I enjoyed this journey through Apulia: so many nice landscapes: the village of Peschici, the pine forests and the small beaches, the cliffs, the lighthouse of Punta Palaschia, the olive-trees, the town of Nardo , Matera and Lecce.
Some words about the seaside: at Monopoli the people enjoy rowing:at Porto Selvaggio Andrea Vitale invites the vistors for a walk through the pine forests and for the discovery of hidden beaches. At Punta Palaschia (Capo d'Otranto) Ello Paiano tells the story of the lighthouse built in 1867 and abandoned in the 1970, but now it has been reopened for the tourists: the paineter Misla Mavilia enjoys this place for her paintings.
Apulia is also knowed for its cuisine: GianRoberto Antoniotti produce olive oil and when his friends arrive he offers them bread with a touch of olive oil.
In the north of Apulia Carlo Simone produce the buratta cheese (made with cow milk).
In Altamura the baker Giuseppe di Gesumakes the famous bread of Altamura, bread made with durum wheat remilled semola.
In spring the Apulian families used to celebrate wedding and there is always a banquet with loca products (cheeses, sea food and meats).
Barbara Carrolaggi, a wedding planner is traveling through looking for masserias (holiday houses) and other places for the tourists who want to marry in a natural ambiance and enjoy good food.
Nardo is a town with old buildings and Antonello Rizzella, an investor has decided to give a new life to the town investiong about 10 millions Euro in hotel and restaurants and is now encouraging the palace and house owners to transform these places into guesthouse or shops.
In the region of Salento young Apulian men have decided to come back to their village and to practice bio farming: they receive visitors and explain them how to produce organic food.
An another history of renewal is the place of San Giovanni Retondo : the sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina was designed by the architect Renzo Piano and built in 1968: about 7 millions of visitors arrive each year at San Giovanni Rotondo: many of them show their devotion to Padre Pio: there was an economic boom in the town.
Besides in Grottaglie there are great potters like Nicola Fasano.
I enjoyed the encounters of Tiga with Vincenzo Ottaviano, with Michell Draicchio (the Gelateria) , with Carlo and Domenico in the Trabucco da Mimi, with Alessandro Ricucci (the orange and lemon farm), with Anna Maria Aprile and her family, with Marco Brunetti (the potter of Matera), with Don Gaetano Amore Luca and Mario Campanello in Polignano a Mare and with Serena d'Amato in Lecce: very nice encounters with very nice Italian men and women.