What to see in Puglia, useful information regarding the territory, with a description of the various geographical areas, to be used as a starting point for tracing your own itinerary to discover this region.
Tourist information
Region of southern Italy, Puglia is washed by the Adriatic and Ionian seas, and also borders on Molise, Basilicata and Campania.
Its provinces are Bari, Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce and Taranto.
It offers very interesting itineraries, natural and artistic beauties that testify the ancient origins that are reflected in all its cultural manifestations.
The territory of Puglia, made up mostly of karst plains and plateaus, which seldom assume mountainous aspects, can be divided into the four geographical areas of the Gargano, Tavoliere, Murge, which include the Terra di Bari and Salento shelves, also called the Salento Peninsula.
The coastal strip of the Gargano peninsula is mostly rocky, with inlets and small sandy beaches.
Going south the coast lowers and becomes sandy.
The beaches of Salento near the borders with Basilicata are instead characterized by white sand and surrounded by pine forests at the north side of the Gulf of Taranto.
Puglia's climate is generally Mediterranean, with mainly autumn and winter rainfall, but never copious.
What see
The Gargano promontory, known as the "spur of the Italian Peninsula", is a limestone mountain, whose internal plateau area, rich in karst forms, rises to 600-1000 meters above sea level, before descending steeply towards the sea Adriatico or the Tavoliere.
The coast is high and rocky, dotted with small coves in the east, while in the north-west it includes the two lakes of Varano and Lésina.
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The Tavoliere, which constitutes the largest plain in peninsular Italy, owes its name to the Tabulae censuariae, the book in which the many properties owned by the tax authorities in these lands were recorded, which were once reserved mainly for grazing, while today they are mostly grown.
The Murge are a vast area of central Puglia, corresponding to a karst plateau, whose altitude is 400-650 meters.
The ravines, karst erosions with deep and steep walls, canyon type, represent their characteristic.
The Terra di Bari, which represents another historical-geographical region of Puglia, located between the Murge and the Adriatic Sea, looks like a progression of steps.
The Salento Peninsula is located in the south-eastern end of the region, in the so-called "heel of the Italian Peninsula", a name derived from the particular geographical shape.
Its territory, which has an altitude ranging between 50 and 200 meters, has many aspects in common with that of the Murge, including wavy surfaces and lack of waterways.
The coasts of Salento, with a varied appearance, in some places are very picturesque.
Off the Gargano promontory are the archipelago of the Tremiti islands and other groups of smaller islands.
