What to expect

Expect full and half days of hands-on activities at our rural sites or studio restoration, field walks, and historical site visits. We make a practice of balancing hours spent learning through hands-on activities in combination with lectures and outings to historical sites, museums or towns.

We are an organization known for being open to opportunities that may arise on any given day of the workshop – may it be an impromptu invitation from the shepherd to see the birth of a goat or to join him and his family for lunch, a sudden thundershower that calls for a detour to see the illuminated frescoes, a spectacular view at sunset, a procession, or a performance in town. We offer structure and study and also are able to recognize invaluable education found in the local culinary and cultural heritage of local events and ceremonies.

Dinners out in Italy happen later than you may be accustomed to in your home country. We do our best to make reservations or arrange a table when service is open, which starts around 8.30 or 9 pm.

Expect evenings of vibrant buzzing energy in town, and locals seek the outdoors after 10 pm for the cooler temperatures and for the social evening “passeggiata“ – gatherings of the very youngest and very oldest residents coming together until the late hours of the night-

Expect summer temperature.

Participants

Participants’ backgrounds, origins, and ages vary. This diversity adds to the learning experience and generates interesting conversations and questions about conservation, preservation, sustainability culture, food practices and ceremonies in their home countries.

Some participants are students of art & cultural heritage conservation, anthropology, museum curating, culinary studies, archeology, history, and food culture, and others are history, art and food enthusiasts wanting to explore their curiosity in the immersive, hands-on experiences we offer in the rich cultural context of southern Italy.

Participants arrive from all corners of the globe, including Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, China, the United States, the Philippines, Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Mexico, etc.

Participants’ ages range greatly from early 20s to late 60s. You need to be 18 to apply. Applicants not in the suggested general age range are welcome to inquire to discuss details and what to expect.

We ask that all participants arrive in good health and, in consideration of fellow travellers, be able to join activities in our workshop involving countryside walks in fields, uneven terrain, summer temperatures, hills and some late evenings and early mornings.

Workshops are taught in English, and lectures are translated when necessary- a visit of the Italian Department of Antiquities, for example, will be translated into English.

Travel to our workshop

Workshop participants are reminded that the passport must be valid for 6 months past its expiry date to be permitted to travel to Europe. Depending on your nationality, travel requirements will vary from your own country of origin and travel to Italy. Please check with your travel agent or government agency.

Pack your bags

Your point of arrival is Bari, Italy  – Karol Wojtyla International Airport (BRI) or Bari Centrale Train Station.

.

Bari is very well connected with the major international airport in Italy (Rome, Milan, etc,) as it is with other major international airports in Europe (London, Amsterdam, Paris, Munich, Frankfurt, Zurich).

By train, you can easily reach Bari via Venice, Bologna, Milan, Rome, and Naples.

As we are not a travel agency nor a tour company, please check with a travel agent or online services regarding planning your itinerary or research your own flights from your origin to Bari airport (BRI) or Bari Centrale train station.

We are located an hour and a half inland. Transfers from Bari to your workshop on the arrival and departure dates are included in your workshop fee.

We will send a suggested packing list and any materials you may need specifically for the workshops closer to the workshop start date, along with your specific pick-up time in Bari.