Bari

There is more to Puglia than the classic tourist destinations, especially for those who love to explore and are looking for unusual itineraries. A trip "off the beaten track" is what is needed to say goodbye to monotony, get out of the routine and venture into the hidden heart of the Bel Paese. This is how photojournalist Lorenzo Scaraggi discovered an undiscovered Puglia on board a camper van from the 1990s. Thus was born Puglia Fuori Rotta, a documentary centred on a 30-day journey that, thanks to little-trodden paths, reveals a region with a mysterious and surprising side. Here are the five stages of Puglia Fuori Rotta, each to be experienced with all the senses.

Apulia is a jigsaw puzzle of wonders ranging from the Gargano to the Salento for over 930 kilometres of breathtaking coastline. Wild nature and a blue sea inviting you to dive into the water here, but excursions to trulli, masserias and historic villages should not be neglected. Warm, reserved hospitality and mouth-watering cuisine make a holiday in Apulia truly memorable

Olive oil is considered being Apulia's region's gold (Puglia). Apulia produced almost 150000 tons of oil annually. Vast expanses of olive groves are the backdrop of this land exposed to the sun, and bordered by the sea. The millstones and old mills, represent the ancestral respect and devotion of this people for this special tradition of flavor. In some villages of Salento, placed along the coast or in the inland, the cultivation and care of olive trees, authentic monuments of nature, is a costum, a fine art with a long story: from pruning to harvesting, from grinding to consumption.

The capital of the trulli, extraordinary testimonies of dry-stone construction with conical or pyramid-shaped roofs, will enchant you with an expanse of more than 1,500 trulli that have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996. The entire Itria Valley is characterised by the presence of these picturesque constructions finding their roots in the prehistoric era, but it is in Alberobello that the highest concentration of the best-preserved examples can be found. The Mediterranean climate, excellent accommodation and unparalleled architectural harmony make this town the ideal destination for visitors in search of an atmosphere that has not been affected by the passage of time. Do you feel like setting out to discover these wonders?

From Gargano to Salento to Val d'Itria and cities of art. Apulia by bike: nature, delightful villages, typical flavours and historic sites. Passing by trulli, dry stone walls and thousand-year-old olive trees: five cycling itineraries of different levels of difficulty for in-depth exploration. A generous land which will also welcome stages of the Giro d'Italia.

Nestled in the Alta Murgia National Park, it is a masterpiece of medieval architecture declared UNESCO World Heritage, full of symbols and mysteries. Ready to discover them all?

The Swabian castle of Bari, the court of two enlightened sovereigns You can't say you know Bari if you don't visit its castle, the city's landmark building, close to the old town, between the old dockyard and the cathedral. Commissioned by Emperor Frederick II in the 13th century on what remained of a Norman fortification, it was transformed several times, until in its golden age it became the seat of a refined Renaissance court ruled by two women. Today it is home to a museum and the city's cultural centre. A millennium-long walk A visit to the impressive fortress surrounded by the moat that dominates the historic centre of Bari is a millennium-long walk in the company of great emperors and queens. The central part is of Byzantine-Norman origin, but was completely transformed by Frederick II between 1233 and 1240, then restored by Charles of Anjou in the following century, while the sloping balustrades with corner towers were added in the Aragonese period during the 16th century. When the Aragonese donated it to the Sforza ducal family, the fortress was enlarged and embellished by the intervention of two women, mother and daughter: Isabella of Aragon, widow of Gian Galeazzo Sforza, Duchess of Bari and Bona Sforza. The castle became the seat of a court that had nothing to envy from the Lords of the North. We owe them the scenic double flight of stairs connecting the ground floor to the halls of the piano nobile. During Bourbon rule, the castle began a long period of decay and abandonment, during which it was used as a prison and barracks. Only recently, in 2017, after extensive restoration and enhancement work, was the castle opened to the public as a museum. On the main floor, exhibitions and permanent displays The main floor of the castle is divided into various halls that are used for temporary exhibitions, cultural events and for permanent displays: the Aragonese Hall houses a photographic exhibition on the history of the restoration of the castle; the Angevin wing houses the archaeological collection of tableware ceramics (15th-18th century) from the excavations of the "butto" (today we would call it a rubbish tip) that testify to an area of court life, while the so-called Torre dei Minorenni displays a collection of precious materials and jewellery from various places in Apulia. The Gipsoteca of the Castle of Bari The ground floor of the Castle, in the beautiful rooms with ogival arches, houses the Gipsoteca, an interesting collection of plaster reproductions of sculptures of some Apulian monuments made in 1911 by artists Pasquale Duretti and Mario Sabatelli for the Apulian pavilion at the Ethnographic Exhibition organised in Rome on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Unification of Italy.

