La Baia travels to Puglia to visit friends and suppliers, looking for new products for the restaurant.

We were in Salento, exploring this land we were able to appreciate an excellent raw material (... but we weren't just sitting at the table eh!)

The first stop on our trip was Andria where we stayed in the historic Frantoio Muraglia.

Here we have learned to distinguish the characteristics of a high quality oil: the olives are cold worked, following a meticulous procedure that allows us to extract a pure, 100% natural oil that maintains all its nutritional properties over time.
In this area we find infinite fields of centuries-old olive groves where the Coratina variety prevails, whose olives have fruity, spicy and sometimes bitter flavors.
Together with Savino Muraglia, we were able to taste the oil and appreciate its aromas, structure and discover with which combinations to use it best in the kitchen.

You will soon have some good news! 

On the roads of Salento we crossed the historic butchers of Martina Franca in search of a tasty bite:
a sandwich with Capocollo, meat bowls or "turnicieddi" skewers.
We tasted dozens of meatballs and all different from each other. The best?

I make your mouth water, sorry ...

a rather silent old woman in San Vito dei Normanni cook them. There is little to say, she has spent her life in the kitchen and each of her meatballs is a real thrill. One would like to hug her every time they arrive at the table. For real! With sauce or fried... you can only learn about italian kitchen by enjoying each bite!

Another stop was a visit to Leone De Castris, one of the most famous wineries in Italy which can be defined as such since 1665. The history of this family dates back to over 350 years ago. Entering their headquarters in Salice Salentino is a jump into the past and an incredible emotion. This company produces over 2 million bottles a year. This winery is immense and every corner is a celebration of the long journey that made Leone De Castris the great company it is today.

Their spearhead is the Five Roses:

a historic label known all over the world. It was produced for the first time in 1943 and was the first rosé wine in Italy to be bottled, becoming an important oenological reference point.

While we are overlooking the Port of Gallipoli, the narrow accent of the Apulian fishermen is heard repeated in the streets of the center.

We stop to talk before departure.

These were long and busy days where we were able to appreciate the hospitality of some old Apulian friends and the goodness of their raw materials.
We try to cultivate the sacred respect we must give for what Italy has to offer every day. We enhance the products in each dish, the aromas, the textures. There is so much to discover but we are really happy to be able to offer some in our restaurant.

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Alessandro