It would not need to be a serious Italian metropolis to be fairly. Smaller cities like Giovinazzo provide the identical charms, with out the crowds. Courtesy of Han Sang-hee
By Han Sang-hee
Italian journey locations was once apparent — Tuscany for wine, Sicily for meals and pizza and quite a few northern cities for historical past and tradition. However what about Apulia, the heel of the Italian Peninsula, the place the solar is powerful, olive timber are considerable and the seashores are the clearest in your complete nation? Even for Italians, Apulia is at all times on the to-do record, but it surely’s identified extra as a port for cruise ships and ferries to Greece quite than a vacation spot in its personal proper.
However this comparatively unknown area is on the radar of vacationers searching for one thing contemporary, genuine and fewer crowded. The time to go to is perhaps proper now — earlier than everybody else catches on.
Apulia provides the genuine Italian expertise: much less pizza towels, extra fruit markets. Courtesy of Han Sang-hee
Why is it trending?
Traditionally, Apulia has made its identify for its agricultural merchandise reminiscent of olive oil and almonds and manufacturing of uncooked supplies and elements, together with automotive components and metal. Tourism was there, however with the shortage of infrastructure and immigrants and a very good phrase of mouth — in different phrases, advertising and marketing — it was not sufficient to attracts guests close to and much.
The rise of social media and the continued thirst for brand new and genuine spots, nonetheless, have put Apulia on the map, even over the costly and overly crowded areas in Italy. Apulia has been handpicked by Hollywood celebrities, manufacturers and worldwide occasions such the Group of Seven (G7) summit.
“Individuals might have began to find new locations and completely different locations, however Apulia is unquestionably now on the rise in the case of tourism. And it’s solely going to get hotter,’’ stated Nicola Giotti, a beloved pastry chef within the small city of Giovinazzo and member of the Pastry Ambassadors of Italian Excellence.
As soon as one of many poorest cities in Italy, Matera is now one of the visited. Its distinctive cave dwellings are carved into the mountains, creating an eerie but medieval temper. Courtesy of Han Sang-hee
Jude Regulation, Madonna, George Clooney and David Beckham are solely a handful of the celebrities who’ve vacationed in Apulia not too long ago, whereas style powerhouse Gucci held a style present on the famed Castel del Monte, a navy citadel that dates again to the thirteenth century, again in 2022. The citadel seems on the Italian model of the one cent euro coin.
The next 12 months, Dolce & Gabbana introduced its Alta Moda style present in varied areas across the area, the place the designers wrapped up the occasion by saying that it was the “greatest and most genuine present they did” of their lives.
The well-known style duo could be appropriate. Apulia’s appeal doesn’t depend on typical commercialized “Italianness” with the colourful pizza socks or wood Pinocchio dolls. As an alternative, it provides a uncooked, real Italian expertise.
Due to the eye by means of social media and the press, the area is seeing vital improvement in infrastructure to assist this development in tourism. An evening practice service referred to as Espresso Salento is now operating from Rome and Lecce, with stops at main cities together with Bari, Polignano a Mare, Ostuni and Brindisi.
Bari is the place you possibly can meet Italian women making pasta proper earlier than your eyes. They normally solely make orecchiette, an ear-shaped pasta from Apulia, Italy. Courtesy of Han Sang-hee
Plans for a brand new high-speed practice connecting Naples and Bari, set for completion in 2027, excited each vacationers and locals, hoping that lowering the journey to 2 hours will appeal to extra curiosity and produce additional tourism and enterprise alternatives to the area.
“As soon as the work is accomplished, the practice can be a sound different to the aircraft between Bari and Naples,” Matteo Salvini, the minister of infrastructure of Italy, stated final 12 months throughout a convention on the venture.
The numbers of Airbnb rental houses and smaller masserias, or farmhouse accommodations, have skyrocketed after the COVID-19 pandemic, however competitors within the lodging trade is seeking to be fiercer, with luxurious resort chains reminiscent of Rocco Forte Lodges, La Maviglia and the 4 Seasons additionally planning to welcome vacationers quickly within the area.
