Places to be visited

Alberobello is a really singular city thanks to its trulli, which are famous all over the world. They are dry-stone buildings characterized by white lime walls and grey stones used to realize the typical cone-form roofs. The town expands on two hills; the first lies east and includes the modern part of the city; the second lies west and there we find the quarters Monti and Aia Piccola, which represent the monumental area marked by the trulli.

The castle known as “del Monte” is famous all over the world thanks to its unique octagonal form and its eight towers which show an octagonal form too. The mansion was built by Emperor Federico II di Svevia, between 1229 and 1249, probably as hunting palace. When the Swabian dynasty fell, the castle was used as prison.

Conversano, with its little medieval suburb, lies on the first hills of the Murge; it was already peopled during the Prehistoric Age by Peuceti and Japigi and it is possible to find an evidence of their passage in the ruins of the megalithic walls surrounding the ancient Norba, which can be perfectly admired near the abbey of San Benedetto and at the base of the main tower of the castle.

Lecce, the city of Baroque, is famous all over the world thanks to its really valuable Baroque which is its distinguishing mark; its splendour is due to the intuition of emperor Carlo V, who provided the city with new defensive structures against the Turks and promoted the artistic development which made the city win the name Firenze del Sud (“the Florence of southern Italy”).

One of the most elegant city in Apulia, close to the south-eastern area of the Murge, Martina Franca appears as an ancient town marked by narrow alleys and popular courtyards, where it is beautiful to venture and admire the beauties of its Baroque. The elegance of its architecture makes the city precious; the Baroque style is everywhere: in the palaces, the portals, the windows, the balconies and their railings.

Situated on the sea and surrounded by old Messapic walls which date back to the 5th century B.C., Monopoli is one of the most important ports in the Adriatic sea and it is characterized by a very lively old town centre. With its suggestive and characteristic atmosphere, it dates back to Early Middle Ages; it was built on the ruins of an important Messapic town.

Ostuni, famous as the “white town” because of its bright white lime walls, stands on an hill which dominates the sea, at the end of the southern Murgia. It is beautiful with its white little houses, the courtyards and the alleys surrounded by ancient walls with Aragonese towers.

Peschici was founded around the year one thousand, when Dalmatians and Schiavoni settled here to stem Saracen raids. It shows a characteristic old town centre, on a 90 metres high promontory falling sheer to the sea it is possible to admire the white single-storey houses and the dome-shaped roofs following the Arabian style.

Porto Selvaggio belongs to the territory of Nardò and it has been declared protected area and Regional Natural Park in 1980. The protected area extends over 420 hectares, for the greatest part covered by woods. It is worth mentioning the presence of the wonderful Mediterranean maquis with alternate imposing falaises, sheer to the sea.

Castro marina is well known for its crystal waters and its main attraction is surely represented by the sea caves which are situated in the northern area of the town. During the Hellenic domination (4th century B.C.) the zone was used as extractive cave; it is during the Middle Ages that it became a little rocky centre with its small port.

Romans called it “De Finibus Terrae”. Santa Maria di Leuca is the farthest end of Salento, the “heel” of Italy, point of contact between the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea.On the top of the promontory, dominating the coast, stands the Basilica-Sanctuary of Santa Maria de Finibus Terrae, ancient place of pilgrimage.

It is a little maritime village with beautiful crystal clear waters, on the coast road between Monopoli and Fasano; it is well known thanks to its sandy beaches with alternate rocky areas. Savelletri is also famous for its marine: in its port it is possible to moor nearly 300 boats.

On the coast road between San Cataldo and Otranto, the territory offers an extremely interesting natural panorama, with dunes and beaches alternate with high cliffs. The name Torre dell’Orso comes from the presence of a 16th – century sighting tower, today in ruins.

It is an archipelago of uncontaminated nature, 22 km out to the coast of Gargano, which is formed by three main islands: San Nicola, San Domino and Capraia, to which we add the little island of Cretaccio and the farther Pianosa. These islands are also called Diomedee because the myth says that, after the Trojan war, the hero Diomede had been buried exactly here.

The town of Vieste is the main centre of the Gargano; it is particularly famous for its beautiful waters. The old town centre is really charming: it is characterized by typical white houses and narrow alleys leading to little squares. The upper part of the town stands on the part of the promontory known as Punta San Francesco, marked by a fortified monastery and the Norman-Swabian castle.