TRAVEL INFORMATION
WHAT TO BRING | HOW TO ARRIVE | DEPARTURE
Getting here is easy, and once you get here, we will handle all of the details. We are less than a half a day from Rome and only a few hours from Naples.
In order to make your trip to The Awaiting Table Italian Cooking School as easy and as rewarding as possible, we have compiled some helpful travel information, answered some frequently asked questions, listed a sampling of the dishes you will make, and provided a list of books which we recommend reading (complete with our critique, of course). Travel Agents or members of the media interested in writing about a cooking vacation, leisurely Italian experience or cooking schools in Italy, please visit our Media Center.
What To Bring
Pack light: when in doubt, leave it home. Chances are local stores also carry either your highly specific toiletries or something even better, but if it is critical to your happiness, bring some from home. Puglia is sunny and warm in the summers, dropping only slightly at night. Bring a swimsuit, a hat, and a copy of all prescriptions (stored separately). Many guests find that sun dresses and dress shirts suffice, causing them to better blend in with the locals.
(Resourceful travelers often find that setting their MSN to Lecce and Rome weather conditions proves helpful in packing and planning). The only constant complaint among our guests regarding luggage is that they brought too much. As a guideline, your tuba lessons can wait.
We provide computer use, writing materials, postcards, stamps, and all ingredients and equipment. Our goal is that our students never need spend an additional centesimo while with us. With us, there are no additional costs (a good question to ask when researching other schools).
How To Arrive
Upon registration, guests will be emailed several relevant attachments that will aid in travel plans. Attachments will include some travel tips, information on how best to arrive in Lecce, and detailed instructions on where and when to meet, etc.
To keep our focus on cooking, we are forced to limit how active a role we play in your personal travel scenario, but keep in mind that 95% of our guests arrive in exactly that same way. When in doubt, seek the professional advice of a travel agent, referring him or her to this site, especially if your travel plans involve either legs before or after your time in Lecce.
For week courses: Early arrival for any
course is not recommended. We start our week-long
courses on Sunday night to best accommodate both
European and North American travellers. Upon
your Sunday night arrival, we’ll check
you into your appartamenti,
give you some time to settle in and freshen up and
then collect you for dinner, which is one you’ll
never forget. We start an hour later on Monday, to
ease into the first day.
You may also want to read the FAQ page
for more info about arrivals.
From North America:
Fly into Rome and stay the night. We recommend this for a
myriad of reasons (you don’t want to miss classes if you’re jet-lagged,
you want to break up the legs of your trip, and it is Rome, after all). Late
the next morning, pack yourself a nice lunch and head for Roma Termini (there
is a full-service grocery store in the basement of the station) and take the
13:38 Euro Star-Roma/Lecce Direct, the modern and high-speed train, arriving
directly into Lecce. Train tickets should be purchased in advance online (www.trenitalia.com),
keeping in mind, that, from North America, you arrive in Rome the day after
your initial departure. We’ll meet you in Lecce under the right clock
on platform ONE when you train arrives, at 19:53. We usually open something
frothy, first thing. Upon registration we’ll send you more specific information,
and even a list of recommended places to eat and stay in Rome. |
"Specializing in small classes based on individual attention."
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Discount Airfares within Europe – flights
from London Stansted and other options.
Nearby Brindisi is only 20 minutes from Lecce and is the major discount airline hub to Southern Italy. As such, it offers some attractive options for travelers who are willing to trade some comfort in exchange for cost.
One discount option is to fly to Brindisi via London on Ryan Air (www.ryanair.com). Flights to Brindisi via Ryan Air are as cheap as 1.99 GBP. Ryan Air flies to Brindisi from London (Stansted). Note Stansted is accessible via ground transportation from Heathrow and Gatwick.
Of course, there are many other airlines from many other European destinations which fly into Brindisi.
If you want to look at arriving to Brindisi from other points of origin, we suggest you look at the web site www.Whichbudget.com which provides information about budget air travel in Europe. Their Brindisi page shows all airlines that fly to Brindisi from various airports in Europe.
Please note that we are not travel agents. Nor do we officially endorse any specific travel route or partner and we recommend that you research any travel provider that you are not familiar with. If you need assistance beyond what this web site or the internet offers, we do suggest that you find one of the millions of travel professionals readily available and eager to help you.
You can arrange your stay the night before our course begins, either on www.abitalecce.it or let us know when registering and we might be able to check you into your apartment one day early.
By car, from Inside of Italy:
This method is decidedly not recommended, and those that still insist will be on their own regarding rental, return (far outside the city), parking and potential retrieval if towed. Our staff cannot justify cancelling classes for help with any aspects of car rental. By train, inside of Italy:
Italy's train system is extensive and offers a variety of possibilities. If you do indeed intend to be collected by the staff, you need to be under the clock on platform ONE at the Lecce train station on Sunday night at 19:53. Post-school travel plans will be discussed throughout the week, with many guide books, maps and local sources available. We will aid your further travel plans in any way we can. Day Courses:
We meet for day courses under the
statue of Sant’Oranzo in Piazza Sant’Oranzo
at 10:00, and they run until roughly midnight,
with a few hours for napping
in between the meals.
Departure
Post-school travel plans will be discussed throughout the week, with many guide books, maps and local sources available. We will aid your further travel plans in any way we can, and in general, the reverse will be followed: either personal or public transport (but on us) will be arranged in full. |
