PUGLIA

History would tell that Puglia has always been a land of conquest and entry since ancient times and has testimony to that throughout the different eras and regions: the prehistoric dolmen, the Greek and Roman remains, medieval castles and baroque churches as well as the trulli dwellings and the masseria farmsteads. The nature in Puglia is also filled with surprises, with the National Parks in Gargano and the Murge area, the Umbra Forest, the jagged coast in Gargano and Salento, the Grottoes in Castellana, and the olive orchards.

The area around Bari is no less worthy of mention: where we suggest a visit to the imposing Basilica of St. Nicholas and the castle of Frederick II. Do not forget to save time for the so-called land of the trulli. Heading further south into Salento, the Baroque quarter in Lecce and the Cathedral in Otranto certainly merit something more than a quick stop. We suggest that you let yourself be enchanted by the coast that is without equal,  discover the rocky coasts and grottoes and an enviable view of the sea.

A trip to Puglia is also an occasion to taste the flavours of traditional cuisine, beginning with the excellent products such as Altamura bread, Aleatico wine and 5 different kinds of DOP olive oil.

DON’T MISS THE FESTIVAL

The rite of the "tarantolati" in Galatina (LE)

In Galatina, in the province of Lecce, the Festival of St. Paul is celebrated June 29 and 30 with great festivities.

The apostle is considered as the protectorate of all those who have been bitten by a snake or a tarantola: which is a small spider that is considered by many people in the south to be responsible for convulsions. Though medicine has recognized that the bite of this particular spider only has the power of a slight and short-lived pain, the significance of the ritual of the bite maintains profound value, as a symbol of an obsession, an anguish that possesses us and from which we cannot free ourselves. Those who declare themselves "tarantolati", or as victims bitten by the obscure evil of the soul, meet together for the festival in the chapel dedicated to St. Paul.

To free themselves from suffering, the bitten have always held a cathartic ritual moulded on the shamanic cults, which instead of exorcism turned to trances to enter into complete contact with the demon, to understand the message and allow it to complete its function. From the catharsis that comes from this understanding the liberation from the obsession is achieved.

THE HEALING RITUAL. At the first notes, right after dawn, the tarantolato is overtaken by crazed uncontrollable movements that continue in an uninterrupted crescendo to an hour before noon, then begin again two hours later and continue without stopping until sunset. During the ritual, the tarantolato gives no signs of tiring, asking for no breaks, and speaking to no one except his deep inner self, not even recognizing parents or friends and completely immersed in a dialogue with the sacred that absorbs everything. Closed in a magic sphere, there is a need for the community who help and witness the sacrality of the event.

When the rite has ended, the tarantolato is exhausted and renewed. The healing obtained is celebrated by paying homage to St. Paul.

The therapeutic dancing-musical cure was practiced but in time was no longer officially accepted.  Today the tarantolati (mostly people who went abroad and returned to their homeland after many years) meet in devotion and ask for the saint's blessing.

THE WINES IN PUGLIA

Puglia is still today a dreamy seaside locale filled with people of indubitable hospitality. The region, from a wine touring point of view is divided into three large areas that offer a great opportunity for tasting good wines and getting in touch with an old fashioned atmosphere enjoying unique landscapes. One of the best areas for vineyards in Puglia is represented by the territory which corresponds approximately to the province of Foggia. Here at the centre of the Tavoliere plains, the land is fertile with lots of waterways crossing it. A large wine production area is San Severo. You can taste the Bianco di San Severo, which is a great dry white wine for fish. Again in the province of Foggia we have Torre Giulia, a white wine with golden reflections and Santo Stefano with a ruby red colour and rounded taste that is pleasant and velvety. The promontory of Gargano is absolutely enjoyable with picturesque seaside resorts in Peschici and Vieste, built on a hill top between two splendid beaches and Mattinata, which is famous for its centuries-old olive trees.

