History

Puglia (Apulia) is commonly referred to as the heel of Italy and is one of Italy's best kept secrets. Rich in heritage and culture with quaint historical towns, castles, churches and architectural masterpieces, breathtaking scenery, beautiful coastlines, traditional food, wines and olive oils.

The region is extremely beautiful, steeped in history with a plethora of delightful places and sites on offer. Sandy beaches, rocky coves and promontories, golf courses, horse riding, the beautiful Baroque city of Lecce and of course, Alberobello – famous as a UNESCO heritage site with its old town lined with trulli.

You can find some of the richest archaeological findings in Italy. The region was settled from the 1st millennium BC by several Illyric and Italic peoples. Later, the Greeks expanded until reaching the area of Taranto and the Saento.

Puglia was an important area for ancient Rome. The region was conquered it in the 4th century BC but later the Romans suffered a crushing defeat here in the battle of Cannae against Hannibal. However, after the Carthaginians left the region, the Romans captured the ports of Brindisi and Taranto, and established dominion over the region. During the Imperial age Puglia was a flourishing area for production of grain and oil, becoming the most important exporter to the Eastern provinces.

After the fall of Rome, Puglia was held successively by the Goths(!), the Lombards and from the 6th century onwards, the Byzantines. Bari became the capital of a province that extended to modern Basilicata, and was ruled by a catapanus (governor), hence the name of Capitanata of the Barese neighbourhood. Later Saracen domination intermittently, but the region was mostly under firm Byzantine authority until the 11th century, when the Normans conquered it with relative ease.

After the Norman conquest of Sicily in the late 11th century, Palermo replaced Melfi as the centre of Norman power, and Puglia became a mere province, first of the “Kingdom of Sicily”, then of the “Kingdom of Naples”. From the late 12th to early 13th centuries, Puglia was a favourite residence of the Hohenstaufen emperors. After the fall of the Hohenstaufen emperors the coast became occupied by the Turks and by the Venetians. Then the French controlled the region in 1806-1915, resulting in the abolition of feudalism and the reformation of the justice system.

Liberation movements began to spread in the 1820s. In 1861, with the fall of “2 Scillies”, Puglia became part of Italy. Social and agrarian reforms that had proceeded slowly from the 19th century accelerated in the mid-20th century.

Click here to view our Bookings Calendar