Ylenia Sambati of YLTOUR and I had so much fun with our 2012 group, that we have decided to do it all over again in September 2013! Eight people participated in our previous tour and by the end of the week no one wanted to leave the Masseria – the beautifully renovated Italian farm house that we called home for the week! Puglia and the Salento have so much to offer and we had a wonderful time making new friends while immersing ourselves in the language & the southern Italian lifestyle. We experienced magical moments of dancing, cooking, wine tasting, sight seeing, cheese making & yes, even conjugating verbs! Some how Italian grammar is so much more fun with a glass of wine in your hand or while hand rolling orecchietta pasta! After a week of chatting in Italian with all the folks I met, I certainly came away from Puglia feeling more fluent and confident about my conversation skills!
On the next Cultural and Language Immersion tour in Puglia in September 2013 Ylenia & I will continue to provide more of the same delightful activities that will be interspersed with informal and entertaining Italian language review. As with our previous tour, there will be plenty of opportunities to practice Italian with locals, as we explore a variety of cultural and culinary experiences. It will be a relaxing & enjoyable vacation, open to language learners, as well as those who don’t speak the language, but who want to experience Puglia’s amazing culture and cuisine. 
2013 PUGLIA LANGUAGE/CULTURAL TOUR DATES:
TOUR 1: (Melissa will attend) Sunday, Sept. 22nd – Monday, Sept. 30th 2013*
If you are interested in this tour, but can not make these exact dates, please contact Melissa to make private arrangements for a similar language tour at your traveling convenience.
TOUR PRICE: € 1982 / $2,595.00
Based on double occupancy, Single supplement $300
Deposit: A 60 Day Refundable Deposit of $300 per person is required to confirm enrollment. Or, you may pay the entire tour price when you make your booking. (*After 60 days the deposit will no longer be refundable).
Final Payment: The final payment is due 60 days prior to the start of the tour date
To book your tour please contact Melissa at: melissa@studentessamatta.com and I’ll send you a welcome letter & a booking forms. You will need to sign the forms and send them back to me via fax or email along with the deposit payment via check or via PayPal.
If you have questions about the Masseria or questions about Puglia, please contact Ylenia at: info@yltourcongressi.com
What our 2013 Language & Cultural Immersion Tour in Puglia includes:
• 7 Italian Lessons in addition to numerous opportunities to immerse yourself in Italian language conversations with local friends, family, guides, artists, yoga instructors & wine and olive oil producers
• 2 Day Accommodations at Baroque Palazzo in Lecce
• 7 Day Accommodations at Masseria Provenzani, a beautifully renovated farmhouse, equipped with single and private rooms, large kitchen for cooking lessons, sala di pranzo for dining, library with wifi, scenic pool & gardens
• All meals provided: breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Road trip in classic cars
• 3 Cooking Classes
• 1 Olive oil tasting with local proprietors under the olive trees
• Wine Tasting at a location along the southern coast
• Gelato making & tasting
• Cheese making demonstration
• Site seeing in Puglia: visits to Locorotondo, Alberobello, Gallipoli, Oltranto, Lecce, Martina Franca, Locorotondo, Cisternino, Galatina
• Paper Machè demonstration by local artisans
• Yoga under the olive trees / Cycling in the Salento / Beach time
• FREE TIME to enjoy the beautiful pool at the Masseria
• Folk dancing
• Transport to & from Brindisi Airport to the Masseria Provenzani
Comments from previous participants:
Kathy L.: Just wanted to give a shout out to Melissa and Yle for last year’s trip to Puglia. I had such a fabulous time….learning Italian, cooking, shopping, sight seeing, and drinking wine (of course)! Anyone who is thinking of going this year, just do it! It’s an experience you will NEVER forget!
Katherine B.: I can not Thank You and Yle enough for the wonderful experience I had in Puglia Italy last August. What a great experience, the only thing I had to do was to get there. I was totally taken care of from that point on. The Masseria Provenzani where we stayed was beautiful, peaceful, comfortable and so accommodating. From the cooking classes with Mama Julia and Mama Anna to the meals prepared for us including the great midnight snack that Mama Anna cooked up for us were all so much fun. Every where we went was a new adventure and we were all treated like family. From the winery to the olive trees seeing how they make olive oil to making our own goat cheese and learning the ancient art of paper mache, the Parade of the resident Saint in Lecce to the the round special key pin roofs of Locorotondo. The pastry class with the fine chef Luca Capilungo to the beach day and seafood lunch at the Sea Of Gallipoli. We learned Yoga under the olive trees and learned to make Italian style pizza from the owners of the restaurant. We even had a dance lesson and learned the traditional pizzica that was so much fun. If you get an opportunity to experience the Salente Slow life with Melissa and Yle I highly recommend kicking up your heels and going for it!
