Italian Food Heritage Workshop in Puglia 2027 Shepherds & Food Culture
August 30 – September 4, 2027 (registration open)
Harvesting, shepherding, feasting and the legacy of the ancient Greek Symposium is the foundation of the Messors Food Heritage Workshop.
Messors offers small-group food heritage workshops in Southern Italy focused on traditional food practices, seasonal production, and intergenerational knowledge. The workshop is hands-on and place-based, grounded in agricultural cycles, shared labor, and everyday food culture. Participants work directly with shepherds, farmers, cheesemakers, bakers, olive growers, winemakers, and local families to understand how food is grown, harvested, produced, and prepared — and how these practices are shaped by land, climate, migration, and community life.
For the love of food and the language of landscape.
The workshops take you to the core of the people and their love for their food and land.
The ancient transhumance routes and the Via Appia—Regina Viarum—trace the movement of people, livestock, goods and agricultural knowledge. Matera, Gravina and the Murgia reveal centuries of connections between geography, settlement and food production.
Harvesting, shepherding, feasting, and the legacy of the ancient Greek symposium form the foundation of this programme. The knowledge of shepherds, farmers, cheesemakers, bakers, butchers and generations of home cooks introduces a food culture shaped by agriculture, geography, migration and the social customs of southern Italy.
What we eat has a history, and with it generations of knowledge. Through encounters with local families, producers and a new generation of farmers establishing agricultural collectives, we explore how recipes, skills and agricultural practices are passed down, adapted and reinterpreted in contemporary rural life.
Eating is central to the programme, as are the people and histories behind each dish. Prepare regional dishes at a historic masseria, make a clay-pot stew with an Altamura butcher, and host dinner for local residents in a historic cavato in Gravina. The ancient Greek symposium provides a historical link between food, conversation and hospitality.
The workshop is led by Tonio Creanza, founder and director of Messors, a sixth-generation olive oil and durum wheat producer and cultural heritage conservator. Raised on his family’s agricultural land in Puglia, Tonio draws on his knowledge of regional food production, archaeology, history and the people who continue to define its food culture.
The workshop reflects the values recognized by UNESCO in its 2025 inscription of Italian cooking on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which understands cooking as a communal, intergenerational practice shaped by sustainability, biocultural diversity, and shared meals. Through cooking, walking the land, and eating together, participants engage with food as a living cultural heritage rooted in place, community, and everyday life.
At the Shepherd’s House
Does cheese have a season?
Bring your questions to the shepherd’s house at Fornello rupestrian site, where pasture, flock, milk and cheese come straight from the land. Discover the properties of natural rennet, taste fresh giuncata and make traditional cheeses: pecorino, ricotta, mozzarella, scamorza and burrata. Then head into the fields to find the shepherd, his flock of five hundred sheep, and the loyal dogs, and hear the extraordinary sound of their grazing and breeding. Here is where cheese begins.
Grain, Bread and the Protected Foods of Altamura
What makes a loaf of bread belong to a particular place?
The history of Alta Murgia durum wheat from the campi to the mill and the baker’s oven. Explore traditional mother dough, breadmaking methods, and the distinctive characteristics of Pane di Altamura DOP, Europe’s first protected designation of origin. What does a DOP designation actually protect? Discover how geography, ingredients, and production methods shape regional food identities, and how European certification protects their quality, names, and origins.
Olive Oil: A Matter of Taste
An olive is a fruit. What should its oil taste like?
With Tonio Creanza, learn about regional olive cultivars, cultivation methods and what makes a good extra virgin olive oil. Compare oils through guided tastings, learning to recognize fruitiness, bitterness, pungency and defects. Discover the differences between quality classifications, protected geographical origins and misleading marketing terminology.
At the Masseria: Cooking, Rural Food and Celebration
Spend a day at a historic masseria, Puglia’s most iconic agrarian estates, where the rhythms of rural life have long shaped the region’s food culture. Here, we gather around seasonal ingredients to prepare traditional regional dishes, hand-make durum wheat pasta, and explore the flavours and cooking methods shaped by the agricultural calendar and the land’s resources. The masseria tells a story that extends beyond its stone walls: a history of agrarian practices, craftsmanship, domestic life, and rural community. For generations, these estates have brought together the work of farmers, shepherds, and food makers, sustaining a body of knowledge passed down through everyday practice and shared experience. Through cooking and conversation, we discover how local dishes emerged from what people cultivated, raised, gathered, and preserved—and how necessity, ingenuity, and seasonality shaped a distinctive regional cuisine. Gather around the table and share the food we have prepared in the spirit of conviviality at the heart of Mediterranean life. Food as living heritage rooted in the land, carried through generations, and renewed each time people come together to cook, eat, and share their stories.
