Top Lecce Food & Drink

Lecce is best known for its sumptuous baroque architecture, but the city has an equally rich cuisine worth exploring. Discover both its cultural treasures and gastronomic delights with this tour that combines a guided walk past the Basilica of Santa Croce, the cathedral, and other highlights of the historic center with stops to sample traditional specialties like savory “rustico” and “frisella” pastries, and the sweet custard-filled “pasticciotto”.

Get an authentic taste of local culture during this 3-hour cooking class in a private Lecce estate. Join the estate’s owners, both professional sommeliers, to create a meal of Pugliese specialties, and then enjoy your meal with a selection of fine wine.

- Learn how to make orecchiette "pasta fresca" in the heart of Lecce old town with the locals and in a wonderful location over an incredible Baroque view - Enjoy a guided wine experience with local experts and learn the ins and outs of Puglia wine production - make pasta and taste wine with the locals in a wonderful location with a gorgeous view

You'll have the opportunity to get to know a local tour guide and to walk in his company listening to the history and characteristics of Lecce.

Immerse yourself in the history and culture of Lecce on a leisurely bike tour. Pedal through the flat, bike-friendly streets and piazzas with a local guide and visit highlights like the Basilica of Santa Croce, Piazza del Duomo, and the ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheater. Enjoy the fresh air and flexibility of a 2-wheeled tour, and stop often to snap photos, browse local boutiques, and sample regional food and wine.

I worked for 15 years as a biochemical researcher of wine. Now I have transformed my dream and my passion into an activity dedicated to the world of wine, offering my clients an exclusive experience in the authentic culture of Salento wine. Thanks to my experience of online wine sales matured with my website I know perfectly all the cellars and wines of Salento. And now I want to use all my knowledge to give you the best and most complete wine experience you can find in Salento. Make yourself comfortable because the tour is about to start.

I am considered by many an expert in wines and atoria and traditions of Salento. My main activity is to sell Salento wines all over the world. Now I am ready to offer you the opportunity to taste the best local wine labels and traditional dishes with me to discover together all the secrets of Salento wine and food.

Enjoy a quiet experience away from Lecce's tourist crowds. In a cozy wine bar with an inspiring deco, learn about Puglia wines and wine culture as you sip several different types of wine while enjoying delicious local food. Learn all about the local wine culture from your wine expert.

Get to know the sunny, seaside region of Salento through its most famous product: wine. Departing from Lecce, you'll be introduced to native grape varieties and learn how wines have flourished in the arid climate. Visiting two wineries with an expert sommelier, you’ll cover the ins and outs of local wine-making, with a chance to savor some of the keysest wine selections — paired with savory regional treats.

Tasting is a unique and overwhelming moment, just like our wine, to be tasted slowly to savor nuances, smells, characteristics and properties. We love to accompany our visitors and let them enjoy a 360° enogastronomic experience: the taste of our wine goes perfectly with products and typical specialties of Salento, because it is the son of the Salento land and its most genuine fruits.

This is the only experience of Salento cuisine that offers you a taste of the real typical products of our region. I will be happy to explain to you the whole history and the food and wine culture of Salento while we will prepare lunch or dinner tasting together the best wines of Salento.

Explore Puglia's gems—including Lecce and Gallipoli—on this full-day tour with wine tastings. See ancient architecture in Lecce and visit Gallipoli's Old Town, built on an island now connected to the mainland by a bridge. Taste wines such as Primitivo, Negromaro, Sussumaniello, Aglianico and Bombino Bianco at several vineyard stops.

Unlock the secrets of Puglian cuisine during a cooking class in Lecce. Set in the historic center and offered at two times, it’s easy to fit this culinary experience into your schedule. With expert guidance from your host, prepare classic macaroni pasta, along with orecchiette and maltagliati noodles. After the hands-on lesson, sit down for a typical meal of regional dishes and your expertly prepared pasta.

Take a break from the beaches and discover Salento’s food and wine, instead. With a private guide, you’ll visit two award-winning Salento wine estates where varietals using the primitivo and malvasia grapes, among others, are produced. As you sip, you’ll learn about viticulture in the region, and enjoy a light lunch either at the winery or nearby. Choose to add on a third winery or a swim stop at Porto Cesareo on your way back to Lecce.

You can't visit Italy without trying at least one pasta dish... So, we'll teach you two! Learn how to roll 'sfoglia' (fresh pasta) by hand and how to prepare 2 simple different kinds of pasta (filled pasta + fresh pasta) from scratch with your Cesarina. As the icing on the cake you will learn to prepare also the iconic Tiramisu. Share your passion for the Italian cuisine as you make new friends in this hands-on cooking class. It's a great way to truly experience Italian culture. • Learn to roll 'sfoglia' (fresh pasta) by hand • Learn to make 2 iconic pasta types • Learn to make the iconic tiramisu • Small-group cooking class with a maximum of 12 people. Share your passion for the Italian cuisine with other lovely guests • Enjoy an Italian Aperitivo to warm-up Le Cesarine is Italy’s oldest network of home cooks all over the country. They are welcoming hosts that open the doors of their own homes to curious travellers for immersive culinary experiences.

