This past autumn, I was beyond lucky to spend a few months alongside 15 Culinary Institute of America students in the picturesque city of Ugento, Italy. Through a partnership with the Puglia Culinary Center, the CIA offers students an immersive semester abroad to eat, cook and live Italian cuisine.

Ugento is located on the inside heel of the boot in Southern Italy. It is a 20-minute drive from the point where the Adriatic and Ionian seas meet at the Mediterranean, which means you have unrivaled access to the freshest seafood as it is pulled from the sea.