Opera, ballet and concerts in the historical theater of Bari Italy’s fourth largest theater. It dates back to 1903, when it was built by the Petruzzelli family. In the past, the theater stood out for its capacity and for a vast variety of shows, as well as for the great attention paid in welcoming the audience and the beauty of its interior decorations, made entirely of pure gold. Among tenors, singers and conductors, the stage of this theater has hosted such famous stars as Pietro Mascagni, Beniamino Gigli, Mario Del Monaco, Riccardo Muti, Renata Tebaldi, Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, and Katia Ricciarelli. It was rebuilt after a fire, re-opening its doors in 2009 and today, it offers the best of the opera and ballet seasons as well as concerts and classical music shows dedicated to families. The Petruzzelli Foundation carries out numerous educational courses and offers the opportunity to take part in guided tours to learn about the history of the theater and explore its beauty.

Shortly before the Itria Valley and Salento is where the territories of the 'heel' of Italy begin, Monopolibeing one. Stretching over the plain known as the 'marina', it owes the historical succession of cultures and peoples to its strategic position on the Adriatic. A trading hub, a bridge between West and East, over the centuries it has seen the passage of Cretans, Byzantines, Normans, Spaniards, Venetians and managed to compete with the maritime republics. The harbour, which penetrates into the historic centre and on whose quays buildings have been standing since the Middle Ages, is quite astonishing. The opening to the sea, however, subjected Monopoli to incursions for which defensive works were needed: the most obvious being the massive castle on the Punta Penna headland. In the 18th century, the wealth gained from trade allowed for the rebuilding of many pre-existing churches, as was also the case for the Cathedral, of mediaeval origin but transformed into one of the best examples of Baroque in the Land of Bari. The low, rugged coastline is dotted with hidden coves and wide stretches of sand. In the surrounding area, an agricultural landscape dotted with ancient masserie and the cultivation of olive, almond, fruit and vegetable trees.

The bastion of Santo Stefano in Apulia was built from 1537 by order of Charles V to enclose the right bank of the Bozzetta stream and to defend the port of Bozzetta. From this bastion, a section of the city wall ran from the west side of the city to the Castel del Monte fortress, sat atop a hill in the city of Andria. The bastion was partially demolished to make way for new constructions. Today, you can only view one section along the Via del Macello Vecchio.

The trulli are not exclusive to Alberobello, in fact their popularity has made them a symbol of the whole of Puglia, with their characteristic pinnacle. Yet it is only by going to the place where they were born that you can fully grasp their beauty, in this village declared a UNESCO heritage site and awarded the Orange Flag by the Italian Touring Club. If, for example, you observe them from above the belvedere of Santa Lucia, what unfolds in front of you is the fairytale vision of an expanse of white houses with a grey roof decorated with simple and graceful designs. At night, each trullo lights up to compose a kind of magical nativity scene: they are the trulli of the Monti district, once the most popular area of the country and now almost exclusively dedicated to tourism. From the viewpoint, going down the stairs, you reach the wide Martellotta and going up the hill you meet a trullo built by two side by side domes, it is the Siamese trullo. The church of San Antonio, in the district itself, also takes on the shapes of the trullo. In the northern part of the town, behind the seventeenth-century church of San Medici Cosma and Damiano, is the largest sovereign trullo in Alberobello, the only one to have two floors and a large 14-metre dome surrounded by 12 other cones. You can enter the house museum and visit the rooms with original period furniture and a garden. Far from the crowd, the Aia Piccola district is the quietest neighbourhood where about 400 trulli are inhabited by locals and surrounded by a surreal tranquility. Here, in a complex of 15 trulli, the Territorial Museum tells the story of the settlement. In Piazza Ferdinando, the house of Love attracts the eye, the first house built in stone bonded by mortar that marks the transition to a type of palatial architecture of the nineteenth century.

