If you imagine Italy as a fancy boot, the area at the heel of the boot is known locally as Puglia (Apulia in English.) The land, ripe for invasion, reflects those events, especially on the Adriatic coast, where you see the Greek influence. The buildings gleam with white-washed stucco. Color comes from various forms of cacti and a local flare for decoration.
Our first stop was Polignano a Mare, a small sea town, proud of its most famous son, Domenico Modugno, known for the song “Volare” or “Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu.” They even have a street dedicated to the song.
While in Puglia you have the opportunity to dine on Orecchiette, an ear-shaped pasta that collects the sauce quite well and then view stunning cliff vistas of the Adriatic Sea. Clift diving is popular here but we did not participate.
Moving on, we traveled to Alberobello, a town in the central area of this region known for a “beehive” type roofing. The “trullo” houses can be seen in other areas but Alberobello has a neighborhood. After walking down the quaint, narrow streets, we left and traveled north a bit to stay at a place that featured the trullo style of housing. Inside it is somewhat dark and very cool – quite relaxing.
Our final stay was going to be Santa Maria di Leuca, a small town on the Ionian Sea but I was unable to find lodgings, so we slept in Gallipoli and drove around during the day. An interesting side trip occurred in Santa Maria al Bagno, a few minutes north of Gallipoli. There is a small aquarium that obtains their animals from the sea, which is a block down the road, keeps them in tanks for viewing, and then returns the creatures to the sea. I was particularly enamored with the octopus who didn’t seem to mind company.
Santa Maria di Leuca, right on the water, had a moderate amount of tourists visiting for the beach but since it is autumn, the town was not in season, which was good for us. We enjoyed the views while dining on the catch of the day – an entire Amberjack.
Puglia is where much of the olives and grain are grown for the country. While driving you can observe miles of olive groves as well as vineyards. The temperatures grew warm in the day but cooled off quite nicely at night.
