Puglia Region
A big change in our plans to visit Albania, for various reasons including insurance and quality or secure caravan campsites. So decided to tour Italy instead and what a great decision that was. We took the ferry from Igoumenitsa northwest Greece to Brindisi in the Puglia region, the heel of Italy. Cost us around 700 euros and you have to be able to reverse a caravan so beware. Italy’s Puglia Region
It was an overnight ferry crossing and our oversized ‘suite’ seemed a bit of a waste just to sleep in. We arrived not much after 8 am a bit disgruntled after watching all the truck drivers collect their expresso and pain au chocolat while we sipped weak drip-filtered coffee-flavoured water from a machine but hey-ho. We stopped at a Q8 fuel stop and got the real thing not long after.
Brindisi wasn’t on our must-see list and we headed for a small town called Gallipoli. Why? Because I just loved the pictures, a centerpiece old fort on a little island with just about zero traffic (the roads were old and very narrow). Our base in that region of Apulia was Camping La Masseria. Italy’s Puglia Region
Camping La Masseria has large pitches amount a shady pine tree grove so always shaded. The main attraction for us was the 25m lap pool. Cost around 18 euros per night. Recommended. It also has a 400-year-old history of winemaking and has an onsite vineyard. Our research of the Puglia region identified so many great towns to explore in such a beautiful part of Italy. The first two we targeted were Gallipoli of course and the old town of Lecce. Italy’s Puglia Region.
Gallipoli – A bit of history
Gallipoli, the old town is a walled fortress known as the jewel of the Ionian sea. The new town is joined to the old by a bridge built in the 16th century. historically we can say the Gallipoli was conquered by the Romans in 265 AD on the route called the “Via Traiana”, a trade route to the Balkans that the Romans developed with port activities, before transforming it into a military centre. As the Roman empire crumbled and Gallipoli was ransacked by the Vandals (who may have originated in Scandinavia before migrating south).
The Byzantine (Greek) entered the city and by 500 AD ruled most of southern Italy. The Byzantine era lasted several hundred years, until the 11th century when Gallipoli was occupied by the Normans, but only briefly. Then came the Aragonese domination, followed by the Angevin, which enabled Gallipoli to expand economically during this period thanks to the continuously growing port traffic.
In 1484, the Venetians sieged Gallipoli, which was forced to surrender. In 1501 it was again sieged, this time by the Spaniards, and again in 1528 by the French.
Ferdinando I of Borbone (Italian) (1751-1825) started the construction of the current port after it became part of the Kingdom of Naples. Over the subsequent centuries, the importance of Gallipoli continued to grow, both because of its active port and for its merchant class that traded oil for lamps, with Gallipoli the most important Mediterranean olive oil trade centre. With the unification of Italy in 1861, Gallipoli became the capital of the district.
The pizzas here were yummy, which you would expect of course. Italy’s Puglia Region
Lecce
Lecce was a surprise highlight on our meandering around the heel of Puglia. We didn’t expect the sprawl of this unique city that has been around since the time of the Trojan War. When the Romans came, as they do, the famous Emperor Hadrian (2nd century AD) changed the name to Licea or Litium. As you can see from the pics Hadrian built an amphitheatre a must-do for the entertainment of the locals. Visible today are the entertainer entrances – must admit I’d rather be a spectator any day… 20 minutes from base camp. Italy’s Puglia Region
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Camping Dei Trulli
To get a little closer to the next list of towns we wanted to visit we travelled up to Camping Dei Trulli which is situated just outside Alberobello. Great site and close to Polignano a Mare, Ostuni and Matera. The site was handy for grocery shopping with a couple of large supermarkets not far from the site.
Polignano a Mare
Still in Puglia (Italy’s heel). Close to our next base camp, we discovered “Polignano a Mare”. What a stunning township. This whole area is one surprise after another! Polignano is famous for cliff diving, and its history goes all the way back to the Neolithic period (5000 BC), when it was called Neapolis. The Romans built the amazing bridge just in front of the craggy stone beach where “YES” we entered the water and “YES” lunch was Pizza, and “YES” there was a beer and an Aperol. Italy’s Puglia Region
Ostuni
Ostuni is known for its whitewashed buildings (so don’t forget your sunglasses) but it’s famous for something else, which I vaguely remember from my school days – Hannibal the Great. Hannibal crossed the Alps in 218BC and as a result of the cold and treacherous conditions, he lost a big chunk of his 100,000-man army and 50 plus war elephants and an eye to boot. However, with the help of the Gauls, he defeated the Romans in major battles as far south as Ostuni.
Alberobello
Alberobello is famous for its house design called a trullo. The town’s name translated means “beautiful tree”. Its history goes back to the 11th century when building a house using lime to cement the stones together was prohibited. Seems the King of Naples would tax the local Count Gian Girolamo II for every new house built, so with no cement the house could be easily and quickly dissembled when he knew the taxman was coming (not great for the locals). And did you know the design of the unique trullo came from burial resting places (tombs)? Yes, they definitely look like one. A must-visit. Italy’s Puglia Region
Matera
Did you know that 18,000 people lived in caves in this town till the 1960s when the government decreed it unsanitary? Took a while eh? Some of the caves are now shops and restaurants and open to the public which was a welcome relief from the heat outside with an all-year-round temperature of 15C inside. We learned that the staple, bread, was baked in a communal bakery and each family had its own crest stamped into the bottom so everyone got the right loaf. On a more lofty note, was the baroque gilding and paintings in the Cattedrale di Maria Santissima della Bruna e Sant’Eustachio. Not forgetting the Church of Santa Maria di Idris built into the rock.
We did something different and finished up with a traditional lunch of bread salad and beer of course.
Some of our favorite pages: Touring Campania Italy, The Italian Riviera
