Cooking Holiday & Course in Italy

Overview
Come and discover the wonders of Southern Italian cooking with local housewives of the far south of Italy . These ladies will take you on a journey through a rich tapestry of recipes which have been handed down to them through countless generations from mother to daughter.

All the cookery classes that Watts Cooking offer are hands-on as they believe that that is the only way to really learn.

The Watts Cooking holidays are restricted to a maximum of 8 guests, so a personal touch is assured and as many special requests as possible are catered for. If you are a group of 4 or more, they can even customise a cookery break to suite your fancy and busy schedules.

Join Watts Cooking for a memorable short break or long weekend. Whilst cooking and unveiling new tastes of food and wine explore some of the hidden treasures that are tucked away in the heart of Salento.

You will experience the taste of wines produced from the indigenous grapes, Negroamaro and Primitivo, which together with well known varieties have given Salento wines the noblest status in Southern Italy . Join them on a trip to the heart of the Salento countryside to see the olive groves, where trees for centuries have witnessed the history of this place and its people. In the gentle warm breeze from the Adriatic taste the wonderful olive oils and even buy some to take home.

From the moment guests arrive until the time they reluctantly leave, Watts Cooking takes care of absolutely everything. Everything is included so people can enjoy the experience of a lifetime!

Come and join them in a secret corner of Italy and learn the authentic southern Italian cooking with the local ladies of Lecce in Puglia .

Pricing
Course	In £'s Sterling
3 days – Saturday-Tuesday – Including transfers from/to Brindisi airport or Lecce train station, all outings/visits/tours , all meals with wine & water, 3 three hour cooking classes.	£700
4 days – Tuesday-Saturday – Including transfers from/to Brindisi airport or Lecce train station, all outings/visits/tours , all meals with wine & water, 4 three hour cooking classes.	£780
5 days – Thursday-Tuesday – Including transfers from/to Brindisi airport or Lecce train station, all outings/visits/tours , all meals with wine & water, 4 three hour cooking classes	£850
5 days – Saturday- Thursday – Including transfers from/to Brindisi airport or Lecce train station, all outings/visits/tours , all meals with wine & water, 5 three hour cooking classes.	£910

Accommodation
The masseria where the Watts Cooking guests stay has a magical quality all of its own. This traditional 18 th century farmhouse is located on the outskirts of Lecce and has recently been beautifully restored to its former glory along with its gardens where pomegranates and figs can be found growing alongside the luring cool waters of the swimming pool. When the weather is right, home-made pasta is made under the vine-covered pergola. Built out of the luminous Lecce stone in the traditional quadrangle shape, the masseria offers bed and breakfast accommodation for a maximum of 12 guests, so peace and tranquillity can easily be found in this little oasis on the outskirts of Lecce . Some of the rooms have fabulous star-vaulted ceilings, all have private bathrooms, air conditioning and local television.

Tutors
The cookery teachers are the housewives of Lecce whose recipes have been handed down through the generations from mother to daughter. You will not find these recipes in a book – they’re merely part of the rich tapestry of Lecce ’s history. In the kitchen, Maria is the boss along with her daughter Paola.  Valentina’s mother, Vanna, also lends a hand along with Maria’s friends who pop in on Sunday mornings to give their opinions on which is the best way to cook!! Watts Cooking all work together, as a family, to ensure their guests learn not only the true Italian way to cook, but the Salento way living the kitchen!

Location
In the far south of Italy, in the heel of the boot, Salento can be found where the beautiful baroque city of Lecce lies. Its history and its tastes have given it a fate quite different from any other Italian city. As yet largely undiscovered by tourists, Lecce offers not only a feast for the eyes but for the palate as well. Come and explore the splendour of the delicately crafted golden Lecce stone of the dozens of palaces, churches and public buildings of the beautiful towns of Salento. Witness the turquoise harbour of the fortified town of Otranto where the fishing boats moor.

How to Get Here
The nearest airport is Brindisi airport, which is just half an hour from Lecce. Alternatively, there is Bari airport which is another hour away. Ryan Air has an excellent service to both these airports from London Stansted.

If London is not convenient for you, there are direct flights to Brindisi from Milan Linate and Milan Malpensa with Volareweb.com, Air One and Alitalia. From Rome there are flights with Alitalia to Brindisi.

Guests from America and beyond usually find that flying into Rome then taking the train to Lecce is the most convenient way to get to here, especially if planning a tour of Rome as well, but ask your travel agent for advice.

There is a good direct train service from Rome Termini Station easily booked on-line, www.trenitalia.com.

Whether arriving by air at Brindisi or Bari airport or by train at Lecce train station, you will be met by Watts Coooking staff.