Puglia

Puglia

It is a journey divided into two segments. The first part is dedicated to Puglia, in particular to the territory of the “Salento,” of the D’itria valley, and of the Murgia Appulo-Lucane. The program includes an extension to the neighboring Basilicata region, with Matera. It is a journey designed for tourists that are more attentive to the territory, to relaxation to culture and history. The tour starts and ends in Brindisi, the road to the East since the time of the Caesars. Brindisi, Roman province in the period of the Empire, final destination of the oldest road in Europe, the “Appia” road. And it is in this direction, on the North Western axis that will initially turn the journey, in the territory of the nearby Itria valley. Luxuriant, with its rolling hills, the Mediterranean vegetation, the centuries-old olive trees that saw the passage of the Roman legions, of Frederick II, who lived most of his life in these lands, of the Crusaders who from Brindisi boarded the Holy Land. The Murge, rugged and wild, with the gravine (canyons) among the most important in Italy. Characteristic towns, the White Ostuni, Alberobello, Unesco heritage and then Matera which has its roots in the Palaeolithic and is experiencing one of the most flourishing cultural moments of its history. Fascinated by the landscape with its Norman-Swabian influences, the route reverses, and goes on to South East and will we start to enjoy a territory rich in Hellenistic influences.
We reach now the South-Salento, called “the Greece of Salento,” once the territory of Magna Graecia, with towns where ancient Greek is still spoken and whose name leaves no doubts about its origin. Castrignano dei Greci, Patù, Kalimera. Starting from Lecce with its Baroque architecture, passing through Otranto with the troubled history of the invasions suffered over the centuries, and then Santa Maria di Leuca, “the end of the lands” with its promontory, a watershed between the two seas. This territory that will satisfy the most demanding palates for many reasons, in particular for its food and wine excellence. This land could give birth to native vines such as Primitivo, Aleatico, Nero di Troia, Malvasia, Negramaro, Susumaniello. Tables set with products from the area and the sea, wines, oils, and Greek music will be the right frame of our journey, the end of which, in Brindisi, will be the perfect springboard to jump across the Adriatic and continue with the week in Greece. Our legs will now be tonic and our enthusiasm at the top.