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General information Explore the Gargano peninsula with its dramatic coastline of coves and cliffs , beaches and forested interior . Take a boat trip to the Tremiti islands off the coast of the Gargano . Local handicrafts include ceramics from Grattaglie , rugs and fabrics from Alberobello , wrought�iron and furniture from Monopoli and Ostuni , papier�mache ( particularly nativity scenes ) from Lecce . Wine , olive oil and strangely�shaped pasta . The Salentine peninsula should be discovered for its vineyards and olive groves , megalithic remains and grottoes . The Trulli are one of the outstanding architectural features of Puglia : houses of obscure origins with white�washed lower portions and grey conical roofs . Grotte di Castellanata .

Cultural highlights The cultural highlights of Puglia are to be found in the quality of the Norman religious and secular architecture and the Baroque of Lecce in particular . Highlights include in Lecce the church of Santa Croce begun in 1549 by Gabriele Riccardi and with a magnificent 17th Century facade , the loggia of the 15th Century Palazzo Vescovile , the Duomo rebuilt by Giuseppe Zimbalo ( lo Zingarello ) and the church of Santi Nicola e Cataldo ( the most important Romanesque church in the Salentine ). Bari possesses the Basilica di San Nicola , one of Puglia ’ s first great Norman churches . The 15th Century frescoes in the church of Santa Caterina d ’ Alessandria in Galatina are of particular merit . In Bitanto ’ s Romanesque cathedral is an Ambo by Maestro Nicola dating from 1229 with a bas�relief showing Frederick II and his family .

Festivals Martina Franca holds the Festivale della Valle d ’ Itria in late July early August . Bari holds a historical parade of St Nicholas on 7�10 May and a processsion on the seafront . Galatina has a curious tradition coinciding with the Feasts of Saints Peter and Paul on 28�29 June as tarantism has survived here . Lecce has a feast for the patron saints of the city on 24 to 26 August .

Gastronomic highlights Olive oil is produced in enormous quantities and this together with local fruit , wine and seafood feature in the regional gastronomy . Specialities include Foccacia bread flavoured with olives , fennel and chicory , Panzerotti ( pasta with anchovies , capers and strong ricotta cheese ), Tiella di Cozze ( rice , potatoes and mussels ), Melanzane alla campagnola ( aubergines roasted and soaked in oil , garlic and basil ). Dried pasta of all sorts of shapes and sizes is also a regional speciality . Puglia also is a great wine producer . A light red is produced at Cerignola and a robust red at Bari . Red Primitivo del Salento or di Manduria are well known .

Our two centre recommendations Our recommended suggestions include Puglia and the Amalfi Coast , Puglia and Basilicata or Calabria , Puglia and Latium .

How you get there By air The closest airport for a direct flight from London is Bari with British Airways . ' No frills ' airlines fly into Bari . Hire�cars We include a hire�car with all our holidays to Puglia . There is no additional charge for collecting your car from one place and returning it to another .

A day ’ s excursion from the Melograno , Monopoli

This is a full day visiting many of the most attractive and beautiful sights in the region � you may want to split it up and take two or three days to cover what we suggest here .

Start at Monopoli on the Adriatic and take the coastal road south heading for Marina di Ostuni . You pass the Graeco�Messapian town of Egnazia where the antiquarium houses vases and terracottas and then the fishing village of Savelletri and then Torre Canne , a spa town with good bathing . Pass more resort beaches until you reach Marina di Ostuni . At this point you turn away from the coast to the little white town of Ostuni built on three hills with the church of Santa Maria Maddalena and its cupola of coloured majolica .

On through picturesque scenery to Cisternino , a small town of Greek appearance whose white terraced houses with external staircases . Across country skirting the edge of the Valle d ’ Itria to reach the rococo town of Martina Franca , with elegant squares and palaces . Enjoy the view from the Via Pergolesi outside the town gates and pause for lunch either in the town or at a local trattoria nearby .

Then through the picture postcard scenery of the Valle d ’ Itria with its trulli surrounded by pretty small holdings of vines and olives , north to Locrotondo , one of the most beautiful towns of the region , built on a circular plan on a hill top . Wander through the narrow streets with their well�kept white houses , wrought�iron balconies and pots of flowering vines . You ’ re now at the heart of the trulli region , declared a national monument with over 1000 trulli . Next stop is the trulli town of Alberobello where a whole quarter of the town consists of trulli . Pause to purchase wine or olive oil at one of the many Masseria in the region , ancient once�fortified farmhouses . The final stop is at the Grotte di Castellana and then back to Monopoli .