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OSTUNI
is one of the most stunning small towns of southern Italy.
Situated on three hills at the southernmost edge of Le Murge,
and an important Greco-Roman city in the first century AD,
its old centre spreads across the highest of the hills,
a gleaming white splash of sun-bleached streets and cobbled
alleyways, dominating the plains below. |
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The
name Alberobello comes from Sylva Arboris Belli (forest
of the tree of the war), the tree that used to cover the
entire area. Legend says that it was a 16th century architect
who built the first trullo with a special stone that he
could interlace for better insulation. The town most likely
became urbanized in 1635 by the agency of the Guercio di
Puglia, the Count Giangirolamo II. Alberobello was declared
a zone of historical importance in 1924 and now exists mainly
for tourism. |
On
the high plains of the Murge, on the border of the province
of Taranto, one finds Cisternino, an enchanting medieval
village much admired by Angelo Semeraro. Cisternino is surrounded
by fertile fields of Olive groves and vineyards, some of
the most abundant in Puglia. Its historic center is characterized
by its architecture of the 16th and 17th centuries.
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According
to local historians, Martina Franca origins date back to
the X cent. when a group of refugees, escaping from Taranto
because of the Saracens’invasions, founded a little
village on San Martino mountain.The
juridical foundation of the town, instead, dates back to
the fourteenth century, when it was enlarged by Filippo
d’Angiò ,Prince of Taranto, who granted some
exemptions to the inhabitants.In
the XV
cent. Martina Franca became an Aragonese feud and then in
the XVI cent. it was a dukedom of the Caracciolo family,
a noble napolitan family. In the XVII century, Petracone
V Caracciolo built the Ducal Palace, on the remains of the
ancient Orsini castle. In 1646 the inhabitants of Martina,
led by a blacksmith known as “Iron Chief”, rose
against the Caracciolo family, but it kept on running their
feud until 1827.
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Polignano
is situated on a steep rocky cliff overlooking the Adriatic
Sea. The cliffs contain a number of natural caves which
were inhabited in prehistoric times.
During
the Middle Ages the city was fortified. Today the beautifully
preserved historical centre is made of a series of alleyways
that lead to terraces with breathtaking views over the Adriatic
Sea.
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Lecce
is famous for its Baroque style, built in a fine-grained
golden limestone.Already by the year 800 B.C. it was the
capital of the kingdom of the Messapi (Messapia, the land
between two “waters”, extended from Santa Maria
di Leuca to Ostuni) an ancient population with origins from
Crete belonging to the same period as the Etruscans, became
an important Roman colony in 120 A.D., as can be seen from
the ruins of Hadrian’s amphitheatre, perfectly preserved,
and from the Roman Theatre. |
Bari,
the principal town of Puglia, has a very beautiful Romanesque
Basilica, an equally striking Cathedral and a Castle, built
by Frederick II, that has been splendidly restored. |
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The
Castel del Monte was built in the northern part of Apulia
by the Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich II of Hohenstaufen in
the last decade of his life. Its form is unique--an eight-sided
central structure with octagonal towers at each corner.
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| Castellana
Grotte is famous all over the world for its Charming grottoes;
they are 2 km far from the city and are the most known and
important Italian speleological site and one of the main tourist
apulian destination. |
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Egnazia.
Dating back to pre-Roman times, there are many remains of
the Messapian civilisation - at its peak in the 4th and
3rd centuries BC. The extensive excavations here also offer
views of the later Roman port and acropolis, the roman town
with its forum and an early Christian basilica. |
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