The basilicata Experience

ATELIERS FOR LOVERS OF TRADITION, BAKING, AND NATURE

Curated by Lia Di Muro and Christina Ermilio
With the support of Pro Loco Tolve

Farms and wheat fields stretch as far as the eye can see – a key characteristic of this place. From an early age, the harvest festival marked the moment of the year dedicated to sharing many days of conviviality amongst the illuminating golden yellow.

The goal of this moment together is to find time for yourself, relax, and get to know this land and its inhabitants through its cooking and baking traditions. What better time than during the wheat harvest.

 

Schedule Overview

Thursday, June 22 2023 – Arrival day

  • Pickup in Potenza (Travel arranged on your own to Potenza). 
  • Afternoon Arrival in Acerenza
  • Walking Photography Tour
  • Aperitivo & Dinner at Palazzo Matilde 

Saturday, June 24 2023

  • Breakfast at Palazzo Matilde
  • Trekking & Lunch in the surrounding countryside 
  • Dinner at Palazzo Matilde 

Monday, June 26 – Departure Day

  • Breakfast at Palazzo Matilde
  • Transfer arranged from Acerenza to Potenza.
  • Dropoff in Potenza (Travel arranged on your own from Potenza)

Friday, June 23  2023

  • Breakfast at Palazzo Matilde
  • Visit in Tolve: Food & Wine Tour, Lunch
  • The Breadmaking Workshop
  • Dinner at Palazzo Matilde 

Sunday, June 25 2023

    • Breakfast at Palazzo Matilde
    • Pasta Making Workshop & Lunch
    • Horse Trekking in the Afternoon
    • Dinner at Palazzo Matilde 

THE FULL PROGRAM

 

Day 1: Thursday, June 22 | Arrival Day

Afternoon arrival in Potenza. 

We begin a “walking photography tour.” An exploration of the territory with a photographic lens and urban “trekking” to discover the hidden corners of the village. 

The photography workshop involves the use of the smartphone with the possibility of taking a maximum of 10 shots to give the opportunity to the human eye to dwell on the details. The photo guide will teach some tricks to better use the smartphone for photography. (If you prefer to use a camera that is also possible).  

The tour ends at Palazzo Matilde with an aperitivo & dinner with a conversation about places, stories, photography, and postcards, music, and conviviality.  

Day 2: Friday, June 23 | Basilicata – ITALY

After breakfast, we will depart for Tolve. 

Food and wine tour through the streets of Tolve, full of music and shops.  Lunch in Tolve. 

In the afternoon, we will visit the bakery and learn how to make bread. At this bakery, they use flours grown in the territory, and you can learn how to make traditional bread doughs. We will learn how to make a special dough: the bread of San Rocco. 

In the evening, you will find the table prepared at Palazzo Matilde, and you can choose when to eat. 

Those who are interested can join us for a night tour and a chat about the neighborhood. 

Day 3: Saturday, June 24 | Basilicata – ITALY

In the late morning, we will depart for our hike in the countryside.

Trekking in the countryside from Masseria De Angelis to Masseria D’Erario, traveling through the wheat fields to eat in the fields as the farmers do. 

A lunch full of music and conviviality, a peaceful afternoon in the countryside. 

In the evening, you will find the table with dinner prepared at Palazzo Matilde, and you can eat at your leisure. This evening will be on your own. If you prefer, you can join an organized evening stroll around the village.  

Day 4: Sunday, June 25th | BASILICATA – Italy

After breakfast, we will participate in a homemade pasta workshop to learn how to make pasta like the locals. 

There’s nothing more delicious than fresh pasta. Making it yourself is much easier than you might think! First, our cooking instructor will teach you how to create the perfect pasta dough by hand, which can be the base for endless variations and shapes. Then, we’ll focus on pairing your handcrafted noodles with flavorful, complementary sauces. Renew your passion for pasta and learn how to make satisfying new dishes.

Horse trekking in the afternoon. This will also be suitable for those who have never gone horseback riding. We will also collect flowers and herbs for the preparation of the water of San Giovanni. There is a historical tradition in which you collect herbs and flowers in the afternoon and soak the wild herbs in water all night on the balcony. For the summer solstice, we capture the magic in cocktails and on the longest night of the year, we dream without artificial lights.  There will be magical bread to accompany the evening. 

Day 5: Monday, June 26th | Departure Day

For those who wish, it is possible to schedule the departure on Sunday. 