Go deeper than is possible on most food tours. This private tour is an immersive culinary experience. First, you’ll visit a local market in the company of your local host, then you’ll go to their home to get a hands-on experience making three authentic regional recipes. Afterward sit down to enjoy your meal together, accompanied by a glass of local wine.

Explore one of Lecce’s finest wineries at the most magical time of day on a sunset tour from Porto Cesareo. Designed with lovers of wine and nature in mind, this tour includes hassle-free pickup and drop-off from your accommodation, and the chance to sample several varietals of wine.

Our fathers used to make wine here in Salento. A good wine, what today is called a "garagisti" wine, made in the family's millstone and sold locally: a zero kilometer product. We children were told that we had to work the land, already as children, so that we could understand how many poorly paid sacrifices and how much hard work it took to get by with the vineyard. And that it was necessary to study for a "profession", for a more dignified and profitable job than theirs, otherwise our future would have been in the middle of the "earth". But when it would have been simple and natural, for all that we had been taught since we were children, to abandon, sell or eradicate the vines we inherited, that's how it all took a different turn. It was decided all together, me, Carlo and Franco, to save the vineyards. Since then many harvests have passed, but when you come to visit us you will feel all the pleasure and beauty of tasting authentic wines

You can't visit Italy without trying at least one pasta dish... So, we'll teach you two! Learn how to roll 'sfoglia' (fresh pasta) by hand and how to prepare 2 simple different kinds of pasta (filled pasta + fresh pasta) from scratch with your Cesarina. As the icing on the cake you will learn to prepare also the iconic Tiramisu. Share your passion for the Italian cuisine as you make new friends in this hands-on cooking class. It's a great way to truly experience Italian culture. • Learn to roll 'sfoglia' (fresh pasta) by hand • Learn to make 2 iconic pasta types • Learn to make the iconic tiramisu • Small-group cooking class with a maximum of 12 people. Share your passion for the Italian cuisine with other lovely guests • Enjoy an Italian Aperitivo to warm-up Cesarine is Italy’s oldest network of home cooks all over the country. They are welcoming hosts that open the doors of their own homes to curious travellers for immersive culinary experiences.

Would you like to discover the most authentic side of Italian gastronomy and share it with other enthusiasts of the “cucina italiana”? Enjoy this shared Market tour and typical Dining experience. Visit the vibrant local market and learn about the seasonal produce and secret ingredients. Then, head to your Cesarina’s house to enjoy a 3-course dining experience, showcasing the authentic regional dishes stored in the cookbooks of your host. You will take part in an experience which is so much more than just a lunch or dinner. You will make new friends, feel like one of the family and live like the Italians do.

Dive into Otranto like a local foodie. Explore your Cesarina's most trusted artisanal food shops, tasting as you go. Visit a selection of small local shops, learn about the typical products of the city while tasting them. A delicious way to discover Otranto and its gastronomy! • Street food tasting tour • Explore your Cesarina's most trusted artisanal food shops • Sample some of Otranto typical street food staples • Do some sightseeing in Otranto as you walk from tasting to tasting • Small-group tour with a maximum of 12 people for an authentic food experience Le Cesarine is Italy’s oldest network of home cooks all over the country in more than 120 cities. They are passionate and welcoming hosts that open the doors of their own homes to curious travellers for immersive culinary experiences.

Immerse yourself in Italian cooking during this 3-day cooking course in Puglia. Stay at an old tobacco factory that’s been converted into a 4-star hotel and spend your days learning to make traditional Italian dishes and eating your creations paired with local wines. During your free time, relax by the pool, get to know some of your classmates, and take in the stunning surroundings.

The Salento Culinary Culture has very ancient origins. To make the experience full of emotions, and multisensory, we have made specific choices: a semi-fortified farmhouse from the 1600s, restored to maintain its ancient charm and at the same time allows the setting up of a professional cooking school. We have chosen teachers, who in addition to being Salentini DOC, are professional Chefs, Pastry Chefs and Pizzaioli, so that they can transfer the love for their land as well as the secrets of the recipes. We have chosen local excellent ingredients to savor the true flavor of this land. Each experience is made up of many Salento recipes, anecdotes, fun and a very abundant final tasting of the dishes made, washed down with good wine from a local winery.

Italy has a vast and varied culinary heritage, and our local hosts are proud to share its hidden secrets. Share your passion for Italian gastronomy with other lovely guests, immerse yourself in the vibrant local market and enjoy an authentic hands-on cooking class. You'll visit the local market with your Cesarina host, who will teach you all about how to select the best ingredients with the seasons. Then, you'll return to their home, warm up with an Italian Aperitivo and enjoy the class. You'll learn how to make one iconic Pasta type, typical of the city you are visiting, and the famous Tiramisu. After the class, you will enjoy everything you've prepared with local wines. This experience is the perfect choice if you want to encounter the real Italian regional gastronomy through genuine connections, food, and friendship.