Cheese, Wine, and Burrata Dreams at Masseria Fragnite in Puglia
Let’s be honest. It’s way too easy to end up in a tourist trap in Italy — overpaying for something that looks authentic but tastes like disappointment. That’s why we’re so excited to introduce you to cheese making at Masseria Fragnite, a food experience in Puglia that’s actually the real deal.
If you love cheese (and let’s be honest, if you don’t… are you okay?), then you need to put Masseria Fragnite on your foodie bucket list. This isn’t some curated-for-Instagram “experience” where you stand behind a glass and watch someone make cheese. No. This is stretchy, steamy, mozzarella-melting-in-your-hand real.
We tied our own mozzarella and we even milked cows (okay, we saw where they get milked — same energy). Here’s what it’s like to spend a morning at Masseria Fragnite — one of the best cheese experiences in Puglia and possibly our favorite food memory of the trip.
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It Starts With the Cows
First of all, this place has been around since the 1600s. So, yeah — they know what they’re doing.
You’ll meet the cows that make Puglia’s cheese so good (and want to take about 400 photos of their sleepy, floppy faces), then head inside the factory to see where the magic happens. The milk gets piped in fresh from the barn and is turned into cheese on site, every single day.
That alone is cool. But then the real show starts.
Watching Cheese Get Made
This is not a stuffy, quiet kind of food tour. It’s warm, loud, and cheesy — in the best way.
They walked us through every step of the mozzarella-making process. From the curd being chopped and stirred in boiling water, to that oh-so-satisfying moment where it gets stretched into glossy, melty ribbons. (This part’s called the “filatura” and it’s weirdly hypnotizing.)
We even got to try tying the cheese into little balls called “nodi.” The cheese maker wasn’t very impressed with my skills though, so I handed the cheese back to him to make beautiful braids.
I’ll stick to eating and drinking wine.
We Had Fresh Burrata and It Was Life Changing
Here’s the thing about burrata from Puglia (and in general): once you’ve had it fresh, right after it’s been made and wrapped into that soft mozzarella shell, it’s hard to go back.
They taught us how it’s done — spooning stracciatella (aka the creamy, stringy insides) into a pouch of mozzarella, adding CREAM, twisting it into that iconic little knot, and plopping it into a salt bath. And then we got to eat it. With rosé. Under a gorgeous pergola thing on a farm with olive trees.
If that’s not Italian core memory energy, I don’t know what is.
The Tasting Plate That Changed Us
After all the cheese-making action, we sat down to what might be the most indulgent grazing board we’ve ever had. It was filled with typical Puglia food like:
- Five+ kinds of cheese made right on the farm
- Capocollo (the salty, cured meat of your dreams)
- Local rosé wine (because duh)
- Homemade bread — Puglia is literally called the “bread basket” of Italy, so this is no afterthought.
- A surprise: zucchini jam, which sounds weird but is SO GOOD.
Everything but the wine came from the farm itself — and it all tasted fresh, creamy, and so dang real. It’s just amazing food, made with love, by people who actually know what they’re doing.
So… Was It Worth It?
Absolutely. We’ve done a lot of food tours (like our favorite in Madrid) and experiences over the years — some memorable, some meh. This puglia cheese situation was one was memorable-memorable. The hosts were warm and welcoming, we learned a ton, and the food? It was better than most of the fancy restaurants we’ve tried.
It cost us around €100 total for the two of us. Which, for a full tour, cheese-making demo, hands-on mozzarella, and burrata workshop, and an absolute feast? Total steal.
You could do it for about €50 for 2 people if you don’t do the private tour like we did. But, then you don’t get to make cheese and you have to share it with others.
No thanks.
Skip the Tourist Cheese, Go Here Instead
Puglia is packed with incredible food, but if you want to understand why it tastes so good — and be a part of the process — Masseria Fragnite is the place to do it. You’ll leave full, a little sun-kissed, probably smelling faintly of dairy, and absolutely buzzing from all the joy (and rosé).
👉 If you’re a cheese-lover or just want a food experience that’s actually worth your time and money, book this one. Experiencing cheese making in Puglia is going to go on your list of “favorite things we’ve ever done” too.
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Now that you’ve mastered the art of mozzarella, it’s time to learn the next iconic Puglian dish: fresh pasta. Don’t miss our cooking class recap where we learned to make orecchiette from scratch and ate ourselves silly. You can check it out right here.
So, would you do a cheese making experience in Puglia or is the beach more your vibe?
