Apulia (Puglia), Italy's far south east

Apulia or Puglia is the region that is as far to the south east as you can get in Italy. It lies along the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea (or Gulf of Taranto). The region around Taranto was settled by exiled Spartans during the Greek period. The port city of Brindisi was the end point of the Roman Via Appia, the road that linked the empire together. Later the Normans settled in the region, as is evidenced by the large Normanesque churches of which the Basilica of San Nicola is a supreme example. The region has also castles from the Swabian King Frederick II and the Spanish left many buildings as well.

The Basilica of San Nicola in the Adriatic port city of Bari was built in the 11th century on the foundations of a Byzantine palace to house the remains of St Nicholas, who had been the bishop of Myra, in Lycia, present day Turkey around 300 AD. When Myra fell to the Muslims, mariners of Bari, who considered him their patron saint, stole his remains and took them to their city. St. Nicholas apparently performed many miracles and is also patron saint of travelers, bakers, merchants, and especially children. One of the most popular saints of the Christian church, he is still very much honoured in the Netherlands where men in bishop's robes play the role of a benevolent saint who visits children and gives them presents on 5 December, St. Nicholas eve. Dutch immigrants took this custom to America where "Sinterklaas", as he is called in Dutch, evolved into "Santa Claus". The real saint is well and truly buried in Bari.

The little town of Alberobello is in the centre of the Trulli area in the Itria Valley, with their characteristic circular houses with conical roofs. These houses are made from whitewashed stones, put together without mortar and the roofs are made from concentric rows of grey slate, called "chiancarella". The roofs are usually topped with pinnacles and often have astrological or religion symbols painted on them. Alberobello is now very much a tourist town, but a unique sight. Most trulli houses nowadays are used as boutiques, souvenir and wine shops, and the Hotel dei Trulli is a whole complex of these peculiar dwellings.

	Boulevard, Bari	Bari cathedral	In old Bari	In San Nicola Basilica
	St Nicholas	The saint's tomb	Street, Alberobello	"Trulli" houses
	Alberobello street	Conical roofs	Trulli rooftops	Trulli tourist shops

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