Puglia Cycling Day Two - Evening Visit to Masseria Garappa

After a gorgeous day of riding around Puglia, we got back to Il Melagrano and changed our clothes to get ready for a 'field trip.' Our guides told us to hop into the shuttle and head to a local 'Masseria' for (yet another) wine tasting and dinner and even some education about the local food and culture. 

Masseria Garappa

Masseria Garappa is a recently restored Masseria just a few minutes away from our hotel. According to a definition I found online, a Masseria is: a fortified farmhouse found on the estates in the Puglia region and typically built in the 16th century. It is a complex of buildings generally running along two sides of a central high-walled courtyard. These buildings include the landowner’s dwelling-house (generally located on the first floor), the farmers’ houses (on the ground floor), the stables, the barns and the tool barns. A large solid wooden gate allowed carriages to get into the central courtyard. (from: https://www.masseriapagani.com/en/what-is-a-masseria/)


We were greeted by the Masseri's owner who told us about the history of the buildings and the renovations. We sampled some of the local wines and several of them were produced by the Masseria's family nearby.


After the wine tasting we headed to a different part of the property for a demonstration of local music and dance. Of course, a few of us decided to join in the fun:



After the music and dancing it was time for a pasta making demonstration followed by an amazing locally sourced dinner.












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