Ostuni, "the White City", divided between land and sea, medieval buildings and nightlife, also belongs to the province of Brindisi, has only 33,000 inhabitants and is located about 8 km from the Adriatic coast.
It’s the most important cultural centre of the Salento plain.
Capital of the homonym province, Brindisi has about 88,000 inhabitants and is located in the Salento plains, on the Adriatic Sea with which is connected from a natural harbour.
Brindisi was the principal centre of Messapia, always out of line with the near city Taranto. In 267 BC it was conquered by the Romans and linked to Rome by Via Appia and Via Traiana, whose end is attested by two Roman columns.
In Apulia, near to Bari, Castel del Monte stand over the Murge plateau and it is visible from many kilometers of distance.
It is a Mediaeval castle that Federico II own wished to buiold up around 1240, as control system centre of the territory and symbol of the power of the Svevi imperial house of which it
reproduces, in large-scale, the octagonal crown.
In the historical centre, overlooking the beautiful square, stands the cathedral, the bishop, the seminary and the church tower. Lecce Castle is born from a project of Gian Giacaomo dell'Acaya, upon order of Charles V.
Interesting sights to visit are also the amphitheatre, the Olivetani Convent, the Feast of St. Oronzo and the Provincial Archaeological Museum Sigismondo Castromediano.
The charm of Ostuni is the characteristic white colour of the ancient buildings. All the facades of the old town were white painted. This is what gave the names of White City
Get acquainted with the capital of the trullo, the conical maisonnettes characterising for this region. Decorated with primitive, Christian or magical symbols, these houses are listed on UNESCO's world heritages list.
No cement was used during the construction of these houses. The first trulli houses arose around 1500 B.C.
Polignano a Mare is a distinctive town rising up from the sea (Polignano means ‘built high’) with medieval streets cascading down to its grottoes.
Despite its quiet, languid daytime feel, its community atmosphere becomes spirited at around seven in the evening when everybody seems to come out to play.
During your visit in Lecce, you will realize to be in a real open air museum, where Lecce stone dominates uncontested in the palaces, the churches, the fortified buildings.
Among the many churches in the city, we remember the Basilica of Santa Croce, whose construction started in 1353 and was completed only in 1699.
The city of Bari was the seat of the Eastern Roman Empire fleet. After that Saint Nicola relics had been secretly filched and was later built the Basilica dedicated to the saint, Bari became one of the main Christianity centres.
Bari was the point of departure and return of the Crusades as well as communication bridge with the East.
Under the Normans domination, Lecce became a prestigious economic centre and was the capital of Salento. In 1463, Lecce fell under the Kingdom of Naples and became the most dynamic cultural centre of the Mediterranean; in this period it developed the baroque art with Lecce’s stone.
Capital of the Apulia Region, with its 316,500 inhabitants, is situated along the coast plain. It’s only a few kilometres from the border with Murgia Barese.
The Murgia is a limestone plateau bounded by Corso dell’Ofanto, by the region of Messapia, Basilicata and the Adriatic Sea.
Gallipoli is located on the west coast of the Salento peninsula and has 20,266 inhabitants. It is divided between the modern district (Borgo) and the old town district, which lies on a calcareous island (Island of St. Andrew), joined to the mainland by a bridge.
Gallipoli, once called Anxa, was one of the centres of Messapia. It was later conquered by the Romans and became an important economic centre, thanks to the purple produced in the region.
Lecce is characterized by baroque buildings, for which it is famous. This style is characterized by the particular richness and abundance in decorations, for which the master sculptors used Lecce stone, very malleable and easy to work, also known as the marble of the poor.
The artistic and architectural heritage of Lecce is incalculable, and has given it the name of Florence of the South and Pearl of Salento.
Not to be missed is the portal of Spirito Santo Church, built in 1450, today declared a National Monument. Another attraction is the 17 km of beaches, alternating sandy coves, cliffs, pebble beaches and dunes covered in Mediterranean maquis.
The coast is interesting from a geological point of view. Next to the town there are two large, straight, beaches. The rest of the coast is made up of gulfs and small, hidden sandy beaches.
Erosion by water and wind has shaped the calcareous rock into grottoes and arches. Since the coast is steep, some of the finest sights can be reached only by sea.
