A Journey By Car in The Heel of Italy

By 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 city in Basilicata, vibrant with history, cave hotels, and authentic Italian food. The time to visit Matera is now. The ancient town, 2019 European Culture Capital, could be Italy's next great attraction.

The itinerary then returns to Apulia and touches other several 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. There are several ferry companies providing 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 Google is at least confusing if you don't understand Italian; you can spend a full day to figure 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Enrico Massetti
• Release date: Dec 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005487942

Enrico Massetti

Enrico Massetti nació en Milán, Italia, donde vivió durante más de 30 años, visitando innumerables destinos turísticos, desde las montañas de los Alpes hasta el mar de Sicilia. Ahora vive en Washington, Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, visita regularmente su ciudad natal y disfruta recorriendo todos los lugares de su país, especialmente aquellos a los que puede llegar en transporte público. Puede contactar con Enrico en [e-mail].

Book preview

A Journey By Car

in The Heel of Italy

Enrico Massetti

Copyright Enrico Massetti 2014-2020

Published by Enrico Massetti

All Rights Reserved

2020 edition

Table of content

Acknowledgments

Visiting Puglia – The Breadbasket of Italy

Where to Stay

Castles and Cathedrals in Apulia

Ortona a Mare

Vasto

Campobasso

Lucera

Foggia

Troia

Melfi

Potenza

Gravina in Puglia

Matera

The Sassi of Matera

Ridola Museum

Taranto

Gallipoli

Otranto

What to Do and See in Otranto

Otranto and its wild beaches

Baroque Lecce

Lecce churches

Alternative day: Masserie

Through flavors and traditions

Brindisi

Brindisi, the gate of East

Brindisi’s small towns

Ceglie Messapica

Between nature and history

Ostuni

Fasano

Alberobello

Alberobello Trulli

Why this architecture?

How to get to Alberobello

Castellana Grotte

The Grottos

Bari

Bari old town

Folklore: San Trifone

Trani

Castel del Monte

Barletta

Manfredonia through the Saline

Manfredonia

Gargano

What to do and see in Gargano

Gargano: A land of Holiness

Gargano; Foresta Umbra

Reasons to go to the Foresta Umbra.

What to see in the Foresta Umbra

Trabucchi

Termoli

Back to Ortona

Alternative days: Tremiti Islands

San Domino

San Nicola

How to get to Tremiti Islands

Apulia Food & Recipes

Apulia Salami

Specialty Foods of Apulia

Apulia Recipes

Apulia Wine

Apulia Wines

Other tourism guides

The Author

Things to Know

Acknowledgments

This book results from my collaboration with many readers, buyers, photographers who put their work in creative commons license or licensed it at reasonable terms.

Visiting Puglia – The Breadbasket of Italy

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Alberobello - Adobe

Italian vacation accommodation options in Puglia (Apulia) will set visitors in a stunning landscape with a host of sights and attractions.

When it comes to Italy, the question isn't whether you can find enough things to do, but whether you'll have enough time to see and do everything on your ‘must-do' list. (Chances are you won't!) The wealth of choice available makes picking a region and itinerary a somewhat overwhelming endeavor. That’s true also for those who have been to the country in the past. Even the simple task of choosing your Italian vacation accommodation can be daunting. However, for people visiting Puglia (or Apulia, otherwise known), the choice is much more comfortable.

Pinpointing a ‘signature' image for Puglia would be hard. Italy’s heel borders both the Adriatic and Ionian seas, with its coasts, woodlands, farmlands, vineyards, olive groves, and even swamplands, existing alongside medieval hilltop villages and industrialized towns. At its heart, however, Apulia is a breadbasket specializing in food production, whether as growers, ‘catchers,' or manufacturers. Farms and fishing villages still make up the bulk of their communities, and the way of life remains predominantly slow-paced and agricultural.

This protectiveness of the land is integral to their authentic yet straightforward way of life. It captivated the rest of Europe and the world. It has given rise to a new and fast-growing type of tourism: agriturismo.

Agriturismo allows travelers to experience authentic Apulian life and offers unique and historical Italian vacation accommodation options that you can only find here: Masserie and Trulli. Some of these places are attractions in themselves. In addition to the Trulli and Masserie are both modern and traditional hotels, villas, and apartments.

Where to Stay

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Fasano Masseria San Lorenzo - Orubino public domain

The basic concept of agriturismo is simple. As implied by its name, agriturismo is a farm-stay, a working farm that also serves as an Italian vacation accommodation for travelers. However, if you imagine run-down stable-like rooms, you couldn't be more wrong. Typical agriturismo inns are more like apartments, villas, and hotel annexes that offer beautiful and comfortable living spaces and superb services.

Masserie, for example, such as the exceptional Masseria Cupina, is grand structures that were once the main buildings of agricultural estates converted into boutique hotels (complete with swimming pools). It includes a tour of the farm, but you won’t have to do any chores—although you certainly could if you wanted to! Trulli – traditional Apulian dry stone huts with conical roofs, such as the charming Trullo Pietra, converted into a villa, are another unique Italian vacation accommodation option available only in Puglia.

Castles and Cathedrals in Apulia

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Itinerary

It is another land of ancient civilizations, the Messapic, which was native, and the Greek, which came from overseas; these two civilizations were enemies until fused under Roman domination.

Some of their wealthiest cities disappeared over the centuries, such as Sybaris and Metapontum, others such as Taranto, survived.

Taranto had as significant a population in Roman times as today. Others came later, as the centuries passed. Brindisi came to mark the end of the high road to the East, the Appian Way.

Horace was born in the rugged mountainous country of Venosa, and the other great Roman poet Vergil died at Brindisi.

After the Empire’s fall came that long succession of conquests and warfare - Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Swabians, Angevins, Aragonese, and Bourbons. It was a bloody and often dark history, relieved by Venice’s civilizing presence, whose sea-routes to the East skirted the Apulian coats, jutting into the central Mediterranean. There was a brief flowering in the Swabian period. At the time, this land dear to Frederick II had beautiful cathedrals and castles.