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LOCATION AND TERRITORY

Apulia or Puglia is a long, slender region with a vast stretch of sun-baked coastline. Apulia's southernmost tip, the Salento peninsula, forms the heel of the Italian boot.
The region consists of rolling plains and gentle uplands, sources of grain and the nation's largest volumes of wine and olive oil.

It’s a mix of both natural and man made sights: beautiful beaches, flat plains of wheat or olive groves, nature preserves, family run farms, large ports, and small fishing villages. With its National Parks of Gargano and Murge, Tremiti Island and Torre Guaceto marine reserves and several more protected areas, Apulia has a diverse natural landscape that is also perfectly protected.
Moreover it abounds in castles, churches and ancient ruins, all of them still far away from the major tourist tracks, at least for now.

ACTIVITIES

The bicycle is the ideal way to see Puglia’s rural countryside.
The region’s small roads and natural cycling tracks allow visitors to reach most of the monuments and significant cultural sites with complete freedom and independence.


Apulia is a land of winds and holiday is a perfect time for learning how to sail, dive toward fascinating sea beds, surf, kite-surf and windsurf, enjoying the sea in complete freedom.

There are high-quality facilities where one can play golf at every time of the year in a unique set that stretches from the sea to olive groves.

A relaxing holiday with the treatments and relaxation of Santa Cesarea, Torre Canne and Margherita di Savoia wellness spas.

WHAT TO VISIT

Bari
The port of Bari is separated into the winding streets of La Citta Vecchia (old city) and the more modern plan of the Citta Nuova (new city). The old city is home to the famous Basilica of San Nicola, resting place of the saint who inspired Santa Clause whose remains were stolen from his homeland in Turkey.
The imposing Norman Castle is an excellent place to get a view of the old city and the Adriatic.
The new city is a grid of broad streets and avenues lined with shops and grand hotels. The immediate area around Bari makes and excellent road trip to visit the many Cathedrals stretching along the coast road north of the city.

Ostuni
Cycle along the scenic ridge road to Ostuni. Known as “The White City”, Ostuni is on the remains of a prehistoric town destroyed during the final throes of the Second Punic War. Its labyrinthine alleyways and cobblestone streets are ideal for exploring by foot or by bike. Visit to the Spanish-influenced, fifteenth-century Cathedral.

Lecce
The former Greek and Roman colony of Lecce is the home to some of the best Baroque stonework in Italy. The soft pinkish stone of Lecce is very easy to work with and it was decided in the 17th century to cover Lecce's monuments in Baroque veneer.
The facades of the church of Santa Croce and the Palazzo del Governo are an entire block of ornate carving. Other Baroque masterpieces are the churches of Santa Chiara and the church of San Matteo.
The Piazza San Oronzo is home to a Roman Amphitheater as well as a column once located in Brindisi to mark the end of the Via Appia. Other ancient ruins including Apulian tombs can be found a short ride from Lecce at Rudiae.

Salento
Sun, sea and wind, these are the key elements of the Salento, the extreme southeast extension of Italy, a land bathed by two seas, the Ionian and the Adriatic.
Salento coast is characterized by a high variety in landscapes: the clear, fine sand beaches of Santa Cesarea seafront; famous caves such as Castro cave with its Grotta Romanelli, one of the most important Italian prehistoric settlements, and Grotta Zinzulusa, 'the pearl of caves', owing its name to the dialect word 'zinzuli', ('rags'), used by fishermen to indicate its beautiful stalactites and stalagmites

In Southern Apulia, at the heart of Salento, nine municipalities united to save what is still left of the ancient Grika culture. Its language, songs and feasts still show the culture of Greece Magna.

In Salento you have to visit Otranto and Santa Maria di Leuca.
Otranto was firstly a colony of the Magna Graecia and then a Roman municipium. It offers lots of interesting things to do for a holiday based on scenery, history and culture. Walking around the old part of the town, you will be fascinated by the old district enclosed within the Aragon walls, with white houses and little streets paved with bare stone that converge on the beautiful cathedral.

Santa Maria di Leuca is a hamlet of Castrignano del Capo and it is one of the most popular tourist places. It is famous for its lighthouse the large Sanctuary, or Basilica, De Finibus Terrae ('End of the Land').

Gargano & Daunia
Daunia and Gargano territories offer a wide variety of scenarios: sweet hills in Fortore river valley, Daunian Apennine area and Ofanto river valley, Gargano national park, Tavoliere delle Puglie tableland and unpolluted Tremiti archipelago.

Where endless wheat stretches rise and one can watch without seeing the horizon there is the Tavoliere, a witness of Foggia, San Severo and Cerignola the agricultural tradition.
The greenest area in Apulia: Gargano National Park. It stands for its vegetation, ranging from forests to maquis.

DON'T MISS

Alberobello
The city of Alberobello is home to over 1000 of the traditional Apulian Trulli houses, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  
Trulli are particular houses built of stone without any use of mortar. They are circular, conical-roofed whitewashed. Their roofs, topped with peaks, have concentric rows of gray slate and looks they are painted with astrological or religious symbols.
Their characteristic is that in the surrounding inside temperature remains almost constant irrelevant of outside temperature, therefore it is fairly warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Some of the Trulli have been converted into shops but many are still private homes. However don't be surprised if a friendly local invites you in to see what a Trulli looks like on the inside. There are other Trulli that have been restored to their original condition that you can visit and some Trulli can be rented. A visit in winter, with the Trulli dusted with a light snow adds even more to the fairytale atmosphere of Alberobello.

Tremiti Islands
Tremiti Archipelago in north of Gargano National Park. Two of the islands have been populated since antiquity and the wonderful natural scenario they are in is enriched by the several stories and legends, which have been passed over for centuries now, showing the tight connection between islanders, sea and nature.
Five Tremiti islands are considered as veritable natural heavens. Seabeds, caves and erosions carved by the waves and winds represent overpowering attractions for scuba divers and sea lovers.

FOOD SPECIALTIES

Orecchiette. Pasta that bears in minds the shape of the human ear.

Altamura bread. Widely renowned thanks to its unmistakable taste and yellow color derived from wheat flour.

Friselle. Disks of dried bread dipped in water and seasoned, with olive oil, hot peppers, and freshly tomatoes.

CLIMATE AND TRAVEL SEASON

The climate is Mediterranean typically: dry heat in summer and mild in winter. In the territory of Puglia the rains are very rare. Only in winter there are some rainy precipitations. Puglia is the least rainy region than Italy.
Puglia is popular with Italian visitors in July and August. To avoid crowds on the coast or the hot summer temperature and stifling heat inland, go in spring when it is quiet and mild.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Frisella Festival. July and August – Different towns. Dampen the frisella with water, top it with tomatoes, oil, oregano and salt, and it's ready to eat. It's the perfect food for farm workers; you can buy friselle year-round in local food shops.

The Knife Dance. August – Torrepaduli (Ruffano). It is a century-old tradition, which is held on the day of the Patron Saint, San Rocco. This traditional dance consisted in a contest between two men in the group, which fought with the “knives” (their fingers).

The cavalcade of St. Oronzo. August – Ostuni. Every year, the 25th, 26th and 27th of August are days dedicated to the Saint. On the 26th a procession of dressed up horses and knights parades across the city to guard the patron papier-mâché statue.

The Sagra dei Tarallucci e Vino. April - Alberobello. The stars of the show are the little taralli - traditional sweet or savoury Pugliese biscuits.

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