The territory of Apulia boasts several firsts: of all the regions, it is the most easterly, has the longest coastline and its predominantly flat and hilly conformation makes it the least mountainous region in Italy. The Gargano promontory, the 'Spur of Italy', is the highest point: here, rich Mediterranean vegetation opens up to its visitors, who can immerse themselves in landscapes of unmistakable scents and colours. In Apulia, one should speak more of 'seas' than of 'sea': its coastline, in fact, is formed by white, golden and rocky beaches that give rise to very diverse and evocative marine settings, ranging from the wildest to veritable tropical paradises.
Dotted with archaeological sites, religious centres and cities rich in art and culture, Apulia encompasses millennia of human and natural history.
The places in Puglia are hidden gems that, once discovered, will leave an indelible mark on your travel memories. Like the small archipelago of the Tremiti Islands born, according to legend, from the Achaean hero Diomedes, or like the evocative Alimini lakes and the golden lands that are home to dolmens and menhirs from ancient times.
The Valle d'Itria, an expanse of olive trees rooted in the red earth, the Grotte di Castellana, ideal for a journey to the centre of the earth, and the numerous educational farms make the Salento peninsula almost a region apart, all to be experienced.
Puglia is an eclectic region, rich in cultural and natural resources. This is why the experiences travellers can have here are many and embrace different areas and contexts.
A walking tour in the city of Bari vecchia will take you to the wonders of the Romanesque style of the Basilica di San Nicola. Along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, which separates the old and modern city, you will walk through a maze of narrow streets and ancient medieval courtyards until you reach the fortress of the Swabian Castle, the city's historical emblem. In Andria, charm and mystery coexist in the fortress of Castel del Monte, an ingenious example of medieval architecture, commissioned by Frederick II of Hohenstaufen that contains references and symbolism that are still the subject of study and amazement. Lecce, with its Baroque decorations carved into the soft tufa of private homes, public buildings and churches, will take you into a magical atmosphere of warm, golden light.
During the summer, or on warm spring days, it is impossible to resist the lure of some of Italy's most beautiful beaches: Polignano a Mare (BA), 'the pearl of the Adriatic', birthplace of Domenico Modugno, which inspired his famous song 'Nel blu dipinto di blu' (In the blue painted blue), and the Baia dei Turchi in Torre dell'Orso, the Grotta della Poesia in Roca Vecchia, the Maldives of Salento and many others.
In Apulia, nature rewards its explorers by offering them its most beautiful and perhaps least known face: at the rocky spur of the Gargano, the heel of the Italian boot, there is the Foresta Umbra nature trail, where you can walk, trek or go horseback riding.
In Otranto, the Bauxite quarry will enchant you with its nuances of colour that cannot be found elsewhere. And it will be pure poetry, at sunset, to spot the pink flamingos at the Saline dei Monaci.
Finally, for an emotional journey, you can take the Green Road, in the uncontaminated territory of the Cento Masserie di Crispiano, in the province of Taranto, to reach beautiful places such as Cisternino (considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy), Alberobello with its trulli, the baroque Martina Franca, city of the Festival della Valle D'Itria, and many other centres just waiting to be discovered and experienced.
Apulia is the exaltation of Mediterranean taste; bread, oil and wine are the undisputed protagonists of the table in the most varied declinations. The bread of Altamura, with its inimitable flavour and fragrance, made only with remilled durum wheat and harvested in the area of origin, cannot be missing among the foods to be tasted during a trip to this region. The same can be said of puccia salentina or tarantina, a tasty flour dough with olives that, replacing bread, is ideal with almost any type of condiment and is perfect accompanied by a good glass of Negroamaro or Primitivo di Manduria.
On hot summer days between Lecce and Gallipoli, the legendary frise (or friselle, to be served moistened and seasoned with vegetables, capers and onions) are ideal for a fresh and absolutely tasty dinner.
Staying still in Lecce and the surrounding area, street food has only one name: 'Rustico', a real street food delicacy, to be eaten hot to enjoy that magic steaming mixture of tomato, mozzarella and béchamel encased in a light puff pastry.
Dessert lovers in Apulia will find full satisfaction for their senses. In Lecce, it is impossible not to taste pasticciotto: a sweet made of short pastry, filled with cream and sour cherries (in the traditional version) to be eaten fresh out of the oven. In Bari and Valle d'Itria, on the other hand, you cannot get up from the table without first tasting the 'sporcamussi' ('dirtying the mouth'). These puff pastry cakes filled with custard and covered with icing sugar are so called because eating them in one bite leaves visible traces of their deliciousness.
To conclude (although the list could go on), we cannot fail to mention some of Apulia's wines, famous throughout Italy: indigenous grape varieties from Negroamaro, Primitivo, uva di Troia to Bombino bianco and nero and Malvasia, make these wines unique and not to be found elsewhere.
The events to take part in in Apulia are not just events, but celebrate all the values of this wonderful region: the craftsmanship in art and food, the strong link with the past and the passionate work of the land.
In August, the alleys of Bari vecchia are transformed into an open-air stage during the Festival delle Arti di Strada, which hosts artists from all over the world, while in Cannole, near Lecce, La Festa della Municeddha is a typical Salento festival dedicated to snails in gastronomy: here, amidst singing, dancing and a desire to have fun, you can try it fried, roasted and with sauce.
Suggestive and absolutely unique is the 'gara dei Pupi' (puppet competition), held on New Year's Eve in Gallipoli: skilled papier-mâché masters are called together to take part in a spectacular competition involving the creation of traditional puppets: these, before being devoured by flames, will be put on display for two days.
In February, however, Putignano proudly continues to keep tradition alive, celebrating its famous carnival, one of the oldest in Europe.
But the Salento is also music, dance and rhythm: all celebrated in the Notte della Taranta, one of the most significant events of popular culture in Europe, which takes place in August in the squares of Salento.
Sports lovers can also watch the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series diving championships during the summer, hosted at one of its stops in the extraordinary landscape of Polignano: here, this incredible sport is transformed into a real spectacle.
Italiano