Wine, Archaeology and Agricultural History
Visit a regional winery, taste local wines and learn how grape varieties, geography and cultivation influence what ends up in the glass. The Roman agricultural estate at Vagnari introduces the history of food and wine production in the ancient world, while the Via Appia offers a wider perspective on the movement of goods, people and ideas across southern Italy during imperial Roman time. Following the winery visit, the evening is free to explore Gravina, choose a restaurant or make plans of your own.
Matera, the Murgia and the Agricultural Landscape
Explore Matera and the surrounding countryside, where geology, agriculture and human settlement have developed together over centuries. Ravines, rock-cut dwellings, rupestrian churches, agricultural terraces and pastoral routes reveal how generations of inhabitants occupied and cultivated the terrain. The landscape offers a fascinating account of migration, settlement and the development of regional food practices.
Gravina: Food and the Social Life of a Town
Gravina’s historic centre is the workshop’s base, where markets, food producers, public spaces and the evening passeggiata offer another perspective on southern Italian food culture. Depending on the local calendar, evenings may bring concerts, processions, marching bands and public celebrations. There is often as much to observe in the streets after dinner as there is during the day’s excursions.
The venerated cuisine of the Mediterranean has been created and re-created through the course of history by geography, social customs, migration and the mythical universe wrapped around “eating”. The food culture is inclusive of “lifestyle” which upholds traditional methods of farming and fishing and nurtures the practice of family meals, and social festivities.
Landscapes and Sites
The workshop takes place across rural landscapes, farms, pastures, masserie (historic fortified farms/rural estates), rupestrian sites, historic towns, and coastal areas. Participants also explore Matera, UNESCO World Heritage Site, to understand how food culture, geology, architecture, and daily life are interwoven in southern Italy.
What This Workshop Is / What It Is Not
This workshop is:
- Hands-on and participatory, with daily involvement in food preparation and production
- Rooted in seasonal agricultural practices and local knowledge
- Centered on shared labor, meals, and community exchange
- Designed for depth, continuity, and cultural understanding
This workshop is not:
- A recipe-based or technique-driven cooking school
- A food tour or tasting itinerary
- A passive or observational experience
- Designed for large groups or casual tourism
Workshop Dates
Shepherds & Food Culture
- August 30 – September 4, 2027
- Includes arrival and departure dates
Registration
Email: messors.tonio@gmail.com
Please, let us know which workshop you are inquiring about, along with a brief introduction.
Workshops are instructed in English, and lectures are translated when necessary.
Registration for this workshop closes when we reach a maximum of 14 participants.
Due to limited capacity, participation is confirmed upon receipt of registration with a deposit.
Participants’ ages range from the early twenties to the late sixties, as do backgrounds of study and interests.
Applicants not in the general age range are welcome to inquire to discuss details, learn what to expect, and determine the suitability of the workshop’s activities.
Participation costs
Shepherds & Food Culture
- August 30 – September 4, 2027 3210 EUR
- Includes your stay (shared occupancy), transportation to and from the Bari airport, hotel or train station on arrival and departure days, meals and wine.
- Does not include: airfare, personal health and travel insurance, and personal expenses.
What to expect
This is an active and dynamic workshop. We ask participants to be in good health and prepared for walks in both rural countryside and towns, uneven terrain, and southern Italian summer temperatures.
As all participants range widely in age and background, we ask that they be able to participate in activities, appreciate group interaction, and be ready for impromptu experiences that will arise, creating adventure and a learning environment.
The workshop includes
- The fundamentals of southern Italian cuisine: olive oil, wine, durum wheat flour, cheese, and seasonal produce. How it is grown, harvested, produced, and cooked. Cook, eat and enjoy it with the community.
- Olive oil tasting and talk on “The origin and evolution of olive oil extraction; distinguishing a true extra-virgin olive oil and demystifying supermarket labelling definitions. In the olive orchards – talk on cultivars, pruning, tending, harvesting.
- Drink the unique regional wines made from autochthonous grapes preexisting the ancient Greek colonization.
- From Gravina, walk to the summit of the hill rising above town. Hike through the archaeological site of Botomagno (6th- 2nd century B.C.E.) and discuss how ravine caves and trade routes have shaped food culture.
