In addition to being the most eastern region of Italy, Puglia is also one of the regions with the biggest coastal development, with about 800 kilometres of coastline.
Along the shore it appears alternatively rocky areas like the Gargano and to the south of the province of Lecce up to the far end point of Otranto, but also sandy coasts like along the Gulf of Taranto.
The hinterland of the region is mainly made of flatlands and hilly lands, without clear contrasts between territories. The Gargano and the Sub-Apennine Dauno are the sole mountainous areas, with elevations not higher than 1000-1100 metres above sea level.
The remaining part of the region consists of the Tavoliere delle Puglie, with its 3000 square kilometres, that is the widest Italian flatland right behind the Pianura Padana; the Murge, a calcareous upland to the south of the Tavoliere which extends to the barriers of Salento; the Terra di Bari, between the Murge and the Adriatic sea, a flatland or a slightly undulating land; the Valle d’Itria, located in between the provinces of Bari, Brindisi and Taranto, is characterized by an alternation of valleys, undulating lands and especially by a concentration of trulli (cylindrical homes with cone roofs); the Arco Ionico Tarantino follows the coastline of the entire region, extending up to the Salentina peninsula in the south, surrounding a hilly area and a wide flat coast.
Human settlement in Puglia goes at least 250.000 years back, as witnessed by the fossil remains of the Altamura Man and the prehistoric evidences. Around the I millennium B.C., the Dauni and the Messapi settled in this area and during the following centuries many Greek invasions took place here. The Romans quickly figured out the possibilities of this lands but they couldn’t get much because of the southern people’s strong resistance and then the conflicts with the Carthaginians and Hannibal.
But the Roman Empire never gave up on Puglia and its resources, they built two important arterial roads that linked the Appia road and the Traiana road, they settled on the northern part of the region and started to produce wheat and oil, making Puglia the biggest olive oil exporter in the East of that age.
At the fall of the Roman Empire, the territory of Puglia experienced a strong decrease, with alternations of different dominations until the present days.
Bari is the regional capital and the other provinces are Foggia, Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto.
Among the southern regions, the economy of Puglia is the one that has been having the best trends, with a little flexion of the agricultural sector of about 9% on behalf of tertiary and industry, allowing an increase of about 4% of the national standards.
In recent years a highly seasonal increasing tourism development has been attested counting on over 2 millions of national visitors and over 400.000 foreigners.
Puglia has been perfectly able to combine its traditions, history and productive attitudes with innovation and technology. It has reached, indeed, good levels of specializations in many industrial trades, gathering supports from over 40 international industrial groups belonging to aerospace, automotive industry and chemical industry.
AGRICULTURAL AND ECONOMY
Due to the structure of the territory, agricultural sector has been one of the most flourished in Italy, with the production of wheat (the Tavoliere delle Puglie is called the "granary of Italy”) and vegetables in the flatlands; grapevines and olive trees in the hilly areas, with high quality productions.
This wealth is due to the variety of the soil, a very sunny climate and, despite of the poor yearly rainfalls, the agricultural sector has been able to conform cultivations to the climate peculiarities with perfect soil preparations and particular plant breeding systems, such as the little tree for the grapevine, obtaining excellent results, very appreciated by the northern regions of Italy, and creating a rich exchange market.
Livestock is present exclusively in the hinterlands and high quality fishing is only locally developed.
GASTRONOMY
Cookery is focused very much on vegetables and sea products, especially from the Adriatic Sea and from the Gulf of Taranto, the latter with a special characteristic that distinguished the area for the particular sea water and freshwater mix, assuaging salinity.
Seasonal vegetables range from rapini, green cabbages, thistles, peppers, eggplants, artichokes, beans and lentils.
The recipes and the typical dishes, even being common to the whole region, change from a province to the other and from season to season, so that in spring time they preferred vegetables and fish, while in the other seasons legumes and handmade pasta prevail with different sauces, served alone or combined with vegetables or fish.
The most typical dish is the “orecchiette with ragù sauce”, with an extra-famous recipe, and the not-less-famous “orecchiette with rapini”, the “chicory with fava beans pureè”, and those recipes strictly connected to the Mediterranean, like the “cavatelli with mussels”.
The city of Ceglie Messapica is certainly the symbol of the great gastronomic culture of Puglia, which is located in the Salento area, full of starred restaurants to be found in the best guide of the sector, the international school of gastronomy and a territory enriched with more than 100 typical food biodiversities, it is known as the gastronomic capital of Puglia by both national and international community.
With regards to meat, it is famous from the Valle d’Itria and especially the one from Martina Franca (the only example of norcineria made in Puglia), where the typical capocollo is produced and also Cisternino and Crispiano.
WINE
Wines from Puglia were already consumed by the ancient romans, as Tibullo, Plino il Vecchio and Orazio narrate in their records; they praised the scent, the flavour, the colour of the wines.
Thanks to them we have received many detailed information about the cultivation and the wine-making tecniques used in the territory of Puglia during the Roman Age.
Later Federico II of Svevia was an exceptional testimonial promoting this richness supported by the sun and a land particularly suitable for grapevine cultivation.
Over the past years Puglia has been the region with the biggest vitivinicole production of the country, focusing more on quantity than quality, being supported by a rich territory and alimenting a prosperous northern market.
Lately, a big change has happened: many northern entrepreneurs, evaluating the situation, have moved to different places of Puglia giving birth to reversed trends in the production of high quality wine and inspiring new local entrepreneurs to increase the value of the brand PUGLIA with high results.
A remarkable revaluation of the vineyard and local vine varieties, negroamaro, black malvasia, primitivo, uva di Troia, white and black bombino and many others. All this has led to a huge growth in standards of quality, still maintaining an excellent relationship with the price.
Awards have not taken long in arriving both from national and international realities, a big entry in the global market.
Today, Puglia has 25 D.O.P. with 128 different preparations: 52 red wines, 28 white, 22 pink, 17 desserts and / or liqueur and 9 sparkling wines.
Next to cult wines as Primitivo di Manduria, produced in the area, other productions, year after year, are going up to quotations.
There are many wines from Puglia DOC, DOCG and IGT.
