Active Self-Drive Week in Puglia

At first glance, stepping off a ferry or a train, Bari might seem anything between unexceptional and ugly. But hidden away is a beautiful historic city center that rewards the curious traveler with a number of gems. The final resting place of the bones of St Nicholas, the saint who inspired the Father Christmas legend is in the Basilica that bears his name. Wander through the centro storico and most afternoons you'll find the local ladies sitting outside their homes making orecchiette, the 'small ear' shaped pasta that Puglia is famous for. If you have time a visit to the Norman castle, approaching its thousandth birthday now and still in rude health is worth an exploration to see whatever the current exhibit is.

The heel of the Italy's boot, Puglia has long been off most foreign travelers' radar, but not so for the Italians. This is where they love to go on their own vacations, particularly in summer, because the food down here is just that good. In Puglia you'll find a distinctly Mediterranean approach to life, the clear blue waters of the Adriatic and some fantastic food and wine with cuisine changing almost every few miles. One of our favorite spots on the coast is the small town of Monopoli. The whitewashed and white stone buildings of the old town and the marble-smooth limestone paving have a relaxing effect. Monopoli is popular with Italian vacationers too, but the fact that almost everyone's speaking Italian adds to that "for-locals" feeling. All the bounty of the sea is on menus around the old town, but we'll share the best places with you. You're ideally placed here for day trips either along the coast or inland to some of Puglia's small hilltop towns, the trulli of Alberobello, or the caves of Castellana Grotte.

Lecce is the most important town on the Salentine peninsula, the very heel of Italy. The town's rich history, stretching back to the times of the ancient Greeks, is what makes it so interesting.. The centerpiece of the old town is a 2nd century Roman amphitheater which was only rediscovered in the early 1900s during construction work, and it is still half buried; however, the exposed part is now used for concerts. Much of Lecce's historical center's architecture dates from the Baroque period and has earned the city the nickname 'Florence of the South'. These beauties stand in stark contrast to some of the Fascist buildings erected during Mussolini's reign.

At first glance, stepping off a ferry or a train, Bari might seem anything between unexceptional and ugly. But hidden away is a beautiful historic city center that rewards the curious traveler with a number of gems. The final resting place of the bones of St Nicholas, the saint who inspired the Father Christmas legend is in the Basilica that bears his name. Wander through the centro storico and most afternoons you'll find the local ladies sitting outside their homes making orecchiette, the 'small ear' shaped pasta that Puglia is famous for. If you have time a visit to the Norman castle, approaching its thousandth birthday now and still in rude health is worth an exploration to see whatever the current exhibit is.