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TARANTO MURGIA

Taranto Murgia[1] is that part of the Karstic territory, extending from Murgia to the Ionic coast. Castellaneta, Crisoiano, Ginosa, Laterza, Massafra, Montemesola, Mottola, Palagianello and Palagiano are the centres belonging to the Murgia mountain community.

Castellaneta is one of the biggest towns of this community and its peculiarity consists in the fact that it was built close to almost 300m deep Gravina di Castellaneta: as matter of facts, it is nowadays still possible to overlook this mattock from the old town. The historic centre, characterised by the Middle age style, is a series of paths, elegant buildings of the numerous feudatories who dominated the town: one of the examples of these buildings is Palazzo Catalano, the 1700 bishop’s building, along with the numerous churches, particularly the baroque façade San Nicola Cathedral.

Particular events take place in November, such as the historic cortege and the Middle Age market, the typical Christmas cribs and the 7 August “Sagra de Far’nedd”[2], during which you can taste traditional dishes, such as “Friselle”[3] flavoured with extravergine oil, focaccia, meat, mozzarella, fresh cheese and wine.

Even the territory surrounding the town is particularly interesting: you can visit lots of rocky settlements, that developed along the mattocks, where several different times caves have been discovered. These caves used to serve as chapels and churches: here religious frescos have been found out.

Castellaneta Marina, the helmet of the town, is considered to be one of the most popular sea tourism destination. Thin sand and crystalline sea lidos accommodate thousands of every age and various vacationers every year, since the touristic offer has been enriching in the last years. Even a funfair has been recently created in the neighbourhoods of Felifonte town.

Ginosa, as Crispiano (the centre of 100 farms) and Laterza, is a little town situated on the Murgia mountains and its symbols are the Norman castle and the several rocky churches, lying in the Ginosa mattocks. The well-known representation of Christ life- the so-called Passio Christi- that has been improving since the 70s, takes place in these mattocks during the Eastern period.

If you are a sea tourism lover, you can reach Marina di Ginosa (an hamlet 25 km far from the town), that has been awarded Bandiera Blu di Legambiente[4], as an evidence of the crystalline water Ionic coast.

Peculiarities are the Mediterranean Scrub pine forests, lapping on the sandy shore.

The centres of Palagiano and particularly of Palagianello, offer you the possibility to visit the Middle Age rocky village, developed on the mattocks walls, thanks to a track within the mattock, by letting you give yourself up completely to nature.

Several important Roman rustic villas and the menhir of San Marco have been found out in Palagiano. For those who love nature, there is the nature reserve Stornara in the neighbourhood of Palagiano.

The most important centres of Taranto Murgia are Massafra and Mottola, sharing the mattocks, rocky caves and the presence of woody areas. Massafra, famous for its Carnival, is bound to the tradition of wizards and magic symbols: lots of officinal plants, that were located in the mattocks, used to be thought to prepare magic potions: you can find evidence of what just said in the Gravina della Madonna della Scala, where you are enabled to visit the “Farmacia del Mago Greguro”[5], that is probably the house of a wizard. In the neighbourhoods of Massafra, you can take advantage of the visit of the nature reserve of Monte Sant’Elia, a WWF equipped oasis.

Mottola is characterised by the presence of crypts, woody areas of pines, Mediterranean Scrub, oaks and mattocks dotted with rocky villages (Petruscio village is the most important one) too.

The historic centre of the town is characterised by white houses, squares, arches that had the function to link the different areas of the town and several churches, such as the 1200 Church. Greek walls dating back to IV century B.C. have been recently discovered; these walls used to protect Mottola primary centre.

Typical products of these areas are represented by the variety of pulses, cooked in earthenware pots, “pignate”, cooked beans, cavatelli[6], orecchiette[7].

As far as concerns wine production, “Primitivo di Manduria” and “Atlantico di Puglia” are praiseworthy.

[1] Murgia is the Karst formation geographic territory of Puglia

[2] Dialect name of the village festival

[3] Wheat flour product, spread in south Italy

[4] Legambiente is the name of the Italian ecologist association

[5] “Pharmacy of Greguro wizard”

[6] Kind of pasta

[7] Kind of pasta often homemade

SALENTO

Continuing along the Apulian territory you arrive in the Salento peninsula, nestled between the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea and bounded on the north by "Messapic threshold" that separates it from the Murgia area.

