{"id":2421,"date":"2012-07-15T22:57:49","date_gmt":"2012-07-15T20:57:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/walks.friday.ie\/?p=2421"},"modified":"2023-07-25T16:52:10","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T15:52:10","slug":"photography-reasons-to-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/photography-reasons-to-go","title":{"rendered":"Why Visit Puglia? 12 Reasons to Head to Italy&#8217;s Heel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We love Puglia, the region located in the &#8220;heel&#8221; of the boot of Italy. This region\u2014which remains relatively unknown to foreign tourists\u2014is one of the most beautiful in the country. So why visit Puglia, you ask?<\/p>\n<p>Picture sun-bleached houses, azure water, white sand beaches, medieval castles and churches, rolling olive groves, and delicious food. But you don&#8217;t have to use your imagination. Just check out these favorite photographs of some of our favorite things about Puglia!<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/photography-reasons-to-go\/#Best_things_to_do_and_see_in_Puglia\" >Best things to do and see in Puglia<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/photography-reasons-to-go\/#Visit_stunning_seaside_towns_like_Polignano_a_Mare\" >Visit stunning seaside towns (like Polignano a Mare)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/photography-reasons-to-go\/#See_the_elaborate_architecture_of_Lecce_aka_%E2%80%9CFlorence_of_the_South%E2%80%9D\" >See the elaborate architecture of Lecce, aka &#8220;Florence of the South&#8221;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/photography-reasons-to-go\/#Explore_beautiful_beaches\" >Explore beautiful beaches<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/photography-reasons-to-go\/#Enjoy_a_family-run_masserie\" >Enjoy a family-run masserie<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/photography-reasons-to-go\/#Savor_delicious_olives_and_olive_oil\" >Savor delicious olives and olive oil<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/photography-reasons-to-go\/#Marvel_at_striking_farmland\" >Marvel at striking farmland<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/photography-reasons-to-go\/#Discover_fascinating_caves_like_the_Grotte_di_Castellana\" >Discover fascinating caves (like the Grotte di Castellana)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/photography-reasons-to-go\/#Meander_through_medieval_castles\" >Meander through medieval castles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/photography-reasons-to-go\/#Stay_in_one_of_the_regions_famous_trulli\" >Stay in one of the region&#8217;s famous trulli<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/photography-reasons-to-go\/#Devour_delicious_seafood\" >Devour delicious seafood<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/photography-reasons-to-go\/#Peruse_medieval_churches_and_some_very_holy_relics\" >Peruse medieval churches (and some very holy relics)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/photography-reasons-to-go\/#Soak_up_quiet_moments_even_in_the_cities\" >Soak up quiet moments, even in the cities<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Best_things_to_do_and_see_in_Puglia\"><\/span>Best things to do and see in Puglia<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Visit_stunning_seaside_towns_like_Polignano_a_Mare\"><\/span>Visit stunning seaside towns (like Polignano a Mare)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_2436\" style=\"width: 550px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/shutterstock_26493811.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2436\" class=\" wp-image-2436 \" title=\"Beautiful seaside town of Puglia Italy\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/shutterstock_26493811.jpg\" alt=\"Polignano a Mare, Apulia\" width=\"540\" height=\"353\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/shutterstock_26493811.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/shutterstock_26493811-768x502.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2436\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Beautiful Polignano a Mare, Puglia<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Puglia&#8217;s coast is lined with gorgeous towns like this one. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.polignanoamare.eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Polignano a Mare<\/a> has an evocative historic center, dramatic seaside setting, and a beach so lovely right in the center of town, you can be from breakfast to the beach in three minutes flat.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"See_the_elaborate_architecture_of_Lecce_aka_%E2%80%9CFlorence_of_the_South%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>See the elaborate architecture of Lecce, aka &#8220;Florence of the South&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_2426\" style=\"width: 490px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/santa-crose2.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2426\" class=\" wp-image-2426 \" title=\"The lovely city of Lecce, Puglia\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/santa-crose2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/santa-crose2.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/santa-crose2-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2426\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lovely Lecce<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The city of Lecce looks like a layer cake; almost every building is elaborately festooned with Baroque decorations. That&#8217;s because it used to be one of the most important cities in Italy&#8217;s south\u2014so starting in 1630, money poured into the city to build palaces, churches, and monuments. Today, it&#8217;s a fascinating place to take a wander!<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Explore_beautiful_beaches\"><\/span>Explore beautiful beaches<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_2433\" style=\"width: 471px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Puglia-Punta-Prosciutto-beach-by-loloieg.jpeg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2433\" class=\" wp-image-2433 \" title=\"Beach in Salento peninsula, Puglia, Italy\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Puglia-Punta-Prosciutto-beach-by-loloieg.jpeg\" alt=\"Puglia has some of the best beaches in Italy\" width=\"461\" height=\"346\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2433\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Want to find some of Italy&#8217;s best beaches? Come to Puglia&#8217;s Salento peninsula. (Photo courtesy of loloieg, Creative Commons)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The very heel of the boot of Italy, the Salento peninsula, is renowned for its beaches. And with good reason. White sand and the sparkling Aegean&#8230; what more could you want?<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Enjoy_a_family-run_masserie\"><\/span>Enjoy a family-run <em>masserie<\/em><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_2439\" style=\"width: 546px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/masseria.