The Call of Ancient Apulia: A Journey into the Soul of the South

There is a land where time flows like golden honey, where every stone whispers thousand-year-old stories and where the sea dances with the sky in an infinite waltz. This is authentic Apulia, a place that, as the historian Cesare Brandi whispered, guards a soul that is ‘archaic not backward but immemorial’.

Imagine crossing the threshold of a world where doors are always open and smiles light up faces like lamps in the night. Here, in the ancient streets paved with history, processions wind like luminous snakes, carrying the gentle weight of tradition.

Tradition, folklore, art and spirituality for a rich calendar of emotional events in Apulia, from January to December, for their historical, cultural and anthropological characteristics, will give you a unique and unforgettable experience.

From the Easter processional events of ''Easter in Apulia'' to the rich calendar of patron saint celebrations of ''Patrons of Apulia'' (www.patronidipuglia.it), from the magic of “Christmas in Apulia” (www.nataleinpuglia.it) to the “Places of the Soul” of the Via Francigena and places of worship, from the food and wine of rural Apulia to the splendid Authentic Dwellings to experience and discover the “soul of places”.

Perhaps it is the great cathedrals or the glitter of silver in the churches, perhaps the intense red and black of the ceramics of Magna Graecia or the stories, the legends that link this corner of the South to heroes and gods. The journey of discovery of authentic Apulia starts from the Holy Mountain, the Gargano and Daunia.

In Monte Sant'Angelo, everything revolves around the figure of the Archangel Michael, with a sanctuary with mystical atmospheres. San Marco in Lamis, nestling in a valley, and Vico del Gargano, perched on a hill, offer two admirable examples of villages of delicate beauty. In the cathedral of Troia, the only one in the world adorned with a rose window with eleven petals, wonder at the ingenuity of man reigns.

Imperial Apulia is full of extraordinary places, such as Castel del Monte, a Frederician construction dominating a hill shrouded in mystery and part of the circuit of Norman-Swabian-Aragonese castles on the Adriatic coast. The towns of Andria and Corato maintain their characteristic circular historic centres and a rare focus on gastronomy, including confetti and extra virgin olive oil, not to mention Ruvo di Puglia, famous for its cathedral and wine cellars. And if you like archaeology, Bisceglie with its Dolmen and the valuable archaeological excavations of ancient Canusium (Canosa di Puglia) are waiting for you.

Bari and the coast with its cathedrals dedicated to saints from afar, such as the cathedral of Trani, the ancient cathedral of Molfetta and its herringbone historical centre and the Basilica of St Nicholas in Bari. Within the territory of Bari, small towns, such as Valenzano and Noicattaro, nestled between vineyards, offer palaces and places of worship of great value.

Bitonto embodies the passage of time, with ancient evidence of the splendour of the Peucetian civilisation, up to the most mature expression of Romanesque in its majestic cathedral. The journey continues to Conversano, where legendary historical figures have left an indelible mark of their passage, takes us to the trulli of Alberobello and the hidden caves of Castellana Grotte, to the modern ceramics of Grottaglie, and the ancient and precious ones preserved in Taranto, in the National Archaeological Museum. Here we are just a step away from the wonderful towns of Pulsano and Ginosa.

Finally, we arrive in Salento, dominated by Lecce, embellished by Otranto and its cathedral, dedicated to the eight hundred martyrs, to rejoice with the ancient beautiful city, Gallipoli, and be amazed by the story painted in the most important church in Galatina. Places with splendid palaces, from an ancient past, are the City of the Imperials, Francavilla Fontana, and Botrugno. A different language, fruit of the different dominations that have passed through these territories, is the one heard in Grecia Salentina.

In this land, every journey becomes poetry, every encounter a page of history, every sunset a promise of return.

This is Puglia Autentica: what are you waiting for to leave?

Find out more at:  www.pugliautentica.it