Attractions

Bari is the capital of the region which also includes the provinces of Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce and Taranto.

Other touristic sites include Alberobello-home of the Trulli, the “white town” of Ostuni, Manfredonia, Martina Franca, Trani, Barletta and Andria, Gioia del Colle, San Giovanni Rotondo, Molfetta, Mesagne, Conversano, Canosa, Otranto, Santa Maria di Leuca, Gallipoli.

Lucera, dominated by a massive Fortezza Angioina (Castel del Monte), a pentagonal castle with 24 defense towers studding its one-half mile of perimeter walls.

The simple Gothic cathedral is one of the few intact examples of Angevin architecture in Italy, and the amphitheater, dating from the 1st century BC, is among the oldest Roman ones in existence.

Troia, where the cathedral is a fine example of Apulian style, combining classic romanesque architecture with detailed Oriental carvings.

Siponto, the 11th-century church of Santa Maria, situated in a quiet pine grove surrounded by Roman ruins.

Manfredonia, embarkation point for the Crusaders.

Monte Sant'Angelo, one of Europe's oldest and most revered Christian shrines. From here begins one of those legendary Italian roads, the coastal route around the Gargano promontory. As you drive up to heights of 3000 feet, to your left will be the Foresta Umbra (Shady Forest), a 62,000-acre treasure trove of ancient pine, oak, beech, chestnuts and 2,000 other species of plant, shrub and tree. The forest is inhabited by hundreds of animal species, many of whom came from the Balkans and were stranded here when Yugoslavia broke away from the Italian heel. To your left will be one of the most pristine stretches of the Adriatic Sea, lined with crystal-clear waters, gleaming white beaches, mysterious grottos and dozens of trabucchi, rustic fishermen's taverns serving freshly-caught fish. If you're here in summer, visit the Gargano on weekdays to avoid the crowds; use the towns of Rodi Garganico, Peschici or Mattinata as your base for the same reason. On the road from Peschici to San Menaio, you'll have trouble missing Lo Zappino dello Scorzone, Italy's tallest Aleppo pine. Seven hundred years old, it measures sixteen feet around at the base.

Barletta, which has a romanesque cathedral that is greatly overshadowed by the town's most famous monument, a 16-foot tall Colossus statue cast in Constantinople in the 4th century. Pilfered by the Venetians (along with the four bronze horses that now top St. Mark's Basilica), this statue was shipwrecked and washed ashore here in the 14th century.

Trani, a lovely medieval quarter and a picturesque fishing port. The town cathedral is literally perched at the edge of the water; best viewed at sunset, the off-white building actually contains three churches layered atop each other.

Molfetta, the old cathedral, distinguished from the new one by the former's three domes and two bell towers. To see the culmination of Apulian romanesque architecture, take a short inland detour to visit Bitonto's cathedral.

Altamura, whose cathedral was rebuilt by Frederick II after the Saracens sacked the town. Just across the valley is Gravina in Puglia (see picture, left), an eery place where carved skeletons seem to lurk on every corner and one of the two grotto churches, S. Michele, hosts a cemetery filled with the neatly-stacked bones of Saracen victims.

Castellana Grotte, caverns thought to be the deepest in Europe.

Alberobello, the capital of trullo territory; here, street after street is lined with the whitewashed buildings, many of which have been converted into shops or restaurants. But the trullo is an ancient, mystical dwelling, and nowhere is it more satisfying to see than alongside the narrow local roads, surrounded by ancient olive trees straining up from the deep terra-cotta colored earth. Many of these rural trulli date from the 1600s and have been painted pastel colors; indecipherable hex symbols stand out clearly against the gray stone roofs.

Locorotondo is laid out in concentric circles on its hillside overlooking a valley blanketed with vineyards.

Martina Franca, a baroque town whose Palazzo Ducale is the only building in southern Italy attributed to the great Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The church of San Martino is also a jewel. More delightfully picturesque whitewashed hill towns abound, notably Cisternino and Ostuni, a shimmering mirage set on three hilltops. Its white walls, wrought-iron balconies and turquoise shutters will delight the eye of anyone who loves Greece.

Brindisi, is best left to its inhabitants and the sailors and Greece-bound travelers who swarm around its port, where a marble column marks the end of the ancient Appian Way.

Lecce, the pink city, the Florence of the Baroque, the gleaming gem of Apulia. Few travelers venture this far, and even fewer go on to Otranto, Italy's easternmost city. If you do, you will be rewarded with a 15th-century Aragonese castle and a cathedral whose entire floor is covered by an unforgettable 12th-century Tree of Life mosaic.

Gallipoli, a medieval town reached by crossing an ancient bridge. Here, among the timeworn walls, the picturesque fishing port, the Angevin castle and the baroque cathedral, you will hear very few tourists speaking English.

Some of Italy's most pristine beaches are along the road heading north to Taranto, whose Archeological Museum is second only to that of Naples. Here too you will find an ancient bridge, Roman ruins, an Aragonese castle, a baroque cathedral with a Byzantine cupola, a Doric column from the Greek temple of Poseidon: calling cards left by the legions of conquerors who have marched through Apulia over the last two millennia.

Festivities

Italians are unashamedly devoted to celebrating everything Italian - religion, food, love... And they show it with festivals, there's almost one a week in the summer, celebrating everything from clay whistles to grapes.

In Castellana Grotte, visit the Festival of the Virgin Mary, Rabbits and Chickens or Sagra del Pollo, held on the 7th and 8th of September each year. All the local butchers compete to produce the best (real) chicken scenes of corrupt politicians and local scandals. Some 25,000 chickens are consumed during the two-day festival. And the rabbits? Word has it that one year, the butchers ran out of chickens for their scenes and used rabbits instead !