Enrico Massetti

This small book describes a fifteen-day car trip you can take in Apulia and the neighboring regions of Basilicata and Abruzzo, passing through important archeological, artistic, and cultural locations.

The itinerary starts from the town of Ortona, a Mare in Abruzzo. It goes through several Apulia cities and then to Matera, a stunning Basilicata city, vibrant with history, cave hotels, and authentic Italian food. The time to visit Matera is now. The ancient village, 2019 European Culture Capital, could be Italy's next great attraction.

The itinerary then returns to Apulia and touches several other cities to arrive in Alberobello, known for its Trulli, whitewashed stone huts with conical roofs - the hilltop Rione Monti district has hundreds of them. It continues with other towns in Apulia and the Gargano peninsula, with its National Park, home to the last remaining part of the oak and beech Forest Umbra that once covered most of central Europe. It passes through Termoli to end up again in Ortona al Mare.

It also describes a possible visit to the Tremiti Islands from Termoli and how to get there. Several ferry companies provide transportation services to these islands; the service is available from different ports, with or without the possibility of bringing your car with you.

Finding the right solution for your needs using the internet is at least confusing if you don't understand Italian; you can spend a full day figuring out what is available and when. In the guide, I present you with the outcome of my research.

The guide includes a chapter on the food and wine of Apulia. A list of local recipes is present; the original recipes' links are active in the digital editions.

Author: Enrico Massetti

Publisher Massetti Publishing Washington DC, USA

Language: English

106 color pages 88 color images

Format: Paperback Digest (5.5 x 8.5 in / 140 x 216 mm)

ISBN 978-1-716-32341-6

Table of content

Enrico Massetti 1

Table of content i

Visiting Puglia – The Breadbasket of Italy 1

Where to Stay 2

Castles and Cathedrals in the heel of Italy 3

Ortona a Mare 4

Vasto 5

Campobasso 7

Lucera 8

Foggia 9

Troia 11

Melfi 12

Potenza 13

Gravina in Puglia 14

Matera 16

The Sassi of Matera 18

Ridola Museum 20

Taranto 21

Gallipoli 23

Otranto 24

To Do and See in Otranto 26

Otranto and its wild beaches 27

Baroque Lecce 28

Lecce churches 29

Alternative day: Masserie 31

Through flavors and traditions 32

Brindisi 34

Brindisi, the gate of East 35

Brindisi’s small towns 36

Ceglie Messapica 38

Between nature and history 40

Ostuni 42

Fasano 43

Alberobello 45

Alberobello Trulli 46

Why this architecture? 47

How to get to Alberobello 48

Castellana Grotte 50

The Grottos 51

Bari 52

Bari old town 54

Folklore: San Trifone 55

Trani 56

Castel del Monte 58

Barletta 59

Manfredonia through the Saline 60

Manfredonia 61

Gargano 63

What to do and see in Gargano 64

Gargano: A land of Holiness 66

Gargano; Foresta Umbra 67

Reasons to go to the Foresta Umbra. 68

What to see in the Foresta Umbra 69

Trabucchi 70

Termoli 71

Back to Ortona 72

Alternative days: Tremiti Islands 72

San Domino 73

San Nicola 74

How to get to Tremiti Islands 75

Apulia Food & Recipes 77

Apulia Salami 79

Specialty Foods of Apulia 80

Apulia Wine 82

Apulia Wines 83

Other tourism guides 84

The Author 84

Things to Know 86