Secret Backroom: Lucanian Wine and Flavors with Samuele and Luca

There are places you see while passing by, and places you experience only if someone opens the right door for you. Il Buongustaio is an institution. Since 1987, Samuele Olivieri has presided over Piazza Vittorio Veneto as the guardian of Lucanian excellence, cited by Gambero Rosso and recognized as an ambassador of the Matera DOC wine. A shop that gourmets from all over Italy know, seek out, and love. But there's a side of Buongustaio that no customer has ever seen. For the first time, Samuele and his son Luca are opening the back room—the space where the boxes arrive from friendly producers, where they decide what goes in and what doesn't, where the flavor is crafted before it even hits the display case. Over thirty years, they've traveled Italy, building relationships with small producers you won't find in guides, who don't have websites, who only send their products to those they trust. Samuele and Luca know them by name, tell their stories, and in this intimate space, they share them with you. A glass of Lucanian wine selected to showcase the region. Three cured meats, three cheeses, fresh bread, and the famous Crusco pepper—each product carefully paired, each story told by someone who truly knows it. This isn't a shop visit. It's a privilege. What's included: - 1 glass of select Lucanian wine - 3 traditional cured meats - 3 local cheeses - Fresh bread - Crusco peppers - Guided description of each product - Duration: approximately 1.5 hours (can be extended at the customer's discretion, subject to Luca and Samuele's availability)