Following the 2011 edition in Tuscany and Romagna and the 2013 edition in Piedmont’s Langhe Doglianesi, “artusiapiedi” comes to Puglia from 9th to 14th May. This special walking tour started by a group of Tuscan wine and food journalists is now in its third edition. Each time, the informal group of twelve “Artusian pilgrims”, including founders and new entries, explores the culture, history and wine-growing heritage of Italy’s most fascinating areas, in the name of Pellegrino Artusi, father of Italian gastronomy. The tour is a combination of adventures, discoveries, interesting encounters, winding pathways and important achievements.
The Movimento Turismo del Vino Puglia has organized a route of around 120 km for this year’s pilgrims to discover the rich wine and food traditions of the Murgia area. The trail will reveal the beauty of the landscapes in the Castel del Monte area, taking the walkers from the borders with Basilicata across the High Murgia Park, exploring the territories around Minervino Murge and Montegrosso, visiting Andria and Trani, and finishing in Barletta.
Travelling only on foot, they will stop along the way to visit wineries and try traditional foods, to discover the typical local flavours and their traditional roots in the territory. They will be accompanied by “farmer-chefs”, who will get them picking the wild greens used in the traditional country dishes, and will also explore the flourishing Murgia countryside along old drovers’ roads and country lanes. The trail will involve stops to visit masseria farmsteads and meet producers of the typical local foods: the cheese dairy at the sheep-farm, the factory making the pasta used in a traditional recipe, and the sugared almond and extra virgin olive oil museums. Every stop will bring meetings, conviviality, flavours and renewed traditions.
The five-day walking tour has a rich programme of meetings and visits, with “artusian” stops and dinners with local authorities, restaurateurs, producers and local historians. Alongside the gastronomic stops at wineries and farms, the tour will also visit the historical sites connected with the Challenge of Barletta, theme of the tour, finishing at the Challenge Monument on the battle site between Trani and Andria.
The pilgrims will narrate their journey on the “artusiapiedi.wordpress.com” blog and on social networks Facebook and Twitter (#artusiapiedi), updated at every stop along the way; after the tour, they will draw on their experiences to write articles and reports about the “pilgrimage” in Puglia.
An original “event within the event” will conclude the walking tour: “The Challenge of the Native Wines” will take place from 7-9 pm on the 13th May at the “Cantina della Sfida” in Barletta, the place associated with the historical event behind the tour. The cavalry battle known as the Challenge Barletta will be re-enacted between wines this time, in a contest between thirteen of Puglia’s native Nero di Troia labels versus the same number of native French Tannat labels: simulating the Challenge, the guest journalists will take part in a wine-tasting duel down to the last wine-glass. The event will also be open to food and wine operators, producers, restaurateurs, opinion leaders, wine lovers and local journalists.
The event is made possible by the hospitality contribution from PugliaPromozione.
The 2014 Artusian Pilgrimage is dedicated to the memory of founder-pilgrim Kyle Phillips, who died recently.
The “Artusian pilgrims” taking part in the Puglia edition are “founders” Stefano Tesi, Serena Guidobaldi, Rosanna Ferraro, Tommaso Chimenti and Marco Sodini with “new entries” Isabella Mancini, Paola Gula, Francesca Landolini, Paolo della Corte and Diego Zanetti.
