Puglia
Also known as “Le Puglie” in the plural form, this region contains, in fact, many souls. The “heel of Italy’s boot,” Apulia is a charming region that can be visited all year round and is suspended among nature, history, tradition, tastes and spirituality.Apulia, the spur of the Italian Boot, is an enchanting region that spreads lengthwise along the sea – marvelous beaches that will delight every traveler, from the sandy Torre dell’Orso and Porto Cesario, to the rocky, boulder-encrusted Riviera of Otranto and Santa Maria di Leuca. At Santa Maria di Leuca the calm and crystalline waters of the Ionian Sea mix with those of the intense and azure Adriatic. Sea lovers have multiple options in Apulia, from Gallipoli, the “Gem of Salento,” to Gargano, “Italy’s Buttress,” which protrudes out into the clear sea, where one finds the the beautiful Tremiti Islands. Nature is the protagonist again in the Murgia National Park, and in Gargano’s wild Umbra forest, its salt pans and lakes. Visit the marine reserve of Torre Guaceto and the deep ravines of Laterza and wide dolines (depressions in the terrain) of Altamura characterize the hinterland of the region with their charming landscapes. For those who want to travel through history, Apulia offers a wide range of places that testify to the ancient origins of this land: from prehistory to Magna Graecia, from the Imperial Age to the Renaissance and the Baroque splendor of Lecce and of Salento. The trulli, for example those of Valle d’Itria, offer an evocative testimony to the rural past of the region. Meanwhile, numerous castles dot the coasts of the southern coast, hinting at an era when both perils and commerce landed on these shores. For who is interested in tradition and folk music, should attend the numerous festivals and fish sagre that in summertime run throughout the region.
PROVINCE OF BRINDISI
Brindisi has been known as the «Gateway to the East» since ancient times, when it became an important port, first for the Roman troops, and later for the merchants of Venice. This port in Apulia even today provides important travel connections to and from a long list of sea and airports.The shoreline is low and sandy for the whole stretch of coast, favored by a mild climate. Charming vacation destinations, along with one of the major natural areas of the region and an important spa, attract tourism to Brindisi’s coastal strip, with many important traces left from ancient times.Much of the hinterland is occupied by the Murge Platueau that, in the north, meets the Itria Valley, known as the “Land of the Trulli.” Cultivated fields alternate, in a mosaic of colors, with large expanses of olive groves, vineyards and colorful orchards, interrupted only by roads and sporadic clearings. Ancient villages dominated by fortresses and watchtowers tell the story of Frederick II of Swabia and the Angevin domination, but even more ancient testimonies relate the presence of the prehistoric Messapian Civilization.