The Salento includes the provinces of Brindisi and Taranto and the whole of the province of Lecce.

The Salento peninsula provides a variety of offerings to the demands of increasing number of tourists every year who live in small villages or large cities of the subregion: For nature lovers it is advisable to visit the area of the High Salento natural park "Tower Guaceto ", marine protected area near Carovigno, where you can dive through ammairare flora and fauna, or by walking you can discover many species of birds to which the park gives hospitality.

Staying on the same type of offer in the south of Salento you can visit the protected marine area of Porto Cesareo, but for those looking for the historical origins of Apulia, near Savelletri (Br) there is the archaeological park of Tower Egnathia.

Who wants to spend their holidays in the sun Puglia, Salento has a wide choice: you go to the rocky coasts of Santa Cesarea Terme, also spa tourism destination, the end of white sand shores of Punta Prosciutto, Santa Maria di Leuca , Ugento or Gallipoli. This last city is one of the most beautiful Ionian coast of Salento:a very special system, as its old town is built on an island connected to downtown by a bridge, from the artistic point of view shows the castle Anjou, the Cathedral of Sant'Agata and the Greek fountain. In recent years, thanks to the many local beaches and nightclubs, the area of Gallipoli has become hugely popular destination for young tourists. The southern part of Puglia is also very popular, also called the "Maldives of Salento" because of its clear waters and white sand beaches.Another destination is definitely Saint Maria of Leuca, the extreme tip of the heel, lapped by crystal clear waters. Its marina is important and impressive, as are the charming nineteenth century villas that are within its territory and the crypts and caves to explore. Finally Otranto, a city east of Italy, is offered as a city rich in art and history with the Aragonese Castle, the cathedral with its large mosaic floor and the crypt containing the remains of the 800 martyrs slaughtered by the Turks in 1400 and his seafront. The alleys of the old town are littered with small shops selling local crafts. Near Otranto you can visit the Alimini Lakes, two small lakes; due to the low water depth is the home of very luxuriant marine flora.

From the artistic point of view the Salento has an abundance of possibilities: from the baroque Lecce to the great cathedrals dislocated here and there for Salento, from castles Aragonese, Normans, Angevins to the watch towers dislocated across the coast....

For the "gourmets" Salento hosts all year round festivals that celebrate all the typical products such as oil, fish and wine. The last one is of international fame that has been established as a "wine road" which leads from Locorotondo to Santa Maria di Leuca and where you can taste the wines DOC "Primitive" and Lizzano of Manduria, the DOC Salice Salento, Cupertino, Nardo and Galatina.There are also many local craft fairs in paper products, wrought iron or local stone.
From the point of view of the most important folkloric expression "feeling Salento" is definitely the Taranta, exorcising dance in the past used to free men, especially women, from the venom of the "tarantula”. Today this event is recalled on 29 June in the churchyard of Saints Peter and Paul in Galatina just because St. Paul is the patron saint of "Taranta". Throughout the month of August events are held celebrating the tarantula, and that culminate with the "Concertone", of the "Notte della Taranta" of Melpignano.

