As you drive throughPuglia, you will quickly realise that this area is the biggest producer ofolive oil in Italy, as you drive past mile after mile of ancient olive groves.Highlight of this tour will be a visit to a 16th century farm, whoseowner will guide you around. There is a farm museum and a medieval stable andan amazing underground oil mill of pre-Roman origin. The farm is of coursesurrounded by a magnificent olive grove and you will get to taste the extravirgin oil produced here. From here, drive up to Ostuni, high on the hill andknown as the ‘white city’ because of its Greek-style white-washed buildings. Itis a maze of narrow lanes but you will also have a chance of seeing anultra-modern olive press and taste some fine cold-pressed oil. From here, havelunch in one of Ostuni’s excellent restaurants, with every dish using Puglia’sextra virgin olive oil. In the afternoon, visit Egnazia, which dates back tothe 5th century BC and has many remains of its 2KM city wall.Subsequently it was colonised by the Greeks and then the Romans who built aforum and an amphitheatre. Even back then, olive oil was extremely importantand numerous amphorae have been excavated and are on show in the museum.Continue to Monopoli, a wonderful fortified town, overlooking the sea.
