Apulia is a region of Italy , bordering on Molise to
the north-west, Campania to the south-west, Basilicata to the south, the
Adriatic Sea to the east and the Ionian Sea to the south-east. It forms the heel
of the Italian "boot.". The region covers 19,223 km² and has a
population of 3.9 million. Its territory of about 19,350 square kilometres is
mostly flat, except for Gargano and Dauno Subappennines promontory chains to the
north, and Murge (table mountains) hilly ridge crossing it in the central part.
The region is divided into five provinces: Bari, Taranto, Foggia, Lecce and
Brindisi and its capital is Bari. Despite the differences in their geographical
and environmental composition, these five have in common the intensely
suggestive effects which are created by the rich-hued landscape, the azure sky,
incandescent sun and limpid, uncontaminated sea.
Apulia, has always been an ideal region for human settlement and a zone of
commercial and cultural exchange because of its geographic position, its gently
sloping terrain and particularly pleasant climate.
The history and culture of Apulia bear profound marks of the Greeks, Romans,
Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Franks, Spanish and other populations which left
indelible traces of their presence. The contact with such different ethnic
groups and cultures has strewn the Apulian territory with archaeological finds,
castles, towers, cathedrals, urban and rural buildings and other monuments built
in a vast range of styles, reinterpreted by the peoples of Apulia, who created
an authentic "stone culture" of their own. The dialects, traditions
and cultures which still today characterize the various Apulian peoples seem to
be reflected in the geomorphological features of the areas they inhabit.
Profound historical-cultural and geographical-environmental diversities
distinguish the areas of Capitanata, the Land of Bari, of Salento and the Ionic
Land which compose the Apulian territory, and which correspond more or less to
the present day provinces of Foggia, Bari, Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto. What the
culture and knowledgeable hand of man have built, refined and shaped to their
measure across the millennia blends with the favourable climate, limpid sea,
ever-present sunshine, sandy and rocky coastlines, verdant islands,
characteristic grottos and other beauties generously profuse by nature on this
land. The kind southern character, the natural openness of the people, a truly
typical cuisine, exquisite wines, religious, and popular festivals, historical
commemorations, cultural events and endless hospitality facilities, modern and
diversified, create a particularly warm atmosphere.
Linked to the rest of Italy by fast and frequently rail, air and marine
service, it is easy to reach, and by car be approached along the numerous
motorway which enter the region from all parts of Continental Europe.
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