Alberobello, the capital of trulli
Located in the Itria Valley, Alberobello is the capital of the trulli, these white circular dry stone houses covered with lime and topped with a conical roof. Dating back to prehistoric times, the trulli developed in the 15th century... for purely economic reasons! The government of Naples taxed any new construction of houses. To avoid paying the tax, the lords forced the peasants to live in trulli. There are more than 1600 trulli spread over two districts: the Monti district (very touristy) and the Aia Piccola district where the trulli are still occupied by the inhabitants. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Polignano a Mare and its natural caves
Perched on high limestone cliffs, the transparent blue colour of the Adriatic Sea at this point has made Polignano a Mare famous. The town is full of treasures: the white houses and narrow streets are a reminder of its Greek origins, but it is above all the natural caves carved out by the waves that give the town its unique character. There are 80 of them! Not all of them can be visited, but most of them can be approached on a boat trip. Some, such as Grotta Pallezzese, can be reached by narrow stairs cut into the rock.
The Caves of Castellana
A few kilometres from Alborello and Polignano a Mare, the Castellana Caves are one of the natural gems of Puglia. Formed almost 100 million years ago, they were discovered in 1938. Open to the public, the 3km route allows you to discover a large number of galleries with poetic names given by the explorers (the Grave, the Cave of the Monuments, the Serpent's Corridor, the White Cave, the She-wolf, the Upside Down Column, etc). Since its opening, nearly 15 million visitors have come to admire concretions, fossils, canyons and caves.
Lecce and its religious buildings
Nicknamed the "Florence of the south", Lecce is the epitome of baroque and elegance. Monuments, palaces, churches, everything is built with Lecce stone, a very soft limestone that can be sculpted in great detail, hence the great impression of richness and harmony that you feel as soon as you enter the city through Porta Napoli. You can admire the Piazza del Duomo and visit the many buildings that surround it: the Duomo of Lecce, the Campanile and the Palazzo del Seminario. In the heart of the city centre, you can't miss the Roman amphitheatre near Piazza Sant'Oronzo.
Lovers of religious buildings and amazing sculptures will be delighted by a visit to the Basilica of Santa Croce, which took almost a hundred years to build (between 1549 and 1695). If you feel a little hungry during your walk, don't hesitate to "eat on the go" a puccia: a thick pancake filled to your taste with raw ham, cheese, tomato... A treat!
Otranto and its historical remains
Otranto is the easternmost town in Italy. Its strategic position has made it an important port and the gateway for all trade in the south of the country. It has also been invaded by the Byzantines, the Normans and also the Turks who, in the 15th century, tried to convert the population to Islam and massacred several hundred inhabitants.
A fortified city since antiquity, the castle destroyed by the Turks was rebuilt by Alfonso of Aragon in the 15th century. Once past the gigantic Porta Terra, you can wander through the maze of narrow streets of the old town. For a complete change of scenery, just a few kilometres from Otranto, you can discover the "red earth" and the Cava di Bauxite, an old mine, where a small lake of turquoise water contrasts with the colour of the earth.
Gargano National Park
It is called "the spur of Italy". With its 120,000 hectares, it is the largest park in the country. It is a paradise on the Adriatic Sea with mountains, forests, lakes and large limestone plateaus. It is possible to visit the natural caves carved by the waves by boat. The park extends even beyond the land, as the archipelago of the Tremiti Islands is located 20 km from the coast.
Matera, one of the oldest cities in the world
Famous for its cave dwellings called sassi, Matera has been elected European Capital of Culture in 2019. One of the oldest cities in the world, the natural caves of the Murge plateau have been used as shelters by humans since the Paleolithic period. Today, there are nearly 3,000 habitable caves.
Over the centuries, some of the caves have been transformed into rock churches, notably in the 7th and 8th centuries when they were occupied by Byzantine monks. By 1950, the sassi had become a vast shanty town where living conditions were intolerable and infant mortality very high. Evacuated by government decision, the sassi were left abandoned until the 1980s, when a vast programme of restoration and preservation was launched. Like Alberobello, Matera is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Peschici and its beautiful beaches
Built on a rocky promontory some 100 metres above the Adriatic Sea, Peschici owes its name to its fine sandy beaches. You can wander through the labyrinthine and winding streets of the old town. Along the coast, you will find trabucchi, wooden buildings over the water that were originally used for net fishing and have been converted into restaurants. Don't hesitate to stop by the towers that were originally used to watch over the sea, especially the one at Monte Pucci, which offers an incredible panorama.
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The Tremiti Islands
In ancient times, this archipelago located off the Gargano was called the "Diomede Islands". "Tremiti" refers to the three main islands of the archipelago: San Domino, San Nicola and Capraia. Take the ferry to Tremiti and dock at San Domino. The island is covered in pine trees, while the others have much drier vegetation, and is popular with tourists for its sandy beach.
The island is infamous for having been used as an internment camp for homosexuals during the Mussolini era. On the island of San Nicola, the administrative capital of the archipelago, you can immerse yourself in the history of the place thanks to the architectural wealth on offer: fortifications, Romanesque churches, etc.
Castel del Monte and its mysterious castle
Located 70km from Bari, Castel del Monte was built in the 13th century during the reign of Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen. The absence of a moat and drawbridge suggests that it never played a military defence role. It remains a mystery to historians. Perhaps it was only intended to blend western and eastern traditions, as it is exactly halfway between Chartres Cathedral and the Great Pyramid of Cheops, one of the seven wonders of the world. The castle is built around the number 8, which is the symbol of infinity: 8 towers with 8 sides, each floor in the castle is divided into 8 rooms, the inner courtyard is octagonal... Enough to fuel the most unlikely and mystical hypotheses. It is even said that the castle would have housed the Holy Grail.
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