My Italian Job offers a number of Experience Basilicata courses & activities, day and half-day trips where visitors can experience more of Basilicata than the standard sightseeing tour provides.

Cookery Course and Evening Meal

Discover the secrets of Southern Italian cooking through a hands-on afternoon cookery class in the warm and relaxed atmosphere of a traditional farmhouse hidden in the countryside of Basilicata. The family owners will demonstrate cooking techniques that have been passed down through generations and help you prepare attractive and delicious regional dishes of pasta, meat and vegetables, using fresh ingredients at their seasonal best.

Afterwards, sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour with a memorable Italian meal in a beautiful setting accompanied by excellent local wine. Accommodation is also available at the farmhouse if required. For those interested in a more detailed cooking experience My Italian Job also offers 4 day Cooking Holidays.

Pasta Making With the Locals and Evening Meal

Spend an afternoon interacting with the locals and learn how to make pasta at the same time! This fun activity takes place in the courtyard of a converted Monastery in the village of Irsina and local woman will teach you how to make the traditional pasta shapes from the region. Translators from My Italian Job will be available, although typically, communication is never a problem! In the evening, whilst you enjoy an ‘aperitivo’ and the spectacular view from the main square, your home-made pasta will be used in the preparation of a four-course meal that will be made with local produce, including home made desserts and liqueurs. Accommodation is also available in Irsina.

Gastronomic Food and Wine Tour

Learn about local wine and food making processes with this Gastronomic one-day tour. You will be taken to the vineyards of wines made from the ‘Aglianico grape’ classified as ‘Denominazione di Origine Controllata’ (DOC), and enjoy a tour of the vineyard and the opportunity to taste the wines produced.

This will be followed by a relaxed 3-course lunch of regional dishes, using local produce, before going on to visit a selection of farms where you will see the traditional processes for making olive oil, cheese, salami, and dry cuts, (depending on the time of year).

Relax by the Beach and Visit the ‘Magna Grecia’

If you are visiting Matera for a long weekend you may want to spend one day soaking up the sun on the sandy beaches of Metaponto only 50 km away. This day-trip includes an optional morning visit to the open-air museum of Greek ruins from the ‘Magna Grecia’ period. Lunch is in a typical coastal restaurant followed by free time on the best beaches of the area.

Horse Riding in the Countryside

Explore the heart of the countryside on horseback and soak up the atmosphere of the golden cornfields, vine yards and olives groves of this beautiful undulating landscape. Stop off at local farms to view the production of cheese, olive oil and wine, (depending on the time of year).  All horses are from farmhouses with many years experience in offering treks on horseback. Prices include insurance. Half-day and full-day trips are available for all abilities as well as extended holidays for the more passionate horse rider. Please see our 'Horse Riding Holidays' for further details.

Harvest Time – Grape and Olive Picking

If you are visiting Basilicata in the autumn why not check with My Italian Job if the grape and olive harvests are taking place during your stay? You could spend a day harvesting with the locals in the countryside near the village of Irsina. Grape or olive picking is ideal for people who have energy to spare and would like to experience this age-old practice, which is both physical and satisfying. You will spend the day with local farmers as they work alongside you and experience a farmer’s life in the Southern Italian countryside. Typically, picking starts early in the morning and will be followed by a robust lunch to recharge your batteries.

These trips are ideal both for visitors in Matera for a long weekend who fancy a day in the countryside or on the beach, or, as part of a longer holiday in the region.

Day trips can be:

• Purchased separately or incorporated into a personalised holiday organised by My Italian Job
• Available as part of a small group or individually

Day trips include:

• Mini-bus transfer of 30-60 minutes from Matera, if required
• Meals as outlined in trip itineraries, including water and wine.
  (Special food requirements can be catered for)
• Activities carried out in English and Italian
• Insurance for horse riding.