POLIGNANO AND THE BENEDICTINE ABBEY OF SAN VITO

The oldest part of the town stands on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Not far away, the 10th century Abbey of San Vito Martire, of Benedictine foundation, is beautiful.

ALBEROBELLO – TRULLI

The trullo is a typical conical construction in traditional dry stone of central-southern Puglia. Trulli were generally built as temporary shelters in the countryside or permanent homes for farmers. Much of Alberobello is made up of trulli.

MONOPOLI

The historic center of Monopoli is a jewel of popular architecture mixed with sumptuous religious buildings and splendid noble palaces. It is Porta Vecchia, inserted in the walls, to introduce the old part of the city, lying on the Adriatic and dominated by the Castle. The heart of the old city is the baroque Cathedral of Santa Maria della Madia.

CASTELLANA CAVES

Considered the most important speleological complex in Italy and Europe, the Castellana Caves are particularly appreciated for the richness of crystalline concretions, the considerable extension and the spectacular vastness of the natural galleries. The caves are the result of the erosive action of an ancient underground river that has dug and shaped the limestone rock for centuries.

BARI

Divided into two parts – the old city and the new city – Bari preserves, in the old historic center, fascinating narrow and twisted alleys, and numerous testimonies of the medieval and Renaissance past, such as the Castle and the Cathedral. Still, in the basilica of San Nicola the remains of the Saint are preserved from which the figure of Santa Claus derives, the Santa Claus of the Nordic countries.

THE WHITE CITIES:
OSTUNI – LOCOROTONDO – MARTINA FRANCA – CISTERNINO – CELIE MESSAPICA

White Cities are magical places. They are called ‘white’ because of the white lime used to paint the facades of houses, also useful for sanitizing the town in times of plague.

TRANI

In Trani it is nice to walk between the port and the Jewish quarter of Giudecca, among ancient synagogues and craft shops. Its Cathedral, isolated on the sea, is an incredible monument of Apulian Romanesque architecture in limestone.

MATERA – I SASSI

It is known all over the world for the historic Sassi districts. Developed from the natural caves carved into the rock, used as homes, and subsequently modeled into increasingly complex structures within two large natural amphitheaters, the Sasso Cavernoso and the Sasso Baresano.

CASTEL DEL MONTE

Castel del Monte is a 13th century fortress, on the top of a hill 540 meters above sea level in the western Murgia plateau, built by Frederick II of Swabia, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily. The building has an octagonal plan and an octagonal turret is inserted at each corner.

LECCE

Palaces, Churches and Monuments with their curls and their decorations in the malleable ‘Lecce stone’ have given the city of Lecce the current connotation of “Lady of the Baroque”.