Workshop with Stefania Barzini

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with Stefania Aphel Barzini

in collaboration with Just Puglia Factory

Food is a language.

But to truly write it, you need more than words.

You need eyes, nose, hands, memory.

And time. Time to slow down, to listen, to taste, to rewrite.

This four-day immersive workshop takes place in Carovigno, in the heart of Puglia, a land

shaped by olive trees, stone, wind, and a deeply rooted food culture. It is not a cooking class,

and it is not a conventional writing course. It is an experience where writing, food,

landscape, and people become part of the same story.

For four days we will live and work together, in a small group, moving between writing

sessions, shared meals, encounters with local producers, cooking together, tasting, listening to

music in the evenings, and revising texts side by side. The rhythm is intense but human,

focused but generous, rooted in the idea that writing improves when it is fed by real life.

The workshop is held entirely in English and is open to international participants and to

Italians who are comfortable working in English.

Each day combines:

 guided writing sessions focused on sensory writing

 reading, discussion, and collective revision of texts

 hands-on experiences with food: olive oil tastings, cooking together, meals shared at

the table

 encounters with local farmers, artisans, and food producers

 informal evening moments, where conversation and music continue the work in

another key

We will explore food writing in its many forms: memoir, journalism, recipes, essays, and

literary narrative, always returning to the same central question: how do you find your own

voice when writing about food, without clichés, without shortcuts?

Participants will be hosted in local agriturismi, carefully selected, within the Carovigno

area. These are working places, not hotels, and are an essential part of the experience: waking

up in the countryside, close to the land that feeds both our meals and our writing.

This immersion is for:

 writers, journalists, and aspiring writers

 food professionals, cooks, and passionate home cooks who want to write

 travelers who are curious about place, culture, and language

 anyone who wants to deepen their relationship with food through writing

No academic background is required. What matters is curiosity, commitment, and the

willingness to work seriously while sharing generously.

Stefania Aphel Barzini is a writer, food writer, and teacher. She has lived and worked for

many years in the United States, collaborating with the Italian Cultural Institute in Los

Angeles. Back in Italy, she was a long-time contributor and author for the Gambero Rosso

Channel and magazine, and has taught food writing at the University of Siena, at Gambero

Rosso’s journalism programs, and to American university students. She is the author of

novels, essays, cookbooks, and food documentaries.

 Dates: May 28 – May 31

 Location: Carovigno, Puglia

 Language: English

 Group size: limited, to ensure close work and discussion

Registration deadline: end of February

Due to the small size of the group and the use of local agriturismi, registrations close at the

end of February, as accommodations cannot be held beyond that date.

For information and detailed program:

info@justpugliafactory.com