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2439\" class=\" wp-image-2439 \" title=\"Masseria in Puglia Italy\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/masseria.jpg\" alt=\"Place to stay in Apulia\" width=\"536\" height=\"356\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2439\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Masseria Montenapoleone (photo courtesy of unusualhotelsoftheworld.com)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Think of a <em>masseria<\/em> as Puglia&#8217;s answer to the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/hotels\/what-is-an-agriturismo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">agriturismo<\/a>:<\/em> It&#8217;s a farmhouse, but one that&#8217;s fortified. These days, <em>masserie<\/em>\u2014which are unique to southern Italy, particularly Puglia and Sicily\u2014are often turned into B&amp;Bs (like <em>agriturismi<\/em>). The one above, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.unusualhotelsoftheworld.com\/MasseriaMontenapoleone\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Masseria Montenapoleone<\/a>, is original to the 16th century! It&#8217;s a great opportunity to not only stay in an unusual place, but to experience the local food, as meals are often cooked from the land&#8217;s own produce, and to befriend a local family.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Savor_delicious_olives_and_olive_oil\"><\/span>Savor delicious olives and olive oil<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_2432\" style=\"width: 550px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Olive-oil-and-mature-olives.-.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2432\" class=\" wp-image-2432 \" title=\"Olives in Puglia, Italy\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Olive-oil-and-mature-olives.-.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"540\" height=\"361\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Olive-oil-and-mature-olives.-.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Olive-oil-and-mature-olives.--768x514.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2432\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Puglia&#8217;s olives, and olive oil, are alone worth the trip!<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Quick: what region in Italy produces the most olive oil? Tuscany? Umbria? Nope. It&#8217;s Puglia. If you didn&#8217;t know that, it might be because most of Puglia&#8217;s olives go into mass-produced oils, so they haven&#8217;t acquired quite the same name-branding as their northern peers. But that doesn&#8217;t mean the olives here aren&#8217;t just as good. While you&#8217;re in Puglia, try some of the olives\u2014and olive oils\u2014from a private estate (maybe that <em>masseria <\/em>you&#8217;re staying at?). You&#8217;ll never discount Pugliese olives again.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Marvel_at_striking_farmland\"><\/span>Marvel at striking farmland<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_2422\" style=\"width: 490px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/puglia-landscape.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2422\" class=\" wp-image-2422 \" title=\"Landscape in Puglia, Italy\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/puglia-landscape.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/puglia-landscape.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/puglia-landscape-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2422\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A farm in Puglia<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Puglia has a lot of agriculture, but the region couldn&#8217;t look more different from the rolling farms in central and northern Italy! From the rich red of the dirt to the sun-bleached trees, it&#8217;s a completely different sight. And every bit as striking.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Discover_fascinating_caves_like_the_Grotte_di_Castellana\"><\/span>Discover fascinating caves (like the Grotte di Castellana)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_2443\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2443\" class=\"wp-image-2443\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Grotte-Castellana-Puglia-Italy-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Grotte-Castellana-Puglia-Italy-scaled.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Grotte-Castellana-Puglia-Italy-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Grotte-Castellana-Puglia-Italy-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-2443\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Puglia&#8217;s caves, like Grotte di Castellana, are a unique part of the local environment.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Because of Puglia&#8217;s particular geology &#8211; although Puglia is very dry, much of the region is made of limestone bedrock, which can be permeated by rainwater &#8211; the region is filled with caves. One of the most spectacular, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grottedicastellana.it\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Grotte di Castellana<\/a>, features weirdly-shaped stalactites and stalagmites and a gorgeous white cave.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Meander_through_medieval_castles\"><\/span>Meander through medieval castles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_2442\" style=\"width: 490px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/shutterstock_65491183.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2442\" class=\" wp-image-2442 \" title=\"Castello Svevo of Bari\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/shutterstock_65491183.jpg\" alt=\"Lots of castles in Puglia\" width=\"480\" height=\"318\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/shutterstock_65491183.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/shutterstock_65491183-768x510.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2442\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Castello Svevo in Bari, just one of many castles in Puglia<\/p><\/div>\n<p>From the 9th century to the 19th, Puglia was conquered by Saracens, Byzantines, Normans, the Kingdom of Sicily, the Kingdom of Naples, the Hohenstaufens, the Spanish and the French&#8230; and that&#8217;s not to mention the coastal occupations by the Turks and the Venetians! The result: lots of medieval castles.<\/p>\n<p>One of our favorites, the <a href=\"https:\/\/museipuglia.cultura.gov.it\/home-page\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Castello Svevo<\/a> in Bari, was built by Roger II of Sicily in 1131. You can still visit it today.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Stay_in_one_of_the_regions_famous_trulli\"><\/span>Stay in one of the region&#8217;s famous <em>trulli<\/em><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_2434\" style=\"width: 550px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/shutterstock_33136222.