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Blogs about the Puglia Language / Cultural Experience:
The Masseria
Olive Oil Tasting
Art of Cartapesta
Cucina Povera : Cooking classes in Puglia
Arrival at the Masseria: August 2012
Mamma Giulia – Our cooking teacher
Itinerario/Itinerary for 2013 Language & Cultural Immersion in Puglia
Day 1 – Sunday, September 22
• Arrival & transfer from Brindisi airport to your a Baroque Palazzo in the center of Lecce, next to the Teatro Romano
• Welcome “aperitivo” with wines of the Salento and prodotti tipici pugiesi!
• Afternoon to relax in Lecce followed by road trip in Classic Cars to nearby Baroque city
• Welcome dinner with your hosts Melissa and Yle to discuss details of your fabulous Puglia week
Day 2 – Monday, September 23
• Colazione/Breakfast at the Palazzo
• #1 Italian Lesson at the “Centro Storico”
• Pranzo / Lunch in a traditional trattoria
• Gelato demonstration & class with tasting
• Evening guided Tour of Lecce: chance to interact & ask questions about the history of Lecce with local professional Italian guide
• Dinner at a traditional Salento restaurant
Day 3 – Tuesday, September 24
• Colazione/Breakfast at the Palazzo and transfer to Masseria Povenzani
• Cooking Class: “Cucina Povera” (learning to make Orecchiette pasta) at Masseria/farmhouse
• Pranzo / Lunch dining on what we have created
• Afternoon Relax by pool
• #2 Italian Lesson at the Olive Oil Mill Visit Azienda Agricolo Taurino to converse with owner and lovely people who work there
• Aperitivo amongst the Olive Tres and private olive oil tasting
• Free time in Lecce or at the Masseria/Farmhouse
• Dinner in a trattoria
Day 4 – Wednesday, September 25
• Colazione/Breakfast
• Photography day! Today we will visit several lovely places in Puglia: Cisternino, Locorotondo, Martina Franca
• Lunch with a local family / chance to practice Italian conversation in a comfortable family setting
• Free time in Alberobello
• #3 Italian Lesson at the Masseria/Farmhouse
• Cooking lesson and dinner at the Masseria/Farmhouse afterwards
Day 5 – Thursday, September 26
• Colazione/Breakfast
• #4 Italian Lesson at the Masseria/Farmhouse
• Visit to Galatine & the “Tarantate” Museum” Italian Folk dancing
• Wine Tasting at winery along the southern coast
• Lunch in Gallipoli with ocean view
• Beach time in Gallipoli or explore historic centre & shopping
• Free time at the Masseria/Farmhouse
• Evening cooking class / local friends will join us for Italian conversation
• Dinner at the Masseria
Day 6 – Friday, September 27
• Colazione/Breakfast
• #5 Italian Lesson at the Masseria/Farmhouse
• Visiting Oltranto and its historic city center
• Swim at the beach in Oltranto
• Lunch in traditional trattoria
• Free time at the Masseria/Farmhouse
• Late Afternoon Lecce: Papier-maché workshop / chance to converse with the artists
• Free time in Lecce
• Dinner with a local family & friends for Italian conversation
Day 7 – Saturday, September 28
• Colazione/Breakfast
• Yoga with local instructor amongst the olive trees
• #6 Italian Lesson at the Masseria/Farmhouse
• Ricotta cheese making demonstration & tasting / chance to converse with the family who produce the cheese
• Spa/Relax by the pool in an exclusive location in Lecce
• Lunch & private wine tasting (with sommelier)
• Free afternoon in Lecce
• Pizza dinner in Lecce
Day 8 – Sunday, September 29
• Colazione/Breakfast
• #7 Italian lesson
• Cycling in the Salento (half day) o free time at the beach
• Lunch in a wine bar in the historic centre of Lecce
• Free afternoon in Lecce or at the Masseria/Farmhouse
• Cooking class & farewell dinner at the Masseria/Farmhouse
Day 9 – Monday, September 30
• Colazione/Breakfast
• Baci & Abbracci Day!
• Private transfers to Brindisi airport for return home
