let's go to italy!
join me in puglia | march 23-29, 2025
I’m loath to admit that it’s been…six years since my last trip to Italy. It was before I traded my corporate career for culinary school, before I cranked out thousands of pieces of pasta for restaurants, before Pasta Social Club. I like to blame it on the pandemic, but in reality life lately has been not only busy (we’re all busy, I know) but also unsettled, having moved to three cities in four years and, you know, that not-so-little thing called writing a cookbook. But now I’m starting to see the light at the end of that winding, wayward tunnel, and on the other side there are things I’ve been craving for a very long time: Routine. Work/life balance (does it exist?). Vacations.
Since lockdown restrictions lifted, I’ve been dreaming about what it would be like to step back onto Italian soil. I was lucky enough to visit the country several times during my 20s, when I was studying art history. Then, I spent my time gaping at the walls of the Uffizi and the ceilings of the Vatican. But now? Now I’ll be far more mesmerized by gleaming bronze pasta dies than any gilded gallery. And so, when I received an email from about partnering on a pasta-focused trip to Italy, I knew that those dreams, long pushed to the backburner, were, at last, going to become a reality.
When it comes to hosting Italian food tours, Elizabeth is, well, the best. I’ve been following her work for years, because she’s not only a premier planner, but she’s also a food writer and the author of nine—nine!—books about Italian food and culture (not to mention a fellow Substacker!). Elizabeth hosts tours throughout Italy, but we immediately agreed that one in particular best suited this pasta-centric collaboration: Puglia.
My love for Puglia is no secret. I’ve talked about it plenty of times in this newsletter, and you might remember that it’s also the home of my favorite pasta shape, orecchiette. I’ve also never actually been to Puglia. It’s a southern region that boasts incredibly rich pasta traditions, but it’s also somewhat under-the-radar, perpetually in the shadow of other areas like Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. And although I look forward to making tortellini in Bologna and pici in Florence, there’s no place I’d rather go for my Italian reunion than the markets of Lecce, olive groves of Valle d’Itria, and ancient streets of Bari.
The best part about this trip? Experiencing it with you, the community of people who love pasta as much as I do. I’m including the highlights of the itinerary Elizabeth has so expertly designed below (you can find the full brochure in the downloadable PDF), and I would love, love, love for you join me next year for these six glorious days in Puglia. We’ll explore, we’ll cook, we’ll relax, and, of course, we’ll eat.
If you’d like to learn more and reserve your spot, email minchillitours@gmail.com.
I can’t wait to meet you in Puglia!
—Meryl
The Culture of Food in Puglia
with Meryl Feinstein of Pasta Social Club (that’s me!)
When: March 23-29, 2025
Where: Lecce and Monopoli, Italy
Who: Limited to 12 guests
How: For more information, including pricing and the full itinerary, click the button below to download the brochure.
Sunday | March 23
Welcome Drinks & Dinner: Our week begins in one of Puglia’s most beautiful cities: Lecce, also known as the “Florence of the south.” Enjoy drinks on the hotel terrace and dinner in the historic town center, with a focus on local wines.
Monday | March 24
Market & Cooking: Walk the markets of Lecce with our friend Gianna, who owns one of the oldest cooking schools in the city, followed by a pasta-making lesson (orecchiette, cavatelli, capunti) and lunch at her palazzo.
Lecce & Aperitivo: An afternoon walking tour of Lecce, followed by aperitivo at a nearby bar.
Tuesday | March 25
Pastificio: Learn about how dried pasta is made with a visit to Benedetto Cavalieri, one of the best makers of dried pasta in Italy. Benedetto Cavalieri is usually closed to the public; Elizabeth pulled serious strings to get us in the door!
Gallipoli: Explore the beautiful port town of Gallipoli, followed by a big, seafood-focused lunch.
Wednesday | March 26
Olive Oil: Visit an olive oil press that produces some of the best oil in the region and learn about what goes into making a great olive oil, formal tasting included.
Martina Franca: Explore the gorgeous baroque town of Martina Franca and enjoy lunch at a fornello, a small butcher shop typical of the area where you pick your meat to be cooked in traditional wood-burning grills.
Thursday | March 27
Bari: A day trip to Bari, the capital of Puglia and the region’s largest city. Visit the fish market in the old port of Bari and taste some of the seafood fresh off the boats. Then see the famous “orecchiette ladies” in action—their unique technique for making this pasta is so fast, it’s almost impossible to catch!
Lunch: Enjoy one of Bari’s most famous pasta dishes, Spaghetti all’Assassina (the assassin’s spaghetti).
Friday | March 28
Orto Ristorante: Visit an Apulian masseria, an agricultural estate dedicated to preserving ancient farming techniques, with a focus on sustainability. After a tour of the grounds, settle in the kitchen for a pasta-making class and learn how to use gran’arso, the burnt black flour of Puglia, to make cavatelli, as well as a shape called sagne ‘ncannulate.
Alberobello: Tour the famously whimsical village of Alberobello and its mysterious, cone-topped stone structures called trulli.
Farewell Dinner: Our week concludes with a final dinner together at a favorite local seafood restaurant.
How amazing does this trip sound?! Puglia is just incredible, such a lovely part of Italy. And though we don't know Elizabeth, we did a fantastic food tour in Rome with her incredibly knowledgeable and lovely daughter Sophie.
So excited to work with you on this pasta-filled adventure in one of my favorite places in Italy!!