ITRIA VALLEY

Leaving behind the Murgia plateau, the Apulian territory consists of an extensive hill, uneven, formed by small valleys of red earth rich in silica, Bolo, where mainly large olive trees are cultivated: the Valle d'Itria, which owes its name to the Byzantine Madonna dell'Odegitria, the one who indicates the way to the pilgrims.Between the provinces of Bari, Taranto and Brindisi there are sevenmajor centres: Alberobello, Martina
Franca, Locorotondo, Fasano, Ostuni, Cisternino and Ceglie.Land of folklore, gastronomy and culture, the valley Itria is world famous thanks to its typical houses, the Trulli: since 1996 those of Alberobello have become part of UNESCO. It’s exactly here that we’ll start discovering Itria valley! The ancient village of this town is made up entirely byTrulli houses rustic features especially for the shape conical roof, built only with stone, "chiancarelle". At the tip of the cone a pinnaclewas placed on particularly in reference to the cultivation activities..At times, as it can be seen in Via S. Michele, the roofs were designed with the
whitewashed symbols linked to magical tradition, pagan or Christian symbols in general. Until some centuries ago peasant families were living all crammed in the only
Trulli's room, another characteristic of the building. Today they are almost
exclusively used as the local shops typical, like orecchiette, bagels, liquor or handmade products. One example is the charming Via S. Michael leads from the centre to "ward
Mountains ", the highest area of the city from which you can admire a beautiful view of the trulli below. Alberobello is the destination of religious tourism thanks to the Basilica of Saints Doctors. Entering in the interior of Apulia we stop to Locorotondo, a city that already by its name reveals its main characteristic: the plant located on a small circular hill overlooking the surrounding countryside, the reign of olive trees trees, cereal crops and especially vineyards: in fact precisely from this grape is produced Locorotondo DOC, fine white wine. From the artistic point of view the city is inserted in the club"Most Beautiful Villages of Italy" because of its typically white, the "cummerse", the typical sweeping roofs and iron balconies wrought..What is importante is the "Mother Church", dedicated to St. George, neocinquecentesco large dome surmounted by flavor and the "old
Town Hall ", home of the City Library. Another charming town is Martina Franca, the beautiful old town consists of narrow streets and surrounded by whitewashed houses with wrought iron balconies, typical product of Martina.Numerosi are the mansions that dot the
centre, as the "Palazzo Ducale" (XVII sec.), seat of the City Hall, and the "Palace of the University" (1478), with the tower civic.The Basilica of St. Martin is also beautiful, saint patron of city, in style Baroque, always from the point of view
architecture, the doors are very suggestive, give access to the ways to the old village,
particularly what is important is St. Stephen, style Baroque. There are numerous craft shops which sell typical products: wrought iron, embroidery, pottery, terracotta and ceramic. From the gastronomic point of view: the town's oil, wine, cheese and salami. Ceglie, military capital of the Confederation Mess apian is situated on the top of a small hill and also its historic centre is a set of lanes of whitewashed houses and chinches: there are the ducal castle of the twelfth century with its crenellated tower and The Collegiate Church of the sixteenth century, the majolica dome to see.Around the city, thanks to the karsts nature of the area, there are many caves to be discovered. There are also
"mirrors" megalithic monuments to be discovered that consist of concentric shelves used to dominate the territory 20 m. height. The gourmets can taste the typical products of this land in numerous restaurants in the historic centre. Ostuni, also called the "White City" due to the colour characteristic of the residence, is one of the main tourists
Apulia, thanks to the beauty of the village, the surrounding sea area, which from 2008 has the blue flags Legambiente and the goodness of food products. The ancient village, from
which we have access to the doors Baroque is a succession of streets, squares features, arches, churches and noble palaces. In Romanesque style there is the Co-Cathedral located in square where the Bishop's Palace, and also that of Seminar-style baroque. The symbol of the town is the Spire of Saint Oronzo, Patron, also in the baroque style.There are many festivals and town fairs, in particular in mid-August there is the "Festival of
old days ": here you can taste the typical products of the territory and artisans show the processing techniques of products, particularly those in leather and in ceramic. Ostuni is the "Route of wines Appia": in fact the wine is produced here
"Aleatico DOC of Puglia" "Ostuni DOC" and "Brindisi DOC".The old town of Cisternino is an example of "spontaneous architecture”, where there are historic buildings, such as those of Governor, the bishop's palace and the palace Beloved, the tower
Norman-Swabian, from medieval times, which allowed entry into the town and the church of St. Nicholas, of the fourteenth century.3 km from the centre of the city there is the shrine of Our Lady of Hibernia, built on the ruins of an earlier era town of Cisternino paleocristiana.At Cisternino several festivals are held throughout the year, the most
important are during the summer months: in August of the auricles and rabbit, while in September the grapes. For nature lovers of the town you can walk in the woods.
In addition to the beauty of the city, which boasts many churches, such as mother church of the Renaissance, palaces, such as the Bailiff (town hall), doors and minaret, what makes Fasano tourists’ destination is surely the Safari Zoo, one of the fun parks and Europe's largest wildlife and the forest of Fasano, 8 Km of almost untouched nature, offering suggestive glimpses to the coast of Brindisi. All the Itria Valley in addition to being scattered Trulli, also called "casedde", is dotted with many farms of the era, that having been refurbished give the possibility to many tourists to taste local products and to stay overnight in very characteristic location.