Puglia, the daughter of history. How can we describe a region that wherever we look she offers different sensations, new facets, rediscovered treasures, unexplored habitats, old traditions? This question accompanied us on our wanderings through this at-times solitary land. All its cities, towns, villages and hamlets left us with the conviction that it could never be possible to describe Puglia in full, as this strip of Italy with its coastline looking east over the Mediterranean is not all that meets the eye, or that you can touch and taste, but is represented more in the way its people welcome you, inviting you to admire, discover and enjoy. These sensations are indescribable, belonging to the visitor’s inner-self and which can only be reaped and savored if he leaves his mind free to wander unhampered through a land without borders that has cohabited with different ethnic groups from the bottom to the top of the scale of civilization, creating a culture that is the daughter of both the mysterious Orient and the pragmatic west at the same time. Tourism in Puglia is concentrated mainly in its seaside resorts and it couldn’t be otherwise in view of the evolution of the coastline in a region that offers almost eight hundred kilometers of beaches bathed by the Adriatic and Ionian seas, since ancient times the great communication routes along which a myriad different of races and cultures traveled.
Brindisi
Halfway between the ancient “Apulia” (provinces of Foggia and Bari), and the ancient “Calabria” (the Salento peninsula) Brindisi, once inhabited by the Messapians, blends the two souls of Apulia. Here, the people, the traditions, the habits, the folk festivals, and the landscape still preserve the essence of the past.
Lecce
Fascinating and welcoming, Salento is a world in itself, unique for its shape and soil structure, for its landscapes, traditions, language, customs, folklore, and for the merry, proud, aristocratic yet quiet, resigned character of its inhabitants. Western civilization and Eastern magic are happily merged in this mysterious corner of the peninsula, the “Heel” of Italy. History and art are interwoven along the Ionian and the Adriatic coast; wild, untouched shores are alternated with modern tourist villages, green oasis with bright villages where life is still simple and where the people give a worm welcome to foreigners. It is a land rich in memories, superlative monuments, enchanting villas, endowed with a poetic craftsmanship, an unmistakable life-style and a fine gastronomic tradition.
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Taranto & Ionio Coast
Salento, Porto Cesareo, Beach, Torre, Ionian Sea
This is the part of Apulia which was most influenced by Magna Grecia; manners became more refined; there was rapid progress in science, architecture and philosophy; the arts and craftsmanship developed in the light and example of Greek civilization. An almost three-thousand-year history is reflected in this exciting town, the main one in the province, which excels for its ancient culture and art, its numerous prehistoric relics and richly frescoed crypts. It stands in fertile land, the “conca d’oro”(golden valley) along the Ionian coast, and mainly grows citrus fruits. It offers sunny beaches and sandy dunes and produces authentic handicraft products that stand the test of time: all this and more distinguishes the province of Taranto and its coastline.
Alberobello
Italy, Pouilles, Trulli, Alberobello
Alberobello is situated upon two hills, once separated by riverbed. On the eastern hill is the new town, with modern architectural features; on the other top, set out to West, the trulli are lined up in an urban conglomeration, subdivided into two districts: Monti and Aia Piccola, both National Monuments. The agricultural landscape is characterized by a thick vegetation of almonds and olives, which thrive on karstic land. Since the birth of Alberobello, it is from the stratified calcareous rocks that it has been taken the building materials, used for the trulli roof covering. The history of this unusual little town dates back to the second half of the XVI century, when being a little feud under the control of the Acquaviva family, Counts of Converasno, it began to be filled up with framers who made the (so called) Selva a fruitful land. The Counts authorized the colonists to build dry dwellings, in order to get them easily pulled down in case of royal inspections; as a matter of fact, according to the Prammatica de Baronibus, the birth of an urban conglomeration required the payment of a tax. This trick allowed then to spare this unjust tax… It was the year 1797 and a group of brave people from Alberobello, tired of their precarious condition, went to Taranto to ask for help to king Frdinando IV of Bourbons who listened and made a promise. On the 27th of May, 1797 the king sent a Decree by means of which the little village became free. The trullo dwellings are dominated by the external use of sheets of stones, the chiancole, which cover the conic roof and create a wonderful urban centre, unique in the world, that today everybody come and admire.
