Apulia, is a land with thousand different facets. Actually, it is used to be called “Le Puglie”, underlining with the name in the plural the variety of microcosms thath make up its many-sided identity. The rough landscape is marked by limestone, red soil, huge hees, dry riverbeds of former sheams and vast areas of farmland.

Apulia was always a strategic area for Mediterranean people and it was colonized by Greeks, Romans and it was a long time under the influence of Byzantine, then it was gradually occupied by the Lombards, the franks and the Saracens. The region suffered the evils of the bad government until the 18th century when some improvement took place under the Bourbons who improved the communications building roads and ports, and granted some social and land reforms. In 1860 Apulia was annexed in the kingdom of Italy.

Capitanata and Gargano, Terra di Bari, Murge, Valle d’ Itria and Salento are not just geographical names but rather the tesserae of an enchanting mosaic created by history in a cultural melting pot. A mosaic made of sand and stone, rocky hills, silent lagoons and subterranean caves.

Apulia offers one excellent archeological museum, a host of cathedrals dating back to the 10 th century, Greek and Roman ruins, a gleaming necklace of lively fishing villages, a chain of medieval hill towns and some of the very cleanest beaches and water in the Mediterranean.

There is an attraction that you will see only in Apulia: i TRULLI, whitewashed cones made of stones held together without mortar, they are visible in almost every wheat field and olive grove, where they serve as miniature barns. But they are at their most picturesque when clustered together in the hundreds, to form a town.

Along the conical “trulli”, another of Puglia’s characteristic buildings is the “Masserie”. They are a type of communal housing which allowed the rural community to live and work in autonomous groups. The “Masserie” were first constructed to protect the inhabitants from attacks by pirates and brigands over 200 years ago. Inside each “masserie”was a large courtyard surrounded by residential accommodation and functional rooms. In the 17 th and 18 th centuries they took on more elaborate forms as the need for protection decreased. Terraces, fountains and even monumental staircases were added. It was only in the 1970’s a few started to open their doors to paying visitors. After many years a slow progress the last year or two has seen a relative boom time for everyone who has painstakingly invested in these historical structures.

Today, those who choose to visit Apulia will still find all this and much more, because Apulia is a land of arts, civilizations, colours, traditions and charming atmospheres for all seasons.