommodation
- 4 Italian cooking classes
- 5 yoga classes
- A culinary tour, plus a cultural and nature tour (3)
- Daily breakfast, lunch (days of cooking classes) and dinner
- Daily Hatha yoga lessons (5 days)
- Tourist tax
What's not included
- Airport transfer (can be arranged)
- Airfare
How to get there
Recommended Airports
Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport
38 km
Transfer not provided
Arrival by airplane
Please book your flight to arrive at Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport (BRI). A transfer can be arranged by Vedaguru Centre. For more information, kindly send them an inquiry. From Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport (BRI), you can book a taxi. One way to Masseria Montepaolo will cost 70 EUR.
From Bari airport it's possible to take the metro to Bari central train station (15 minutes, 5 EUR) and from there train to Conversano (40 minutes, 2,10 EUR).
Vedaguru Centre can organize taxi transfers from Bari or Brindisi Airport.
Arrival by boat
If you want to reach Puglia by boat, the coast towns from Vieste to Taranto offer mooring facilities and hospitality to seafarers. The ports of Bari and Brindisi, popular stopovers for cruise ships, provide services for both watercraft and crews.
Arrival by bus
You can take the Brindisi shuttle bus to the train station and from there to Polignano a mare. Vedaguru Centre can organize transfer from Polignano a mare.
For those who would like to rent a car, Vedaguru Centre recommends renting a car directly at the airport of Bari.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.
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