Puglia, Basilicata & Calabria

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Why Go? Southern Italy is the land of the mezzogiorno – the midday Bari...... 707 sun – which sums up the Mediterranean climate and the Promontorio del languid pace of life. From the heel to the toe of Italy’s boot, Gargano...... 714 the landscape reflects the individuality of its people. Basili- Isole Tremiti...... 720 cata is a crush of mountains and rolling hills with a dazzling Valle d’Itria...... 721 stretch of coastline. Calabria is Italy’s wildest area with fine Lecce...... 726 beaches and a mountainous landscape with peaks frequent- ly crowned by ruined castles. Puglia is the sophisticate of Brindisi...... 731 the south with charming seaside villages along its 800km of Matera...... 740 coastline, lush flat farmlands, thick forests and olive groves. Maratea...... 748 The south’s violent history of successive invasions and Cosenza...... 751 economic hardship has forged a fiercely proud people and Parco Nazionale influenced its distinctive culture and cuisine. A hotter, edg- della Sila...... 753 ier place than the urbane north of Italy, this is an area that Parco Nazionale still feels like it has secret places to explore, although you dell’Aspromonte...... 759 will need your own wheels (and some Italian) if you plan to seriously sidestep from the beaten track. Reggio di Calabria...... 759

Best Places to Eat When to Go Bari ¨¨Cucina Casareccia (p730) °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm ¨¨La Locanda di Federico (p709) 30/86 8/200 ¨ ¨Il Frantoio (p722) 20/68 6/150 ¨¨Taverna Al Cantinone (p716) 10/50 4/100

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Best Places to -10/14 0 Stay J F DNOSAJJMAM ¨¨Sotto le Cummerse (p723) Apr–Jun Spring Jul & Aug Sum- Sep & Oct No ¨¨Palazzo Rollo (p729) wildflowers mer is beach crowds, mild ¨¨Locanda delle Donne are blooming: weather and the weather and Monache (p749) a perfect time best party time wild mushrooms for hiking in the for festivals and galore. ¨¨Le Monacelle (p745) mountains. events. ¨¨Donnaciccina (p763) Puglia, Basilicata & Calabria PuliaHISTORYg 705 - - - - -

Cavallo (kid). (kid). unique to Puglia. to unique capretto ), served with broccoli with broccoli served ), trulli, (tripe) is another mainstay. mainstay. another is (tripe) (lamb) and and (lamb) trippa Apart from invaders and pirates, malaria malaria pirates, and invaders from Apart The The long made coastline the region vul agnello was long the greatest scourge was of long scourge the the greatest south, the from away to build towns many forcing sei Mussolini’s After hills. the into and coast the became south the 1922, in power of zure initia This Wheat’. for ‘Battle his in frontline self-sufficient Italy making at aimed was tive when it came to food, following the sanc on imposed tions the after its country con is Puglia quest of in now covered Ethiopia. arbours. fruit and groves olive fields, wheat History – and Greek looks and feels Puglia times At for good This reason. legacy dates tangible from when the Greeks 8thfounded a the string of in coast Ionian the along settlements (Griko) dialect Greek of A form BC. century is still spoken in some towns southeast of Taras was city major the Historically, Lecce. (Taranto), settled by Spartan exiles until they dominated were by defeated the who BC. 272 in Romans their left Normans The conquest. to nerable fine Romanesque churches, the Swabians their fortifications and the Spanish their flamboyant baroque buildings. however, No knows exactly the origins of one, the extraordinary 16th-century conical-roofed the houses, stone ------(peasant (peasant LATE P

cucina povera baked with rice and potatoes – every area has its variations on this dish. this on variations its has area every – potatoes and rice with baked OUR Y

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area around Locorotondo (famous for its white wine), around Cisternino (home (home Cisternino around wine), white its for (famous Locorotondo around area (festivals, usually involving food), food), involving usually (festivals, (mussels) are prepared in multitudinous ways, with garlic and breadcrumbs, or as as or breadcrumbs, and garlic with ways, multitudinous in prepared are (mussels) trulli Raw fish (such as anchovies or baby squid) are marinated in olive oil and lemon juice. juice. lemon and oil olive in marinated are squid) baby or anchovies as (such fish Raw developing now are wines Puglian quality, than rather quantity for known Previously Bread and pasta are close to the Puglian heart, with per-capita consumption at least at least consumption with per-capita Puglian heart, to the close are and pasta Bread Like their Greek forebears, the Puglians eat eat Puglians the forebears, Greek their Like Most of Italy’s fish is caught off the Puglian coast, 80% of Europe’s pasta is produced is produced pasta Europe’s of 80% coast, Puglian the off caught fish is of Italy’s Most sagre Meat is usually roasted or grilled with aromatic herbs or served in tomato-based sauces. tomato-based in served or herbs aromatic with grilled or roasted usually is Meat Cozze patata, cozze riso find orecchiette- accompa often pasta, ear-shaped You’ll (small the USA. double that of strascinati called or cavatelli variety, a small rod-shaped nied by ricotta cheese local the pungent by topped forteor ragù, generally sauce) (meat . in reds), finest the of one is Salentino Salice (the Salento in produced are best The apace. the of the fashionable heavy red Primitivo) and in the plains around Foggia and Lucera. and Foggia around plains the in and Primitivo) red heavy fashionable the of (horse) has only recently galloped to the table while while table the to galloped recently only has (horse) here and 80% of Italy’s olive oil originates in Puglia and Calabria. Tomatoes, broccoli, broccoli, Tomatoes, and Calabria. in Puglia oil originates olive Italy’s 80% of and here taste and season all plentiful in are and grapes cherries melons, figs, fennel, chicory, many into packed are di Puglia, Ruvo near grown Almonds, else. than anywhere better by the privileged. only eaten to be which used and pastries, cakes traditional PUGLIA vernacular cuisine. known least brawniest, uncorrupted, most Italy’s is home to Puglia cooking: or peasant cucina from the poor’ of ‘cooking poveraIt has evolved – literally from gathered with wild greens prepared and dishes made without eggs pasta think of the fields. In In a land where the cuisine is all- PUGLIA concerts and events, and thousands of Ital and and thousands events, concerts cooking) cooking) is Olive oil, legendary. grapes, to matoes, eggplants, peppers, artichokes, sa lami, olives and mushrooms, fresh seafood strain its some boasting table. Although of best Italy’s food and wines, in some places rare to it’s hear But a voice. in foreign July and August Puglia becomes a huge party, with an their for here down heading tourists ian break. nual important, Puglia’s Puglia’s important, scapes, silver olive groves, picturesque sea scapes, silver olive picturesque groves, scapes, and hilltop and memorable coastal towns. It is a lush, largely flat farming re alternates by that a coast long skirted gion, between glittering limestone and long sandy beaches. The precipices heel of Italy juts into the Adriatic and Ionian Seas and the waters of both are stunningly beauti ful, veering between translucent emerald Its extensive blue. powder and dusky green conquer many of marks the bears coastline the Spanish, the Normans, the invaders: ing Turks, the Swabians and the Greeks. has Yet, its Puglia influences, its diverse despite identity. authentic and distinct own Puglia Puglia is comprised of sun-bleached land