PUGLIA - Discover its magic

PUGLIA - Discover its magic

Puglia is a land of extraordinary colours and wonderful variety - an undulating plateau of rich, red earth, dark green pine-forested hillsides, silvery green olive trees and lush vineyards; sparkling white labyrinths of towns' historic centres, which seem to glisten in the sun; milky white mediaeval centres with their tangles of cobbled streets and alleyways; grey and natural hues of Baroque churches; dustings of pink on villa walls; long stretches of golden, sandy beaches; and all against a backdrop of deep, deep blue Mediterranean sea and sky.

Pugliese towns, gems of architectural and historical interest, have that charming mixture of modern and old rural life – meander through narrow, ancient streets, and suddenly come upon colourful markets, interesting shops, a chic little bar or restaurant, incongruous in one way, and yet in another, totally at home amongst Baroque churches – typically Italian!

 

The "World Heritage" Itria Valley, near the sea, has unique stone, conical-roofed trulli houses, lots of them, scattered picturesquely around the countryside.

 

Typical of Puglia, too, are the gracious masserie, farmhouses and country estates, usually surrounded by thousands of of ancient olive trees. Local towns, like mediaeval Cisternino, have sparkling white houses and narrow, traffic-free streets, which meander through to the central square. Ostuni perches, like a wedding cake, on a hill. In Locorotondo, flowers explode from pretty balconies. Martina Franca is an elegant and beautiful Baroque town. Savelletri is a busy fishing village. Monopoli is a beautiful, old, walled town with an historic port. 

 

Puglia's south, the Salento, is a very different landscape, with olive trees to the horizon and acres of vineyards. Lecce, “the Florence of the South”, bursts with Baroque. Mediaeval castles, quaint harbours, tangles of narrow streets, cathedrals, churches and catacombs can all be visited in Avetrana, Gallipoli and Otranto. On the very tip of the heel, in the resort of Santa Maria di Leuca, you can dip one foot in the sparkling, crystal waters of the Adriatic, and the other in the Ionian.
 

 

In Puglia's north you can visit splendid cathedrals and magnificently imposing castles in Conversano and Bari, or the famous octagonal castle in Castel Del Monte. The Gargano Promontory's ancient forest is undiscovered and beautiful, and the coast is spectacular.

 

 

Everything you eat in Puglia will be dictated by the seasons. Restaurants buy produce and ingredients locally. Farmers, still farming as their forefathers did, laugh when asked whether their cultivation is organic. “Isn't everything?” they smile knowingly - organic production is no new idea to them.

 

 

The pace of life is slow, the food is delicious and the people are kind and gentle. What more could you want?