Area of Puglia ()
In most situations, down-at-heel connotes an air of shabbiness, impoverishment and misfortune. But none of these adjectives applied to any of the sights I was lucky enough to see on a late-autumn tour through Apulia, the region that makes up the heel of Italy’s boot.
It’s true that Apulia, or Puglia as the region is known in Italian, ranks amongst the country’s poorest regions. And while rural, remote and dry are fitting descriptors for its inland areas covered with vast groves of olive trees, I found its cities and beaches tidy and alluring.
By late October, the peak tourist season had already ended and crowds were thin on the ground. This proved optimal for this solo traveler who enjoys off-season rates and plenty of elbow room. My five days in Apulia were filled with beauty, serendipity and weather warm enough to allow for one last dip in the sea before the onset of winter.
Baroque Treasures
A highlight of any tour to Apulia includes the city of Lecce, often referred to as “Florence of the South” for its Baroque architecture. The university town and center for religious instruction acquired many of its handsomest buildings in the seventeenth century, a period of prosperity characterized by a boom in monumental construction and lavish ornamentation.
My day in Lecce began with the purchase of a “LecceEcclesiae” ticket, a pass granting me access to six sacred spaces including churches, a museum and a seminary at a set price of 9 euros. Amidst a blur of cupids and twisting columns, two stood out. The church of San Matteo awed with its riotous altar, and the Basilica of San Giovanni Battista al Rosario impressed me with its exuberant two-tiered façade embellished with oversize flower vases and statues.
Another highlight was the centrally located Piazza Saint Oronzo, where a column that once marked the end of the 230-mile Appian Way stands proud and the remains of a Roman amphitheater have been repurposed to provide today’s visitors with less bloodthirsty entertainment that was once enjoyed by their ancestors. Centrally located La Torre di Merlino was the perfect place for a coffee and pastry. Lecce certainly deserved more than the single day I’d allotted for my visit, but my schedule was tight.
Seaside Treasures
Each of the three beach towns in which I overnighted offered unique features. The southernmost, Otranto, wowed me with its cathedral perched high above town and the 15th-century Aragonese Castle, whose mighty walls were the site of a fest on the night of my stay. Gallipoli won me over with its old town sprawled over an island reached by means of a 16th-century bridge. But it was Polignano a Mare that surprised and delighted me the most. Its Cala Porto was a compact but perfectly formed pebble beach embraced on either side by towering limestone bluffs. On the outskirts of town stood a bronze statue of a man, his arms outstretched and his back to the azure sea. Italian tourists were eagerly snapping photos of Domenico Modugno, the hometown boy who made it big as a singer, his “Volare” known and loved by audiences around the world.
Bustling Bari
While Apulia’s capital city of Bari hadn’t ranked highly on my list of must-see places, I was flying back home from its airport, which made an overnight stay there the most practical option. Without particularly high expectations, I began my evening wander through its Old Town, where dozens of restaurants stretched along narrow pedestrian streets and tucked themselves into hidden squares. Eventually, I reached the Basilica di San Nicola, within whose spacious, soaring interior is found the relics of the saint who inspired Santa Claus. Emerging from the maze-like Old Town onto the broad and beautiful Corso Vittorio Emanuele and on to the bustling Corso Cavour, I was stirred by the sight of crowds of people old and young, strolling, shopping, sipping cocktails and enjoying the beautiful Sunday evening. And I was glad to be one of them.
Plan Your Trip
The driving distance between Naples and Bari is 170 miles and would take about three hours; those based in Vicenza would face a 500-mile, eight hour drive. From Germany, several airlines fly directly to Bari, including the budget carrier Eurowings. The costs of hotels and bed and breakfasts reflected rates you’d expect to pay during the shoulder season. Although I could have traveled further and seen more had I rented a car, I was pleased with the train service. It wasn’t frequent, but the tiny two-carriage trains from a forgotten era ran according to schedule, and when switching trains at the small, far-flung stations, the conductors would always watch carefully to make sure I caught the train to take me on the next leg of my journey.