Lecce is the Baroque central of Apulia, Italy. Strolling across the metropolis is like coming into a museum. Courtesy of Han Sang-hee
The place to go to in Apulia
Bari
Because the capital metropolis of Apulia, Bari provides the classical charms of the area. Within the Outdated City, you will discover outdated Italian “nonnas’’ or women making the well-known orecchiette (ear-shaped pasta typical of the area), whereas the fishermen on the Bari port beckon you to check out the freshest catch of the day, full with a Peroni beer. It’s the place journey begins and ends in Apulia and a very good place to maintain as your reference level.
Matera
Often known as one of many oldest cities on the planet, Matera is sort of a stone citadel and fortress bundled collectively. It was the backdrop of quite a few movies, together with “Ardour of the Christ” (2003), “Mary Magdalene” (2018) and “007 No Time to Die” (2021), because of its distinctive medieval metropolis construction and distinctive cave dwellings referred to as “sassi.’’
Lecce
Dubbed because the Florence of the South, Lecce boasts beautiful Baroque structure and your complete metropolis is sort of a large outside museum. For historical past, artwork and architectural aficionados, this metropolis will provide the artwork and grandeur of each Florence and Rome put collectively.
Apulia boasts the clearest seashores in all of Italy and Polignano a Mare proves simply that. Courtesy of Han Sang-hee
Polignano a Mare
One of the vital viral posts on this small city in Apulia could be of {that a} fancy restaurant positioned inside a cave overlooking the ocean. Polignano a Mare is legendary for its scenic seashores and quite a few caves which you may also discover through boat excursions.
Alberobello
The house of distinctive cone-roofed stone buildings referred to as trulli, Alberobello is at all times on prime of the record in the case of probably the most lovely cities in Italy. The small city is a UNESCO World Heritage website and is principally a museum of the well-known trulli, and keen vacationers may even e-book one and keep for a real Apulian expertise.
The whole metropolis of Alberobello, Italy, is a UNESCO World Heritage website, acknowledged for its stone huts with conical roofs named trulli. You possibly can stroll across the historic village and even e-book a trullo to remain. Courtesy of Han Sang-hee
Earlier than you go
So the journey plans are made and the itinerary is about. However there are a couple of key factors to recollect earlier than venturing out to this sunny paradise.
Lease a automobile. Public transportation like taxis or buses is minimal in Apulia and strolling from metropolis to metropolis is out of the query. Renting a automobile is essential if visiting a couple of metropolis is in your record.
Be ready for minimal English. Not like its different counterparts across the nation, Apulia is but untouched by the commercialized journey tendencies. This implies there can be much less English spoken in every single place, together with eating places, outlets and bars. Persist with fundamental English and don’t fret if no person can perceive. It’s nonetheless the land of hand gestures.
Embrace the artwork of “passeggiare.” Full meals are a should when in Apulia, however what follows is the passeggiare, which interprets to a “stroll,” but it surely means way more. By taking a stroll across the city, locals meet family and friends, discuss their days and plan future outings. It’s the gossip mill, social media and paparazzi, all out on the streets, and it’s a good way to mingle with the locals and actually mix in.
Opening hours is perhaps later than you anticipate. Many eating places, outlets and cafes cater primarily to locals, in order that they keep on with conventional opening instances. Dinner usually begins after 8 p.m., generally even later, and there are additionally noon breaks for supermarkets and comfort shops, so it is sensible to plan your go to accordingly.
For a stroll by means of historical past, pay a go to to the navy citadel Castel del Monte in Apulia, which can be featured on the Italian one cent euro coin. Courtesy of Han Sang-hee
Han Sang-hee is a former workers reporter at The Korea Instances and former editor at CNN Journey. She is predicated in Stuttgart, Germany, however now lives in Seoul together with her Italian husband and two daughters and shares tales on-line. Comply with @rachelsanghee on Instagram.
