Puglia
Art, History & Archaeology Sites & Museums
Apulia, Puglia in Italian, is made up of the heel of the boot of Italy, or the Salento peninsular, and stretching further inland up the east coast of Italy. An arid area, with only a few torrential rivers, it is the least mountainous region in Italy. But, it is one of the richest archaeological areas in the country; the region has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Provinces in Puglia are: Bari, Barletta-Andria-Trani, Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce and Taranto.
Archaeology & History Sites in Puglia
Alberobello Monumental Cemetery
Built in 1887, the monumental entrance to the city of Alberobello’s cemetery was inspired by funerary architecture of ancient Egypt. What you see today, however, is only a portion of what was planned. Lack of funds prevented the ambitious project being completed. The entrance hall with its 12 columns, the capitals given a typical ancient look of lotus flowers, are flanked by two chapels. Various architectural features are highly decorated with ancient Egyptian iconography.
Castel del Monte
Castel del Monte, or ‘Castle of the Mountain’, with its wall of 25 metres high was once part of a more elaborate citadel built by Emperor Frederick II in the mid 13th century. That curtain wall has not survived and all that remains is an octagonal castle 56 metres in diameter, with eight octagonal towers. Often described as one of Frederick’s more fascinating castles – with a unique blend of Classical and Islamic features, it was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1996 and appears on the Italian one-cent euro coin.
Ostuni
La Città Bianca, or the white city, is a citadel town still surrounded by medieval fortifications, the walls and houses of which are still regularly whitewashed to give the town its eye-catching appearance for miles around. Occupation of the hill stretches back to the Stone Age, burials from caves on the hill excavated by archaeologists can be seen in the museum. Otherwise it is Ostuni’s Baroque heritage that attracts tourists today; including beautifully decorated palazzi and a cathedral and Bishop’s Palace.
