Gastronomic Heritage Workshop - Archaeological Institute of America

The Gastronomic Heritage Workshop is a one-week field school exploring the anthropology and cultural history of food in the Puglia region of southern Italy. The program combines hands-on activities, cooking, excursions, lectures, and discussions to examine the Mediterranean diet as a cultural landscape shaped by geography, tradition, migration, and social practice.

The workshop is led by Tonio Creanza (Founder and Director of Messors) together with local farmers, shepherds, cheesemakers, historians, and restauranteurs.

Participants will engage in practical food-related activities (cooking and food production), field excursions, and classroom talks that focus on seasonality, sustainable resource use, biodiversity, and the social rhythms tied to local food practices. The program highlights traditional methods of farming, fishing, bread- and cheese-making processes, and the social contexts of family meals and celebrations.

Logistics: the session runs August 29-September 4, 2026 in Gravina in Puglia (Metropolitan City of Bari, Italy). Accommodation is shared in a historical palazzo with three meals per day. Approximate cost is $3000 USD per week. Project Director: Tonio Creanza.