Puglia is one of the main producers of olives in Italy. Puglia produces 39% of the olives in Italy, 20% of the olives in Europe, and
12.5% for the world. Olive trees grow as far as the eye can see and are
dotted with privately owned olive mills and farm houses. The olive trees
on the southern end of
Puglia are astonishing. The trunks of the trees are
several feet in thickness with soaring and twisting branches.
Puglia
produces one-third of Italy's olive oil, and therefor olive
oil is the chief ingredient of almost every
Puglian dish. Olive oil is
used to marinate meats, poultry and fish, as a preserver for vegetables and as
an ingredient in sauces, pasta dishes, salads, and baking. The locals eat
plenty of olives, be it yellow, green and/or black, usually cured in salt water
as an antipasto or along with wine and cheese for a nightly snack.
In the town of
Bitetto ( where the
Bed and Breakfast is located) there are five types of olives grown:
Coratina, Cima di Bitonto, Termite di Bitetto, Pasola, and Cerasella.
On your trip, you will taste and experience olive oils made with various mixes
of olives. You will tour, learn, and participate in the process of
growing, pruning and picking (in the olive groves during the months of
October-January), pressing and transforming fruit to juice, separation from
water and obtaining the final product of Olive Oil in the Olive Mill.
Puglia
is also one of the main producers of grapes in Italy. There are four main grapes used in
Puglian wine:
Aleatico, Negroamaro, uva di Troia, and Primitivo. You will
taste the different wines produced by the individual towns you visit and walk
through vineyards and wine cellars. You will meet with wine experts and
producers to learn and see how grapes are grown, harvested, squeezed and
fermented into wine.
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