Not just oil

A gastronomic tour of the delicacies of Basilicata

Food and wine tours , in addition to showcasing the region's culture and traditions, introduce visitors to its culinary specialties. Today, we'll take you to Basilicata to discover its typical products, wineries, dairies, olive oil mills, and bakeries, to understand the production processes and then taste the products. Discovering a special land, today's Lucania is colored gold by its endless wheat fields, green by its woods, and blue by the seas that embrace it. This will be a journey for explorers of beauty, an itinerary through a land yet to be discovered among ravines, archaeological excavations, lakes, art and above all good food. Basilicata Basilicata isn't visited by chance: you choose this region to live a unique experience, immersing yourself in places where silence, colors, scents, and flavors transport you away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life . The woods and forests that cover the mountains are dotted with small, charming villages, rising up to 1,000 meters above sea level. Here, the clean air, the authentic flavors of Lucanian cuisine, and the beauty of nature combine with historical heritage to satisfy every desire for knowledge. Basilicata boasts , among other things, a variety of pastures, olive groves, vineyards, and other top-quality crops, which translate into typical dishes whose aromas and flavors reveal all the authenticity and goodness of Basilicata. These products, steeped in ancient traditions and slow-processed, are certainly worth your time for a journey of flavors that will surely be long remembered. The food and wine heritage You can't go to Basilicata without tasting cruschi peppers , alone or paired with potatoes. Also not to be missed are capriata lucana, a quintessential legume soup; strascinati with ricotta and sausage; sarde arraganate , seasoned with oregano and breadcrumbs; gnommaredde , tasty rolls made with kid offal; cialledda materana; soppressata di Rivello; meats from the black pig of Tricarico; the aforementioned Cancellara chain sausage; and lamb Lucanian-style. Typical products also include caciocavallo podolico, Canestrato di Moliterno , crosti with oregano and honey, and rafanata. Finally, strawberries from Policoro are renowned for their sweet flavor, like all the fruit from the Metaponto Plain. When it comes to food and wine, Basilicata also boasts a long tradition of bread-making, and it's fascinating to witness them being made if you're looking for a truly memorable food and wine itinerary in Basilicata. Indeed, the Acerenza durum wheat bread is highly prized and can remain fragrant for up to 15 days, as is the Pane di Matera PGI. Eating in Basilicata Eating in Basilicata is an extraordinary experience, whether at gourmet restaurants or family-run trattorias. Mealtimes are sacred moments that bring people together. The region boasts a wealth of top-quality olive trees. This vocation is expressed through its fine production of table olives and exquisite oils. Among the delicacies on the cutting board, a true physiological vocation of Lucania, we recall the cheeses: canestrato, a hard, aromatic, and spicy cheese; and casieddu, a sweet goat's cheese cacioricotta. Padraccio, a goat's cheese, generally eaten fresh; and pecorino di Filiano, a hard, aromatic goat's and sheep's cheese. In Lucania, as in other regions of the southern Apennines, excellent caciocavallo podolica cheeses are produced. In short , Basilicata is a land so rich in culinary traditions that it offers a wealth of food and wine . The pride of the region, Lucanian cuisine is traditionally a skillful blend of simple, genuine ingredients , far removed from the elaborate recipes of modern cuisine—just think of the fact that the dishes only feature olive oil. The originality and tradition of Lucanian cuisine lies in its ability to extract simple ingredients, blending spices to enhance even the most humble dishes. Naturally, these dishes are rigorously accompanied by Lucanian wines.