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2434\" class=\" wp-image-2434 \" title=\"The trulli of Alberobello, Puglia\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/shutterstock_33136222.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"540\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/shutterstock_33136222.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/shutterstock_33136222-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2434\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The trulli of Alberobello<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>Trulli<\/em> are stone huts with cone-shaped roofs. And they&#8217;re unique to Puglia, where they were originally built as storehouses for farms or as dwellings. Although they&#8217;re scattered throughout the Murge area of Puglia, one popular place to see them is <a href=\"https:\/\/whc.unesco.org\/en\/list\/787\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alberobello, a tiny town made up of dozens of <em>trulli.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Devour_delicious_seafood\"><\/span>Devour delicious seafood<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_4305\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4305\" class=\"wp-image-4305\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Shellfish-seafood-Puglia-Italy-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Fish, a traditional dish in Puglia and the Salento\" width=\"1200\" height=\"797\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4305\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eating oysters with THIS view? We&#8217;re in!<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Want your holiday in Italy to be a culinary one? Then forget Venice and Florence: Puglia is where it&#8217;s at.<\/p>\n<p>Okay, we&#8217;re joking, but only kind of. Italy&#8217;s best food tends to be found off the beaten track, away from the tourist crowds, and where there&#8217;s lots of good, fresh produce&#8230; in other words, in regions like Puglia. Not to mention that you can eat with <em>this <\/em>view.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Peruse_medieval_churches_and_some_very_holy_relics\"><\/span>Peruse medieval churches (and some very holy relics)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_2445\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Church-of-San-Nicola-of-Bari-Puglia.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2445\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2445\" title=\"Church of San Nicola of Bari in Puglia\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Church-of-San-Nicola-of-Bari-Puglia.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"332\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2445\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Church of San Nicola of Bari is another great reason to visit Puglia.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Ornate churches are found throughout Puglia (well, let&#8217;s be honest, throughout Italy), but those in Bari are some of our favorite. This one, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stnicholascenter.org\/who-is-st-nicholas\/saint-in-bari\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Church of St. Nicholas<\/a>, houses no less than what&#8217;s believed to be the relics of the saint. In fact, the church was built in the 12th century, after the relics of St. Nicholas were stolen from his shrine in modern-day Turkey. And yes, that is the Saint Nick you&#8217;re thinking of.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Soak_up_quiet_moments_even_in_the_cities\"><\/span>Soak up quiet moments, even in the cities<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_2424\" style=\"width: 369px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Bari-Puglia-Italy.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2424\" class=\" wp-image-2424 \" title=\"Bari, Puglia, Italy\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Bari-Puglia-Italy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"359\" height=\"540\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2424\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Down a quiet street in Bari, Puglia<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Yes, people have heard of Puglia. Italians and Europeans flock to the region&#8217;s beaches in August, and the port city of Bari fills up with cruise-shippers on summer days. But outside of the region&#8217;s very few highly-trafficked areas\u2014and outside of high season anywhere\u2014the region is anything but touristy.<\/p>\n<p>So, whether you&#8217;re digging into a meal at a <em>masseria <\/em>or just wandering down a back street in Bari, you&#8217;re experiencing a little piece of (although we hate to use this word) authentic Italy. And that&#8217;s pretty cool.<\/p>\n<p>Need more reason to love Puglia? Just check out our fun video exploring the region, below!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1WUDsVMLcyg?list=UUjPz2R5Nl5DKZfca9pb4DGg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We love Puglia, the region located in the &#8220;heel&#8221; of the boot of Italy. This region\u2014which remains relatively unknown to foreign tourists\u2014is one of the most beautiful in the country. So why visit Puglia, you ask? Picture sun-bleached houses, azure water, white sand beaches, medieval castles and churches, rolling olive groves, and delicious food. But [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[81,92],"ppma_author":[155],"class_list":["post-2421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-travel-tips","tag-photography","tag-puglia"],"authors":[{"term_id":155,"user_id":3,"is_guest":0,"slug":"walksofitaly","display_name":"Walks of Italy","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9f4cd4dd0c5ab4b4bae57f3500298e23?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog","last_name":"of Italy","first_name":"Walks","job_title":"","description":"Walks began life as the passion project of two guys with one simple mission: To share their love for, and knowledge of, the city of Rome. Since then, Walks has grown into a team of over 100 ground staff and at any time up to 600 guides, operating across 13 of the world\u2019s most exciting cities (and counting!)\r\n\r\nToday we provide some of the most exclusive and beautifully designed small group tours in the industry through Italy-based Walks of Italy and around the world at Walks, where we offer special access to some of the world\u2019s most iconic landmarks and attractions as well as unique cultural experiences."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2421"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2421"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18695,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2421\/revisions\/18695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2421"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=2421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}