Heading south towards the second wine production area is the land surrounding Bari. Here the landscape is called the Murge, with its beautiful red soil and the long strips of olive trees and vineyards. Here they produce white, rosé and red Castel del Monte. The white is great with fish, the rosé is without a doubt one of the best Italian rosé wines, Cerasuolo is a red wine that is especially pleasant in the summer season and the Conversano is available in both white and red.

The third and final vineyard area in Puglia is the Salento area. Here there are three provinces including Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto which offer yet another reason to visit and taste great wines. We highlight the dry white Ostuni and the rosé and ruby red Rosato di Salento, which is one of the best Italian rosé wines.

THE FLAVOURS OF PUGLIA

Puglia has recently had a recovery in the field of agriculture. There has been a noteworthy expansion of traditional production from hard grain to olive oil, wine and vegetables. The seven hundred kilometre coastline is another reason that there are a lot of seafood specialties which form a fundamental basis of the gastronomy in this region.

FIRST COURSES.  The variety of products in Puglia are highlighted in the various versions of cavatelli (with chick peas and mushrooms, rucola and potatoes, mussels and beans), in which there are original pairings that only recently have spread to a national level and highly popular dishes such as orecchiette con cime di rape or pasta with turnip greens seasoned with olive oil, garlic, anchovies and hot pepper. In Puglia they have developed a variety of toppings for this traditional shape of pasta: it is topped with artichokes, ricotta and all other sorts of good products from the land in Puglia. The recipe ciceri e tria, comes from Salento. This chick pea soup has whole beans as well as beans that have been pureed, with onion and rosemary together with tagliatelli pasta boiled together with the beans and part of it is fried and added to the mixture at the end. A traditional specialty in Puglia are the many types of tielle: In Bari they make it by layering potatoes, rice and mussels in a pan together with olive oil, onion, pecorino cheese, slices of tomato and parsley before being placed in the oven. The same technique is used to prepare other “tielle,” which come in many different varieties: in the tiella tarantina there is the addition of zucchini, in Foggia they make it with dried cod and fresh mushrooms, the tiella di verdure is based on a mixture of vegetables (bell peppers, eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes) with small chunks of mozzarella.

FISH AND MEAT SECOND COURSES.  We already mentioned that seafood has an important role in the diet of this region. The gulf of Taranto hosts some of the largest cultivations of oysters and mussels in the country and that has given rise to many recipes with these tasty shellfish. They are prepared simply like in cozze alla leccese, where the mussels are dressed after cooking and opening, with oil, parsley and lemon. The oysters in Taranto are covered in oil, grated parsley, basil, fine bread crumbs and then baked in the oven. The fish chowder in Gallipoli includes many different kinds of fish and it is different from all of the other coastal locations due to the addition just before serving, of a bit of vinegar. Among the less known meat dishes are the lamb products: agnello di Pasqua is cut in pieces and cooked in a pan with olive oil, onion, peas, parsley, pecorino cheese, wine and beaten egg, added at the end of cooking. The unique lamb salami from Lucera is made with lamb casing that is filled with a roll made from lamb liver cut to make a single slice containing sweetbreads, garlic, parsley, pepper and pecorino cheese. The "salami" is stuffed in the casing and cooked in the oven with potatoes.

THE DESSERTS.  And now we get to the desserts. One traditional Christmas goody is cartellate which are twists of puff pastry fried in olive oil and later covered in vincotto (cooked wine) or a honey sauce with colourful candied fruits. Cooked must is used in place of wine in grano al mosto cotto, to cook the grain, which is then combined with pomegranate, almonds, hazelnut, pieces of chocolate, candied fruits, cloves and cinnamon. We end with another dessert tied to a religious holiday the Easter scarcella is a twisted cake made from a dough of flour, sugar, oil, an egg, milk, leavening and lemon zest. It is cooked in the oven after having placed two eggs in their shells in the centre. After it is taken out of the oven it is covered with a glace of sugar, beaten egg whites and lemon juice and is topped with coloured comfits.