Puglia Italy
If you have already toured the northern part of Italy and are looking for something equally fascinating, completely different and much less crowded, then consider Puglia. Apulia as it is known in English, is Italy’s boot heel, its southeastern most region. Gateway to and from the East, it has been conquered by legions of foreign rulers. One of which was Frederick II (1194-1250), the last Emperor of the Hohenstaufen line. An enlightened man, he built many castles which still grace the region, along with acres and acres of vineyards and olive groves.
Apulia produces one-tenth of the wine drunk in Europe; and its olive oil is renowned. Traditionally both of these commodities were mainly used to dilute their finer counterparts up north, but lately the local food artisans have begun creating some first-rate oils and vintages that are available throughout the region. They perfectly complement the super-fresh seafood and vegetables that are the staples of ‘la tavola pugliese’.
It offers at least one excellent archeological museum, a host of cathedrals dating back to the 10th century, several deserted – and thus highly atmospheric – Greek and Roman ruins, a gleaming necklace of lively fishing villages, one of Europe’s largest forests, a chain of medieval hill towns, and some of the very cleanest beaches and water in the Mediterranean. It also has its own subspecies of architecture, called barocco leccese. Characterized by extremely ornate carvings that cover the entire surface of churches and palazzi, its apex is reached in the delightful little city of Lecce.