Polignano a Mare, white cliffs of Puglia Perched on the edge of a high cliff rising from the Adriatic Sea, Polignano a Mare is one of the most spectacular and popular locations on the Apulian coast. The historic centre of this seaside village is a maze of narrow streets that slope down towards a tiny beach, the Lama Monachile, which cuts the cliff in two. Underneath the town, a tangle of caves invites you to discover a crystal-clear sea. Polignano is also the birthplace of Domenico Modugno, the singer-songwriter of “Volare”, the most famous Italian song in the world. All lanes lead to the sea The historic core of Polignano a Mare, an inhabited centre since Neolithic times, is an expanse of white houses of medieval origin clustered on the cliffs. The village is entered by passing under the 16th-century Arco Marchesale, also known as Porta Grande, which until 1780 was the only point of access to the village that was surrounded by a moat, now hidden by Piazza Garibaldi, with its drawbridge. You can get lost in the narrow streets of Polignano, sooner or later you will land at an overlook to the sea and the surprise effect will be even greater. A selfie at Lama Monachile, a small beach with turquoise water You will undoubtedly find the 13th century Chiesa Matrice, the Marchesale palace, home of the feudal lords and the Orologio palace . The most photographed place in Polignano a Mare is its turquoise-water beach, Lama Monachile, always very crowded in the summer months: the bridge behind it is built over a Roman bridge of the Via Traiana, the Rome-Brindisi road of antiquity, which passed right through here. Next door, on the promenade, you will see the statue dedicated to the world's most famous Polignanese, singer Domenico Modugno. On the opposite side of town, again with a spectacular sea view, is the beautiful museum of the Pino Pascali Foundation an artist from Polignano who died in the 1960s, which displays contemporary art exhibitions. What to see around Polignano a Mare The ambience of Polignano a Mare can be relished as you stroll along the cliffs and down to the shoreline from which the view of the white city is spectacular. A forty-minute walk in the direction of Mola, between the delightful bays of Ponte dei Lapilli and Porto Cavallo, both ideal for bathing, will take you to the village of San Vito, unmistakable because of the remains of the abbey of the same name dating back to the 10th century, to the time of the Basilian monks who took refuge in these lands to escape the iconoclastic struggles of the Byzantine Empire. A little further on is the quadrangular tower of San Vito in front of a stretch of sea that looks like a natural swimming pool. During the day as well as in the evening, in this idyllic place, which is also full of clubs and restaurants, you will never be alone: Polignano's nightlife reaches here. Caves and cliff diving There are about twenty caves that the sea has created with the force of its waves on the cliff on which Polignano stands: the largest is the Palazzese cave, so called because it is located under a noble palace from which it could be accessed. Today, the palace has been transformed into a five-star hotel that has created restaurant rooms in the natural recesses of the cliff and the cave remains accessible by sea. Some other caves have the most unthinkable names, mostly related to their use over time: that of the Archbishop's Palace is said to have been connected through tunnels to the bishop's palace, that of the Nuns was used by the religious sisters of the hospital. The most striking one is the Ardito, named after its owners, which has a natural column inside that fishermen used to climb up to the village. What to eat in Polignano a Mare On one of the many terraces overlooking the reef, in Polignano's many restaurants, you can enjoy year-round dishes of seafood crudités, a mixture of cuttlefish, prawns, scampi and many other fish depending on the season and the catch. For those who prefer their fish well cooked, then the dish to try is rice, potatoes and mussels. Another local speciality is the sweet Polignano carrot, grown right in the area of San Vito Abbey, recognised as a Slow Food presidium. One coffee, but special: with lemon peel and cream If you prefer street food, so you don't miss a minute of the beach, then try the fish sandwich, with tuna tartare, burrata and tomatoes, or the fried octopus and turnip tops, a real treat. At the end of a meal, treat yourself to Caffè Speciale, according to a recipe developed right here in Polignano: it is a sweetened coffee with added lemon peel, cream and amaretto, always served in a small glass.