Experiencing Excellence
Italy 2025
CULINARY ENCOUNTERS
In and around Matera, Maison del Gusto brought together places, gestures and know-how for an attentive discovery of Southern Italy.
A territory cannot be reduced to its products. It is discovered through people, gestures and time.
Experiencing Excellence is Maison del Gusto’s programme of culinary encounters and masterclasses. Its 2025 Italian edition offered a focused itinerary around Matera, in Basilicata.
Rather than a succession of demonstrations, the programme brought participants closer to local practices: visiting, observing, tasting and understanding how a place shapes what arrives at the table.
Reading a territory before telling its story.
The itinerary began with Matera and its Sassi, where architecture, material and everyday use tell of an ancient relationship with the landscape.
This attention to place guided the rest of the programme. Each stage brought a concrete reference point: a production method, a gesture passed down or a local way of welcoming guests around the table.
Four moments of the programme
An itinerary built around heritage, making and transmission.
- A night-time visit to the Sassi of Matera.
- The discovery of an old local mill.
- Traditional bread-making in a 19th-century bakery.
- A dinner around meat with a local butcher.
These four stages are the documented elements of the 2025 edition to date. New accounts and archives may complete this page as they are validated.
Fragments of Southern Italy
Experiencing Excellence 2025
Matera and its surroundingsPlaces, materials and moments preserved in the archives of this edition.
Knowledge that returns to service.
Meeting a place and its artisans refines the way we source, advise and cook.
For Maison del Gusto, Experiencing Excellence extends the daily work of provisioning and culinary sourcing. Understanding a product in its context helps to better assess its use, its season and the place it can take in a professional kitchen.
The encounters thus become a lasting resource for chefs, crews and the Maison’s partners.
Building the next encounter
For a collaboration, a provisioning request or information on upcoming masterclasses, contact the Maison del Gusto team directly.
Contact the team