Not included in the price, this is an addition to the program: For those who want to visit Matera before returning home, there is the possibility to book a half-day tour with https://www.sassitour.it/

Under the expert guidance of Nicola Taddonio, you will discover an alternative route of the magical Matera. History, cinema, tradition in the UNESCO heritage city. 

For those wishing to stop for lunch, there is the possibility to book at the restaurant “Il Cantuccio”, located in the historic center of Matera, a place with traditional and genuine cuisine. 

 

The Retreat June 22-25, 2023 

The intent of this retreat is to approach, those who want to participate, to the slow life, to nature, to the traditions of the past. 

You will have the opportunity to take advantage of the relaxation that the Lucanian countryside offers.  You will discover slow living and the beauty of its land: wheat crops and bread-making. 

During the week together, we would like to invite you to look at everyday life through the eyes of a local. Living, feeling, and embracing every little detail. 

Baking is an important part of the history of this place. To make dough for bread and pizza, it is not enough to follow a recipe, the local bakers know it very well. 

For example, yeast responds differently depending on many variables, forcing you to observe your surroundings well and to get wrapped up in thinking about the dough (leaving other thoughts behind). 

Working with the dough can lead to many sensations, such as the feeling of the stickiness of the flour after hydrated, the strong scent of the yeast, or the sounds of the dough evolving from separate ingredients to a single uniform dough, or the physical strength needed to help fold the dough.  Throughout the breadmaking process, we give space to the body to interact and focus on the dough, ultimately moving us away from negative thinking. 

You will have what you need to learn how to bake, while also building a connection with the territory. These will be days full of relaxation, nature, & regional cuisine. 

Location

Palazzo Matilde is a historic house in the center of Acerenza. Today, it is used as a guesthouse for tourists and all those who are intrigued by this village and its slow life. 

Palazzo Massimo has a maximum overnight capacity of 5 people. To ensure adequate accommodation, in case of overbooking, the overnight stay will take place at affiliated facilities of equal level and located in the nearby streets. 

ISCRIZIONI E COSTI

For information and reservations, please write to us at a . To participate, it is required to let us know of your interest by 31/05/2023. The retreat will be confirmed upon reaching the minimum number of 6 participants and provides for a maximum of 12.

The cost of the trip is 600 euros, which includes accommodation, daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as workshops and materials, participation gift, rural activities and transport throughout the trip and to/from Potenza. This cost does not include the stay for those interested in arriving earlier or arriving later. 

There is a possibility of arriving the day before and staying overnight at Palazzo Matilde for a cost of €74 (instead of €89) for double room, including breakfast and tourist tax. 

Travel Logistics 

The facilities are located 28KM from Potenza and 79KM from Bari Karol Wojtyla Airport. 

  • BY CAR – along the Adriatic or Tyrrhenian motorway from the main Italian cities, direction Potenza-Basentana
  • BY TRAIN –highspeed trains arrive from Milan, Bologna, and Rome. It is also possible to arrive from Foggia or Naples and hire a driver to Potenza. 
  • BY BUS – bus lines Marino 

From Bari, you can hire a driver with advance reservation. The one-way cost from Bari is about 130 euros to be shared up to 8 people. Other drivers available may have a cost of 90 euros for a maximum of 3 people. 

Travel to Matera and waiting for the driver to continue to the Bari Airport is 100 euros for 8 people.

Please note that prices may vary due to recent fuel increases.

 

About us

Christina Ermilio is a master’s student in Sustainable Food Systems at the American University of Rome and currently works in communications with the World Farmers Markets Coalition. She has also been an active member in Slow Grains Italy, in particular the Slow Food Community of Wheat of the High Apennines between Bologna and Florence.

Lia Di Muro is a chartered accountant specializing in copyright. Owner of Palazzo Matilde with her brother Antonello Lucio Di Muro, she is the founder of the project dedicated to stays aimed at discovering art, crafts, rediscovered time and passion for design. Precisely on this point, she allows guests to participate in the renovation of the building (deliberately not finished) to better understand the perspective and imagination of those who lived in the house. 

The Pro Loco of Tolve Aps was founded with the aim of safeguarding the traditions of Tolvese and the Lucania region, dedicated to the continuous search for collaboration and cultural contamination. The association, driven by a powerful sense of hospitality, promotes multiple events with the aim of bringing those who come to the village to discover the customs and traditions of an ancient community. Thanks to the voluntary work of its members, the association is always open to new initiatives.

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We will be glad to help you and answer to any question you may have.

(+39) 339 52 63 178
Acerenza
Via Umberto I, 71

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