Gay Salento Foodies Tour

Gay Salento and Lecce Food & Wine Tour

From €2290 or USD $2540

Deposit €500 or USD $590

28 September – 4 October 2024

1 – 7 September 2024

Other Dates available on request.

Gay Salento

  • Wonderful experience in Salento, the must see destination in Puglia
  • Learn to cook like the locals
  • Gastronomy meals from the best parts of the region
  • Visit local markets and learn all about the ingredients of Puglia
  • Wine tasting of exclusive vineyards
  • Olive oil degustation
  • Visit key sights including Lecce, Otranto, Gallipoli and Santa Maria di Leuca
  • Make new friends from all over the world
  • Accommodation in a beautiful private villa or a 4* hotel facing the sea
  • Optional Sports and holistic massage services @€65 an hour
  • Be pampered by your Italy Gay Travels hosts, Sergio and Kendall

Salento, Puglia

€2290 or USD $2540 in Double Room shared

At the moment of Booking a Deposit (€500) is required. Final Payment is due no later than 90 days before Departure.

Solo traveler? Please add a Single supplement of ONLY €690 or USD $759 for your own en-suite private bedroom.

4-8 people

Fly in and out of Brindisi airport (BDS).

Price per person (based on shared double room)

€2290 or USD $2540

At the moment of Booking a Deposit (€500) is required. Final Payment is due no later than 90 days before Departure.

Solo traveler? The Single supplement is ONLY €690 or USD $749

Services included

  • 6 nights accommodation with Breakfasts, Dinners and 3 Lunches included
  • Soft Drinks, Local Wine and Beer throughout the week included
  • Dinners are all 2-3 courses with wine (or beer) included.
  • 2 Cooking Classes
  • All transfers required on the tour
  • Wine and olive oil tasting experiences
  • Information Material
  • ‘Italy Gay Travels’ provides a Tour Manager for the duration of the trip, who will coordinate all activities and accommodation.
  • All costs/entry fees for the activities listed in the itinerary are included.
  • All transport during the tour is included. Transportation is in our car/van/minibus.
  • 24 hour phone assistance

Services not included

  • 3.5% Credit Card Commission Fee
  • Flights
  • Insurance and everything not listed as Included
  • A tip from €100 for the Tour Leader and his staff is strongly recommended

Duration

  • 7 days / 6 nights (6 days of activities)
  • Learn to cook like a local with a hands-on cooking lessons from a Pugliese chef.
  • Learn to make fresh pasta.
  • Buy local produce in the local Markets, a good opportunity to practice your language!
  • Prepare a tasty meal with your local host – a key part of Puglia cuisine.
  • Dine in local restaurants and experience Puglia like a local
  • Winery and vineyard visit to explore the local wines of the region.
  • Explore the top cities in the area, Lecce, Gallipoli, Nardo’, Otranto and Santa Maria di Leuca.
  • Olive Oil from centuries old trees with a degustation of several types of olive oil.
  • Wine tasting of the region’s local wines including wines made from indigenous.
  • Local Cheeses such as burrata, mozzarella and cacioricotta.
  • Pastries and desserts including the famous pasticciotto.
  • Focaccia & taralli.
  • Fresh Seafood.
  • Local fresh produce including fave (beans), rape (stems and leaves of Broccoli) and courgette flowers.
  • Italian Liqueurs such as Amaro and Limoncello.
  • An array of meals showcasing the best of Puglian cuisine.
This tour is open to all levels of cooking skills.
En suite rooms in a private Villa or 4* star hotel. All Breakfasts and Dinners included. 3 Lunches included.
Upon arrival you will be greeted and briefed to the activities of the week ahead. You will be provided with an assistance number you can call us at any time during your stay.

Join Italy Gay Travels for the Gay Salento Food and Wine Vacation

Welcome to Salento, the Southeastern-most tip of Puglia, the heel of the boot of Italy. Have you ever heard of this area? If not, please have a read about the wonders of this area at the link here.

Our Gay Salento Food and Wine Vacation is your opportunity to explore the world-famous food in this amazing location, connecting Ionian and Adriatic seas. Our vacation focuses not only on the must-see sights of the area but also on a sophisticated exploration of the best food and wines of Southern Italy.

The cuisine of Salento region is rich in fresh vegetables, fish, seafood and herbs: a Mediterranean diet with a creative twist, and always using the most seasonal ingredients. It is no surprise that the region is developing a reputation as a foodies destination. Our Gay Salento Food and Wine Vacation will teach you how to cook like a local, thanks to the support of the best local chefs. They will be more than happy to share with you the tricks of the trade from recipes handed down over centuries. You will have a taste of the best wines of the area (do Primitivo and Negroamaro ring a bell?).

Discover the best olive oils and learn how to distinguish and develop your palette.  Puglia is one of the biggest producers in the world. You will also eat like kings on this tour as the gastronomy included will ensure you indulge. We will make sure to show you the key sights of Puglia and Salento: Lecce, Otranto, Gallipoli, Nardo’, Santa Maria di Leuca are only a few of the places we will visit! It sounds like a lot but there will be plenty opportunity to relax, unwind and shop.

We will also have an amazing day on a boat excursion looking at Puglia from another angle! This is the vacation you were looking for!

1

Day 1

Welcome to Salento!

