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At Puglia's thriving heart are the myriad of towns and cities each one different from the other and all with unique histories and traditions harking back longer than the collective memory records. The Regional capital, Bari, offers all that a big city can and more, while the Provincial capitals Lecce, Brindisi, Taranto and Foggia each boast their own gems and treasures to be discovered. Among the most rewarding of places to visit on a trip to Puglia though, are the smaller towns and villages, sometimes seemingly forgotten, even by time. In these small centres, traditional life is as it always has been, while the locals exude the same sense of hospitality noted by John of Salisbury in the 12th century.
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Botrugno A charming borgo which epitomises the south of Salento, Botrugno is a splendid town in which to whittle away a few hours enjoying all that is good about the mezzogiorno: great food, the slow pace of life and a patchwork of historical buildings and characteristic rural scenes. |
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Gallipoli Gallipoli is a lively and dynamic fishing port on the Ionian Coast of Apulia. The city's origins hark back to before settlement by the Greeks and it has remained a bustling and important trade centre for the area. Each year, its charming historical centre is home to the one of the area's most evocative and heart felt Holy Week celebrations. |
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Galatina Galatina is one of the most charming and gracious of the historical towns of the Salentine Peninsular. Highlights include the 14th century Basilica of Saint Catherine of Alexandria with its magnificently decorated interior, antique palazzi and one of the area's most famous bakeries which has been producing local specialties for over 250 years. |
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Lecce Florence of the South... Capital of Baroque ... however you describe it, Lecce cannot fail to delight and excite with its opulence and stately beauty. The Provincial Museum contains an impressive number of archeological finds which lay testament to the city's importance as a centre of civilization, learning and culture since Messapic times, through the Roman era and right up until modern times. |
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Nardò Nardò is an essential stop in any itinerary exploring the architectural marvels of the Baroque. From the Guglia dell’Immacolata to the Tempietto dell’Osanna, passing by the castle moat which transforms into an English style garden, the artistic creativity of the town’s monuments are testimony to its past splendour and the role of the hegemony of Nardò in the local territory. The richness extends to the historic houses and villas of the pleasant area known as “Le Cenate” which continues to be admired today by those passing by on their way to the seaside, slowing down to glimpse one detail or another and to pick out the most beautiful. |
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Otranto From some of Europe's most important prehistoric cave paintings preserved in the nearby Grotte dei Cervi at Porto Badisco to Otranto's stunning cathedral's 12th century floor mosaic, this romantic and fantastic setting of Walpole's novel The Castle of Otranto, inspiration of the entire genre of Gothic literature, has history, charm, magic and mystique far out of proportion to the town's tiny geographic dimensions. |
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Soleto Soleto is a tiny historical town in the Salentine Peninsular which occupies an important place in local history. With ancient Messapic origins, it maintained its importance as the home of the Counts of Soleto and the family of del Balzo Orsini. The highlights of a visit to Soleto include the tiny Chapel of Saint Stephen with its immensely evocative frescoes and the 14th century bell tower known as la Guglia. |