Altamura

Gino D'Acampo's final leg of his Italian Escape starts on the ‘heel' of Italy's boot, in Puglia. As a chef, Gino is always on the lookout for amazing food and is rewarded in the town of Altamura - a place that is world-famous for its historic bread. Here Gino visits a bakery, whose ancient oak-fired oven is used to cook not only the bakery's own loaves, but also the bread belonging to Altamura's ladies. Gino cannot come to the area without shaping the town's distinctive loaves and helping unload the huge oven. His next stop is one of the poorest regions of southern Italy - Basilicata. Here, in the hauntingly beautiful old town of Matera, Gino samples traditional 'cucina povera' or 'poor people's cuisine.' He uses local bread to rustle up a tantalizing Italian version of beans on toast - cannellini beans with succulent cherry tomatoes on crusty bruschetta. Back in Puglia, Gino visits the enchanting town of Alberobello. This tourist haven was a favourite childhood holiday destination of Gino's. The town's unusual ‘trullo' houses with their conical roofs made the young Gino believe that the Smurfs lived there! Above the distinctive rooftops of Alberobello, our chef transforms a rustic loaf into perfect picnic fare - bread stuffed with salami, piquant cheese and grilled vegetables.