- Cheesemaking at 3rd century B.C. Fornello Cave site, meet with the shepherd and his family to bring in the flock from pasture and be part of his daily life. Learn about the cheeses of Puglia, traditional rennet, and aging. Participants will make pecorino, mozzarella, bocconcini, treccia, burrata, scamorza.
- All day cooking regional traditional dishes at the iconic masseria in the countryside.
- Visit and talk about the evolution of Matera and its Sassi, the unique cave-dwelling settlement that has been inhabited for millennia and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Learn about the mother dough, the grains, the shapes, the history and the energy-efficient cycle of Altamura DOP bread at the traditional wood-oven bakery in town.
- Lecture and walk through the historical town of Altamura: “The urban evolution and rural settlement of Altamura – centro storico from Neolithic to Medieval era: the historical connection of food, social structures, and celebratory customs”.
- White & sparkling wines and swim in the Mediterranean Sea, on the Ionian beach that enticed Pythagoras, or on the Adriatic coast theatre of Venetian trades.
- Local farm- talk on Durum wheat crops, seeding, and harvesting. Learn to make pasta from durum wheat flour in different shapes specific to the region.
- Hit the streets of the old town, prepare traditional dishes at the butcher shop and set a long table dinner with and for locals.
- Excursions to: Matera, Altamura, Ionian Sea, Calanchi region, historical sites of Botromagno, Jesce, Fornello.
*Field trips and projected itinerary are subject to changes depending on weather conditions, museum and third parties operating hours, and unforeseen circumstances.
Who It’s For
Open to adult learners interested in food culture, gastronomic heritage, food anthropology, traditional foodways, and hands-on learning rooted in place. Participants often include food enthusiasts, artists, researchers, heritage professionals, and culturally curious travellers.
No prior cooking or food studies experience is required.
The workshop is particularly well-suited to participants seeking meaningful travel, cultural depth, and direct engagement rather than leisure-based food tourism.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a food heritage workshop?
A food heritage workshop is a hands-on learning experience focused on how food is grown, produced, prepared, and shared within its cultural, historical, and environmental context. It emphasizes process, place, and community knowledge.
Is this a cooking class?
No. While participants cook and prepare meals, the workshop is not a recipe-based cooking course. Cooking is used as a way to explore traditional techniques, seasonal ingredients, and the social role of food.
What makes this different from food tours in Italy?
This workshop is participatory rather than observational. Participants work directly with local producers, engage in food preparation, spend time in working landscapes, and share meals as part of everyday community life, rather than following a fixed sightseeing itinerary.
Do I need prior cooking experience?
No. All activities are guided and adapted for participants with different levels of experience.
Will I be working directly with local producers?
Yes. Participants engage directly with shepherds, farmers, cheesemakers, bakers, olive oil producers, winemakers, and local community members. These interactions form a central part of the learning experience.
What kinds of activities are included?
Activities include cheese-making with natural rennet, cooking traditional meals using seasonal ingredients, D.O.P bread and olive oil tastings, walking and trekking through pastures and agricultural landscapes, shared meals with locals, and outdoor communal cooking and dining.
What foods and ingredients will we work with?
Participants work with foundational elements of southern Italian cuisine, including olive oil, wine, durum wheat flour, cheese, seasonal vegetables, and regional specialties. Cheese-making includes giuncata, pecorino, ricotta, mozzarella, scamorza, and burrata, depending on the season and production cycle.
Is this workshop physically demanding?
Some activities involve walking, trekking through pastures, standing during cooking sessions, and outdoor excursions. While no advanced fitness level is required, participants should be comfortable with gentle, moderate physical activity.
How much of the workshop is hands-on?
Most days emphasize active participation through cooking, food preparation, tastings, walking, and shared meals. Talks, storytelling, and discussions are woven into these activities to provide historical and cultural context.
Where does the workshop take place?
The workshop takes place in rural landscapes, farms, pastures, historic towns, masserie, rupestrian sites, coastal areas, and UNESCO World Heritage locations such as Matera. Locations vary depending on seasonal activities and food production cycles.
Will we be eating together?
Yes. Shared meals are a core component of the workshop. Participants cook, eat, and dine together with locals, reflecting the importance of communal meals, hospitality, and social exchange in Mediterranean food culture.
Is this an academic or professional certification?
This is an immersive cultural and experiential workshop. Participants often attend for personal enrichment, cultural learning, and a deeper understanding of food heritage. Past participants have used the experience through our certificate of participation to support academic applications and professional development. Some of them have used the certificate of participation also for credits.
What language is the workshop conducted in?
The workshop is conducted in English. Local contributors may speak Italian, with translation or contextual explanation provided as needed.