We will greet you at the private villa we have reserved exclusively for our group, or at the amazing 4* star hotel walking distance to the beach we have selected for our small group vacation. This is where the Gay Salento Food and Wine Vacation adventure begins! Make yourself comfortable in your room and make sure to arrive hungry because a  delicious welcome aperitif dinner prepared by your hosts is the apt start to our tour.

  • Meals: Dinner (aperitif dinner with wine included)
2

Day 2

Cooking class Salento style and Pizza Night

After a fresh breakfast we have our first hands-on experience: a cooking lesson from a local chef. The lesson will focus on cooking typical Salento dishes and exploring the variety of local ingredients used. Cooking in Salento, and Puglia as a whole, is very seasonal and therefore recipes differ from one month to the next. Time to learn which vegetables grow in which month! We also have a ‘waste not’ attitude so don’t be surprised to see parts of vegetables used that are generally thrown away. Recipes have been handed down from generation to generation so they truly represent the Mediterranean diet. The session is hands on and time is taken to ensure that everyone is happy and confident by the end of the experience. Naturally we eat what we’ve made 😊.

After digesting our meal we relax by the pool in the afternoon. Get your speedos out and have a swim. In the evening we head to one of the beautiful towns in the surroundings. A culinary tour in Italy would not be complete without Pizza: so in the evening we make our way to one of the best Pizzerias around. A couple of digestives or a gelato finish off the evening in proper Italian Style.

  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Pizza Dinner
3

Day 3

Boat trip around Castro and Otranto.

Have a hearty breakfast on us, then get ready for a full day outdoor! Today our group is headed to one of the most beautiful towns along the Puglia coastline, Castro. This area is also frequented by celebrities for its awe inspiring untouched landscapes and natural beauty. We make our way to the port of the town and board a private boat to discover the magical surroundings of the area and its amazing sea caves.

The boat ride will last a couple of hours: fancy a dip in the crystalline water of the Adriatic Sea?

Back on land, after a light lunch, we finally head to one of the most picturesque towns of Salento: Otranto, the Easternmost part of Italy. The place is postcard famous for its East meets West architecture and white sandy beaches.

In the afternoon we make our way back to the accommodation. You will enjoy some free time before returning to the dinner table: your hosts will prepare a superb dinner, inspired by the best local recipes.

  • Meals: Breakfast, Light Lunch, Dinner 
4

Day 4

Market stalls and Cooking with Salento locals

After breakfast our Gay Salento Vacation group will visit one of the local farmers’ markets where we will discover how the locals go about their daily lives. Along with your hosts you will experience the markets in a truly authentic way. Once bought all the ingredients needed we make our way to the kitchen: you again get to learn the tricks of this amazing cuisine with a hands-on class with your Hosts. The typical homemade pasta of the area is called ‘Orecchiette’ which gets its name based on the shape that resembles ears. Give it a go and before you know it you will be a master!

Then, later in the afternoon, we will visit one of the local towns in the surroundings and enjoy dinner Puglia style

  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (wine included)
5

Day 5

Wine Tour in Nardo’ and Lecce – in the heart of Salento

Today we head to one of the best known wineries of the area, where we taste wines that are unique to the area of Salento. Among the traditional varieties that are grown in the area include Primitivo and Negroamaro.

Afterwards we head to the seaside. Just 10km away from Nardo’ are the typical villages of Santa Caterina and Santa Maria al Bagno, adjacent to the stunning Porto Selvaggio (Wild Port) Natural Reserve. We enjoy a light lunch by the sea, while spending some quality time by the beach.

Later in the afternoon we head to Lecce, the baroque capital city of Salento. After a guided walk in the centre of the so-called Florence of the south, everybody is left free to enjoy the city as they wish: a couple of hours for shopping, a spritz, a gelato. Feel free to do as you please, but make sure to join the group again for the evening meal: we will enjoy dinner in the historic center at a restaurant that showcases the local produce, including typical dishes such as ‘ciceri e tria’ (chickpea dish) and ‘fave e cicoria’ (cicory and fava beans).

We will finish the evening with a few drinks in some of the best gay friendly bars of Lecce.

  • Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
6

Day 6

Olive Oil Experience, Gallipoli and Farewell Party with Salento Locals!

After a hearty breakfast, our very own Gay Salento Tour will head to a typical ‘Frantoio’ (farm producing organic extra virgin olive oil). That’s where we will learn not only the history of the ancient olive groves planted by the Romans but also their uses from then until now. Marvel at the ancient trees that dominate this landscape. This is followed by a degustation of olive oils.

We will also explore Gallipoli, a port Town famous for fishing boats and fresh seafood. Meander through the little alleyways and see the locals going about their trades. This town will steal your heart!

The afternoon is spent back at your accommodation so that you can relax and unwind and prepare for the Barbecue night. We will invite a few locals to join us for an unforgettable final evening around the grounds of the villa or the hotel. Still up for a party? Then we can make our way back to Gallipoli, the gay capital of Southern Italy where we can enjoy a drink or two at the local gay bar or dance the night away in its gay club.

  • Meals: Breakfast and Barbecue Dinner.
7

Day 7

Goodbye and see you next time!

The Gay Salento Luxury Food and Wine Tour is over 🙁 It’s time to say goodbye. No tears please: it’s only goodbye until the next time!

One week with us is not enough? Then you should consider to join us for our back to back Verdi Tour: discover the best Opera Music between Italy and Austria with us!

  • Meals: Breakfast