Barbara Khan

In October 2025 I was one of the select few invited to attend a travel event,  work/study experience in Puglia. It's open to a select few travel advisors annually and it offers a deep dive into the region. We started our exploration of the region by flying into Brindisi, one of the two airports in the region (the other being Bari).

The first 5 nights we stayed at a tenuta which is an accommodation somewhat specific to the region. It is a working farm that has accommodation for overnight stays. This was a 4 star experience and the surrounding farm was for organic figs. Each day we visited a different town led by a local tour operator, so we could see all variety of unique experiences available to travelers.

Sternatia is a Greco-Italian village that is a Blue Zone, where the villagers are all very long living due to their healthy lifestyle. We got to visit an old olive oil press and meet many of the nonis and nonnas there. We enjoyed a scenic seaside lunch at Otranto.Later that afternoon/evening we toured the Baroque city of Lecce (the Florence of the South) and were entertained with a special light show at the Church of the Santa Croce and also got special access to the balcony of the church which overlooks the piazza.

The next day the morning was spent exploring the Acaya Castle, watching artist Renzo Buttazzo in his sculpture studio, enjoyed lunch at a private castle that can be rented out for overnight stays, and later were treated to dinner at Masseria La Stanzie (one of the oldest rural buildings in the region). A masseria is a large agricultural estate in southern Italy. 

The third day we took an e-bike excursion from the village of Ceglie Messapica. We biked through the surrounding vineyards to a beautiful lunch setting at a private villa. Later we enjoyed an apperitivo and gin tasting at a boutique hotel in Ostuni. 

Day four we toured a wellness retreat on an organic aloe vera estate. We enjoyed lunch in their walled terrace and dinner was at another masseria which had a wonderful 3 piece jazz band and we enjoyed drinks and a disco in and around the old grain silo. Once in a lifetime experience!  

Days 5-7 we had 1:1 meeting with suppliers in the region. One day we had the meeting in the midst of the vineyards and another day it was a gorgeous seaside venue. No boring windowless meeting rooms! 

The second half of the work/study trip involved us touring Matera in the neighboring region of Basilicata. We got to enjoy a ride in vintage Italian cars and had a picnic lunch at the home of the owner of the vintage Italian cars near Monopoli. We stayed two nights in Maratea, Basilicata (1000 times better than the Amalfi Coast!) visiting the Christ the Redeemer church & statue followed by a downhill hike to the town. The last night we stayed in Taranto a beach town not far from the airport of Bari.