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Dubbed
“The new Tuscany”, Puglia is Italy’s new
property hotspot.
Until recently the area has
been relatively undiscovered. That’s changing, and here
you will find some of the best coastline in Italy, with a
mild and sunny Mediterranean climate. With a range of property
for sale at very affordable prices, including trulli, villas
and country masserias, it’s not surprising the “Heel
of Italy” is set to become a sought-after location for
holiday homes or for all-year-round living.
In this site you’ll
find a wealth of property information and tips on buying in
Puglia.
An introduction to Puglia
Puglia - the Apulia of ancient times –
is the jewel of the Mezzogiorno, the Italian south. Fought
over and colonised by the Messapians, the Greeks, Romans,
Normans and Spanish, it has passed through many hands in its
turbulent history. Its culture and architecture demonstrate
its importance as a crossroads of Mediterranean civilisations,
Greek and Roman, East and West, Europe and Africa.
But until recently the “heel”
of Italy has been off the beaten track for most British tourists.
All this changed this year with the introduction of Ryanair
and British Airways flights to Bari and Brindisi. Now the
choicest areas of the region are within easy reach of both
international airports, and there will not be a better time
to sample Puglia’s delights, or to find a home here.
Why come to Puglia? Well don’t come
here if you just expect a warmer version of northern Italy.
The landscape and culture is definitely Mediterranean, and
this is reflected in the relaxed lifestyle, the agriculture
and the architecture.
What
you will find is a wealth of small towns to explore, each with
their individual character and history. Here you will find Conversano,
a town built around a Norman cathedral, towns like Cisternino
and Ostuni with a maze of whitewashed alleyways reminiscent
of a Moorish kasbah or a Greek town. Martina Franca has an eighteenth
century elegance, and Alberobello boasts World Heritage status
as the capital of the trulli. |
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For
cities Lecce is hard to beat. Dubbed the “Florence of
the Baroque” this cultured city has a wealth of architecture
on show, from a Roman theatre and amphitheatre to extravagantly
decorated churches. The region’s capital, Bari, is also
fascinating with a historical centre dominated by its evocative
basilica devoted to the city’s patron saint St Nicholas
(Santa Claus). The southern port of Taranto is full of south-Italian
character.
A
glory of Puglia is the length of its coastline, with many
fine beaches on both the Adriatic and Ionian coasts. In some
areas you will have to share the beaches with north Italians
who come to enjoy the coasts in summer, but it is possible
even in the height of summer to find small family beaches,
or glorious sandy beaches backed by sand dunes, which avoid
overcrowding.
Puglia
produces a high proportion of Italy’s olive oil, wine
and wheat for pasta, and coastal regions are devoted to market
gardening. This rich agricultural production makes it a gastronomic
delight. The wines are now gaining international recognition,
especially the white wines of Locorotondo and the reds of
the Salento region, many based on the delicious Primitivo
grape. The olive oil is superb and there are many tasting
opportunities for this as well as wine. The local markets
are full of local produce in season - mostly organic, even
if not officially declared as such - and vegetarians will
have many feast days, with a mouth-watering variety of crops
to savour, including many we do not even have a name for in
Britain. The long coastline means fish and seafood lovers
find a huge variety to tempt them.
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