Rione Monti
Rione Monti includes about 1.000 trulli, reachable from seven artistic streets, which meet at the top of the hill, where the church of St. Antonio, also trullo-shaped, masters the view. The local handicraftsmen skillfully give shape to the prototypes of little trulli made of stone, handmade articles; polychromatic materials and rich hand painted crockery. Almost all trulli are used for tourist reception and for craft works. In this area it is possible to admire the trulli made unique by their externals; unique of its genre is the Trullo Siamese: it is formed by two conic roofs meeting at the top. Here is its story: inherited by the father, two brothers live there as long as they fall in hate for each others because of a girl, who had promised her love to the elder but fell in love with the younger. As soon as the love affair was discovered, the family life between the two brothers became quarrelsome. According to the will of both, the building was split by a wall and each brother housed half of it. The House of Love : built immediately after the issue of the Liberation Decree in 1797, The House of Love is a sign of the victory of the inhabitants of Alberobello against the prohibition imposed byte Counts of Conversano not to use mortar or to make changes to the trulli. During the building period, lime and bolo (clayey mixed soil) were used, for the first time, as building materials. In memory it has been placed a small epigraph on the facade which still recalls the event.
The trullo-shaped Church
Thanks to the offers both the inhabitants of Alberobello and the emigrants to the American countries Antonio Lippolis, a local priest, decided the building of this trullo-shaped church in the respect of the surrounding handmade products, and with the intention of stemming the diffusion of Protestantism in the Monti Area. The facade is crowned by three wings, it is adorned by a rose window and by two round windows like the round arch at the entrance door. The trullo-shaped dome measures 19,80 m.; over it, a light window overlooks from 3,20 m. The tower bell raises to 18,90 m. and it is surmounted by a small dome. The interior is Greek cross-shaped.
The Shrine
The facade of the Church dates back to 1885 and it is neoclassical. The finishing external works occurred in the following years, and followed the project by Antonio Curri, an architect from Alberobello. The inner decoration is recent; it is the sign of the priest who followed one upon the other with time. Besides the beautiful statues of the Saints, Cosma and Damiano, patron saints of the town, in the shrine are also admirable other sacred images, fresco paintings, altars, the choir, a cross-shaped organ and lots of paintings on religious themes. Particularly in September and October, it is the destination of pilgrims coming from various Apulian towns and on September the 27th and 28th the sacred images in procession send thousands of devotes into deep devotion.
The Sovereign trullo
Built in the second half of the XVI century and situated behind the Shrine, it is a two floor trullo. Inside, it is almost impossible to count the rooms; here, a rich priest, Cataldo Perta, owner of the place, housed the Confraternity and the Saints Doctors for some years.
Aia Piccola
The name aia (farmyard) recalls a wide space which in ancient times was used for the corn threshing. the whole area, set out to South-East, includes about 400 trulli, mostly inhabited and still used as dwellings; this area actually suggests the idea of an old medieval village.
Vieste – Story Of Popes, Kings and Seafarers
The particular geographical position of Vieste – a natural outpost of the peninsula on the Adriatic where the West faces the East – has brought both bitterness and brilliance to the town in its long history. Vieste has honored the passage of such popes as Alexander III and Celestinus V, of kings like Frederiek II of Swabia and Alfonso of Aragon, and of intrepid men-at-arms such as the Doge of Venice Pietro Orseolo II. During the 15th and 17th centuries, Vieste was subject to periodic incursions by the Turks. In the heart of the old town center a rock known as “Chianca Amara” records that on that spot the Viestians taken prisoner in the sack of the town were decapitated by the Turkish pirate Dragut. The people of Vieste paid a steep price for the strategic position of their town. Yet honors and privileges have also been bestowed on the town down through the centuries. Vieste enjoyed a position of particular strategy importance for the Suevians, the Angevins and the Aragonese. So much history has passed between the white walls of Vieste. Just strolling through the alleys and lanes of the town, you can feel the past is a tangible presence. Every stone in these archways, balconies and walls could tell the passerby countless tales of past deeds – the Castle, whose original foundations date back to the year 1000; the early medieval Cathedral housing the wooden statue of S. Maria di Merino, protectoress of the town; the church and convent of S. Francis; the church of S. Maria of Constantinople with its 17th century Franciscan house, near by the port; the 16th and 17th century defending towers stretching out down the coast… Vieste is where history and myth have blended in. Visitors from near and far have always been welcomed in Vieste, where people of different races and cultures have traditionally met and mixed. And this honored respect for “those who come from afar” is today the cornerstone of Vieste’s holiday appeal. Cordiality and courtesy are backed by a range of top quality infrastructures and facilities: alongside hotels, holiday villages and camping sites equipped to meet most tastes and needs, there are also countless attractions, ranging from restaurants to entertainment, from sports to discos. There is no such thing as boredom in Vieste – discover the town and its historical milieu, dine in the typical local restaurants, dancing in the town’s discotheques and have fun!
