Puglia
The southeast corner or ‘heel’ of Italy is the fascinating and relatively undiscovered area of Puglia. A region of outstanding natural beauty with an unspoilt coastline of bays, coves and long stretches of sandy beaches. The sun baked coastline is interspersed with lush Mediterranean vegetation, scores of silvery olive trees, rows of verdant vineyards, rugged wooded mountains and fishing harbours. The typical sights must be the conical roof shaped ‘Trulli’ houses, the white washed villages, bougainvillaea, historic churches and the full bodied wine.
Alberobello is the ‘Trulli’ capital of Puglia, and boasts over 1500 examples of Trulli houses, the typical white washed limestone dwellings. These typical houses clustered together contrast with the blue skies to create an exotic village vista. The Baroque exuberance of towns like Lecce are evidence of the Spanish legacy. Lecce is an elegant university town where its Hapsburg Spanish heritage is revealed. Rich in architectural treasures and full of the atmosphere of the deep south, the town was founded before the ancient Greeks, but it is best known for the Baroque architecture, of its many buildings, dating from Lecce’s heyday in the 16th century.
The delightful coastal resort of Monopoli is an old venetian trading port with a lovely historic centre and lively port. Just a few miles from Lecce, heading towards the Ionian Sea, Gallipoli, a picturesque old town whose ‘beautiful city’, is in fact an island connected to the mainland. Ostuni is a delightful little town known as the ‘White City’ because of its white washed streets and buildings. In the centre of the town are several lovely Baroque monuments and an ornate 16th century church. The town is also close to a quiet stretch of coastline. Savelletri di Fasano has a spectacular hill top location close to the wonderful coastline, and lies between the sea and the hills above the pretty town of Fasano.
