Archive for 'Apulia'

Bari is a big port city on the Adriatic coast and the capital of Puglia. It is a little off the beaten track and has a slightly dubious reputation within Italy that means you'll be warned to hold onto your valuables tightly.

However, it is a lovely place to spend a few days and shouldn't hastily be skipped over in favour of the rest of the region. The charming Old Town based on a headland that reaches into the Adriatic and is easily explored on foot. It is quite easy to get lost but, so long as you are careful, there is a pleasure in this.

Some of the most important attractions in the city at large are the Pinacoteca Provinciale 'Corrado Giaquinto,' art gallery, the Archaeological Museum, the eleventh-century Romanesque Basilica di San Nicola (dedicated to Santa Claus), the Castello Svevo, the Colonna della Giustizia (where debtors were once reputedly tied and flogged) and Bari's futuristic stadium designed by Renzo Piano.

Carpino, in Puglia, is within a two hour drive of the busy international airport Bari but is probably not a name that many are very familiar with. Yet, each summer, thousands descend upon this little town for an incredible music festival: the Carpino Folk Festival.

The setting could not be more perfect or picturesque with the sun shining overhead, kissing the white-washed buildings, open piazza, cobbled lanes and buzzing crowds, excited to take in the music and festivities.

Down below, the lovely Lake Varano, olive groves, beach resorts and Gargano National Park all stretch out like a painting. The whole thing makes for an incredible atmosphere that can not be replicated elsewhere.

The Basilica di Santa Croce, or Church of the Holy Cross, is one of the oldest and best-known of Lecce's Baroque buildings.

In a stunning city of architectural and cultural gems, it manages to still stand out as one of the most beautiful. Just find a vacation rental in Apulia and you can explore this gem of a destination for yourself.

Work on the basilica began in 1549, as part of the renewal of the area declared by emperor Charles V in response to the threat of an invasion by the Ottoman Turks. The Battle of Lepanto came and went and, all the while, local artisans, architects and artists transformed the city.

The basilica was the work of Gabriele Riccardi, Cesare Penna and Giuseppe Zimbalo and is a grand project that catalogues mythology, religion and history on the interior and exterior.

Italy is famous for a great many different things - culture, art, history, architecture, food, wine, cinema, fashion, a slower pace of life – but it is particularly blessed with natural beauty, especially lovely beaches.

You can find beaches taken out of your wildest dreams in abundance, all over the country, from dramatic cliffs to sleepy fishing towns and glamorous celebrity hotspots to almost tropical beauties, you'll find the kind of beach you're looking for whether you want to lie around and relax, have kids to entertain or a craving for adrenaline to cater to.

Discover Italy's perfect beaches and sunbathe, swim, surf, explore, stroll, have adventures, try the freshest seafood and make memories to last a lifetime.

Trani is a town in the south of Italy that is often known as the “Pearl of Puglia” and it is easy to see why it draws comparisons to precious materials.

The beautiful town is made up of whitewashed buildings against impossibly blue waters and skies that turn vibrant pinks and oranges as the sun sets.

It is a sophisticated and elegant place that attracts tourists used to the good life who sit in the marina-side bars and gaze across the yachts and fishing boats after spending days wandering the historic centre, past the palazzi, stone streets and mediaeval churches.

If you want to get a taste of it for yourself, just choose one of our vacation rentals in Puglia and spend lazy days in this stunning seaport town.