Trullo Rosario - Puglia

PUGLIA

Puglia, also known as Apulia, is in the south of Italy; the heel of Italy's boot. The region is not one of Italy's traditional tourist destinations, but it is becoming increasingly popular as travellers discover the area's varied charms: baroque towns, white-washed trullo houses, olive groves and orchards, blue sea and beaches, plenty of sunshine and excellent cuisine.

The region is divided into six provinces: Bari (which is the regional capital), Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce, Taranto and the recently-constituted province of Barletta-Andria-Trani. The area around Lecce and the southernmost tip of the 'heel' is called the Salento. Puglia borders the regions of Campania, Molise and Basilicata. Basilicata's most famous site, the cave-town of Matera, is close to the Puglia border and makes a good addition to a tour in this region.

Unspoilt scenery, excellent food and wines are just a small portion of what is to be enjoyed. Religious feasts dominate the folk tradition of Apulia. The patron Saint's feast is celebrated in each town with processions, illuminations, fireworks and air balloons.

Given the range, variety and originality of its produce, Apulia may well be called a land of craftsmen. The most typical products are made of terracotta, from which ceramics of all kinds are produced throughout the region. More delicate ceramic work is also produced, glazed and decorated in elegant Baroque shapes which recall a past in which even the aristocratic class commissioned Apulian craftsmen to decorate and finish their sumptuous homes. Apulia was already inhabited in the third millennium B.C., with Greeks, Normans, Saracen and Spaniards influencing the flavours of the local cuisine such as lamb cooked with the freshest of herbs, cheeses and delicious pasta.

Apulia's beautiful shoreline is decorated with small whitewashed villages with most of its inhabitants living in the lively towns scattered along the coast. Each town has its own glorious Apulian Romenesque cathedral. A mild climate makes winter holidays possible. The jagged coastline is interspersed with beautiful sea caves, all of which are eminently worth a visit.

Almost always ruled by outsiders, Puglia was a primarily feudal farming region, and its character today still reflects its relatively humble agricultural past. The most glorious time for Puglia was probably the centuries when Greek colonists established cities in southern Italy. There's not much to see now in Puglia of the towns of Magna Graecia, but the pottery from the period ('Apulian ware') survives in museums here and around the world. The Romans established important ports here which served the Empire; the Appian Way which starts in Rome finishes in Brindisi, its end still marked by one surviving Roman column (its twin is now in Lecce). The next period to have left a bold impression on Puglia's landscape was the Middle Ages, when grand churches were built in Puglia's distinctive version of Romanesque style, with added elements influenced by the area's commerce with the East. In the thirteenth century Puglia was ruled by the 'Wonder of the World', the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, who built a string of castles through the region which are still among its most notable sights.

PUGLIA TOURIST DESTINATIONS

Puglia's most striking tourist attraction - because it is so unique - is the trulli district, around Alberobello (a UNESCO World Heritage site). A trullo is a simple dry-stone-walled building with a domed roof topped by a cone. They are dotted around the green Valle d'Itria, and in Alberobello the town's large clusters of white-washed trulli create an unusual and memorable scene. Also striking, in a more sophisticated style, is Lecce, a town famed for its baroque beauty: all golden stone and elegant seventeenth-century architecture with riots of cherubs and foliage. On the whole, the smaller towns of Puglia, and the countryside, make better holiday destinations than the big port cities. Martina Franca, Locorotondo, Cisternino and Ostuni are all picturesque hilltop towns scattered around the Valle d'Itria. Along the coast, Otranto is one of the most attractive seaside resorts, with a picturesque old town and blue waters. Around Taranto there are fascinating underground sanctuaries and churches, while at Castellana Grotte, close to Alberobello, there are impressive natural caverns offering guided tours.