If you are considering booking an authentic Puglia cooking lesson experience in Salento, then make sure some or all of the following are on the menu.

Soups and Thaiedde

Ciceri & tria, fave & cicorie, orecchiette with turnip tops, cecamariti, melanzane mbuttunate, rape n’fucate, melanzane & peperoni ripieni , tahieddra with mussels, carciofi or funghi carboncelli, cozze alla vampa.

Secrets of Pasta and home made bread

Orecchiette, maritati, minchiarieddi , sagne ncannulate, pizzi, pucce, pirilla, friselle, taralli.

Puglia - Beautiful to See. Delightful to Taste' is the name of a new brochure produced by the Regione Puglia - Assessorato Risorse Agroalimentare.

To give you an idea, the cover features the region of Puglia made from a piece of bread, or bruschetta, rather like the logo of the mysterious 'Città del Pane'.

The recommended period for tasting Salento is July to August. We quote loosely.

June in central Puglia means bright colours and rich cherry harvests, especially in the cities of Bisceglie and Turi in the province of Bari.

Turi is in the heart of Primitivo DOC wine country, but also knows a thing or two about cherries, not least the 'Ciliegia Ferrovia' or 'Railway Cherry', a strange name for the most cultivated cherry type in Italy.

Certainly large, the name actually originates from around 1935 when the strain was developed from the nut or seed of a tree growing near the railway lines heading south east towards Sammichele di Bari.

Hence the name 'Ferrovìa' given by the local people. Carefully looked after the fruit of the original tree became popular with both consumers and cultivators and spread its roots first towards Conversano and Turi.

Turi still remains one of the most important zones for cherry production in Italy, mainly due to the fact that the 'Ferrovia' keeps its freshness for at least a week and is easily exported.

The 'Sagra della Ciliegia Ferrovia' in June is held in its honour.

Eating badly in the zone of Fasano in the province of Brindisi is a crime according to a small brochure produced by the Città di Fasano. The city guarantees that the many restaurants and trattoria of Fasano offer a high level of quality based on an ancient tradition of excellent local products.

Euripides the Greek wrote "wine is an antidote for every pain, without it love does not linger and every other joy dies" and who can say fairer than that.

We all know a little about Sassicaia wine, but do we know anything about the splendid town of Bolgheri which overlooks the surrounding countryside and vineyards in the province of Livorno?

I am sitting here with wonderful Grappa (Altesino Reserva 1994), but no cigars!! Please help me find a source for Toscana Originale cigars. I live in Pennsylvania USA.

A recent newspaper article highlighted one of Italy's more unusual typical products - the Toscano cigar. The state tobacco company ETI has been swapping hands for millions of euros in the last few years.

They take their carnival very seriously in Viareggio. And not without reason as it is one of the best and most famous in all of Italy.

Visitors to the seaside town in Tuscany at other times of the year might stumble upon wire meshing and huge clowns' heads lying in back streets, all witnesses to the build up for the all important month of February.

Viareggio has a relaxed charm and stretches along the coast to a quaint port and a mini canal system.

The name comes from a tower which stood on the Via Regia.

The celebrations get under way during February with the election of Miss 'Carnevale di Viareggio' as well as a concert at the 'Teatro Politeama' highlighting the official songs for the carnival.

To celebrate the year 2000 Jubilee, there were three Palio of Siena horse races instead of the usual two. The first was on the 2nd July, the second on the 16th August and the unprecedented third was staged on the 9th September.

The Palio first took place in 1555 as an act of defiance by the 17 armies based the town. They came together to ride for the prize of the 'Drappellone' and to also demonstrate their independence from the forces of the Medici.

In the 450 years of the event the 'contrada' with the most victories is 'Oca' or Goose who claim 63. Their colors are green and white with a red trim and their motto, fittingly enough, is 'clangit ad arma' or 'call to arms'.