By DPA
Bari (Italy) : Rome and Venice are always thronged with tourists jostling through the piazzas. Liguria and Tuscany have traffic jams on the hiking paths – why not flee to the calm of Apulia?
Apulia, the heel of Italy’s boot, was dubbed “Finis Terrae” (end of the world) by the Romans. Nowadays this area, still undiscovered by mass tourism, tempts with 300 sunny days a year and lonely beaches along an 800 km coastline.
The provinces of Bari, Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce and Taranto offer peace in pleasant bays with clear water and historic villages. The region has plenty of olive orchards.
One of the main attractions of Bari, Puglia’s capital and destination for many pilgrims, is the 12th century Basilica San Nicola. The crypt contains the bones of Saint Nicholas of Myra, who lived in the third century in what is now Turkey.
Italians plundered the bones in 1087 and brought them to Bari. Even today, there’s a procession every May 9 to celebrate the arrival of the relic-bearing ships. The faithful flock through the streets and alleys of the town and the churches are filled with the smell of incense.
Even more faithful line the pews, lost in prayer.
Apulia’s churches bear witness to the region’s moving history. Artistic influences range from Oriental frescoes to the Gothic and the baroque.
One of Apulia’s most impressive churches lies in the harbour town of Otranto. The Cathedral of Santa Maria Annuziata has an 800 square-metre mosaic – the biggest of its kind in Europe. It portrays Biblical stories such as that of Adam and Eve and the Tower of Babel, apart from pictures of animals, fables, Zodiac signs, plants and ornaments.
But there is more than churches to lure tourists. The town of Alberobello, populated by traditional Trullo style houses, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Whole quarters of the town are filled with the region’s typical dwellings, a round house with a slanted earthen roof.
Anyone who wants to take a break in the countryside can take a page out of British actress Dame Helen Mirren’s book.
The Oscar-award winning actress bought a “Masseria” in Apulia as a holiday home. Masseria is the word for the manors situated amid olive, orange and lemon groves.
Many, like the “Masseria Borgo san Marco” near Fasano, have been turned into hotels in recent years. Monks used to dwell within these 10th century walls. Some of the historic manors, like the “Masseria Marzalossa,” which has belonged to the Guarini family for five generations, even offer cooking courses.
Maria, the lively head chef, reveals some of the secrets of Italian cuisine such as the knack of making the region’s trademark orecchiette pasta to interested guests. Starting with a thick piece of dough, Maria cuts off thin pieces before turning them into round shapes with her thumbs.
Apulia’s cuisine is rustic and simply delicious. The orecchiette noodles are traditionally served with a sauce made of tomatoes or a broccoli-like vegetable.
In the harbours, fishermen shake squid into gaudy plastic bowls until they build a white foam. The sustained shaking and beating makes the meat soft and tender.
A hearty horse ragout is served in the Lecce region. The region’s interior yields fresh fruit and vegetables and a soft, creamy ricotta.
Its olive oil is among Europe’s best. It was no accident that the small town of Gallipoli was for centuries one of the Mediterranean’s most important oil harbours.
Even today visitors can find subterranean oil mills carved by Carparo boulders in windswept houses in the town centre. The damp cellars promote the fermentation of the “shimmering gold.”
Apulia’s wines are also famous. Along with Sicily, Apulia is Italy’s largest vineyard region. The Salento peninsula is one of the world’s oldest vine growing regions. The Phoenicians and Greeks planted vines here 3,000 years ago.
Spring and autumn are the ideal times to visit Apulia. In the summer, temperatures can reach 30 degrees Celsius.