Apulia
Apulia is a region in Italy lying on its southeastern part, bordered in the east with Adriatic Sea, in the southeast by the Ionian Sea and in the south by Gulf of Taranto and the Straight of Otranto. The area of this region is about 19,345 square kilometer with a population of 4 million. The other Italian regions bordering Apulia are Campania in the west, Molise in the north and Basilicata in the southwest.
Geography
Mostly the region of Apulia is plain with its low coast broken in the north by the mountainous peninsula of Gargano in the north. The regions of north-central part has mountains present. Six provinces divide this region which are the provinces of Bari, Barletta-Andria-Trani, Froggia, Brindisi, Taranto and Lecce.
Economy
The chief occupation of the Italian region of Apulia is farming, but there has also been rapid expansion of industry. The farm products include grapes, olives, figs, almonds, livestock and tobacco. The products manufactured here include chemicals, petroleum, steel, iron, cement, plastics, processed food and wine. In the Gulf of Taranto and the Adriatic, fishing is also pursued. Agriculture is being increasingly replaced by mass tourism and services as the region’s main resource. Hence it is often called as ‘Florence of Italy’.
Language
Though Italian is the official national language, other historical languages are also spoken in the region. The Barese language is spoken in the zones of Faggiano and Bari. The language of Tarantino is spoken in the region’s southern part. Other dialects spoken in some of the parts of the region are Griko, Faetar and the Arbereshe.
Attractions
Various attractions present in the Apulia region include numerous cathedrals of the 10th century, an excellent archaeological museum, many deserted and highly atmospheric Roman and Greek ruins, several lively fishing villages, medieval hilltowns, some of the cleanest beaches in the Mediterranean, and one of the largest forests of Europe. The region has its own architectural subspecies called barocco lecesse which is characterized by carvings which are extremely ornate and cover the entire surface of palazzo and churches. The city of Lecce has the most of these carvings. An attraction which can be seen only in Apulia is ‘i trulli’. These are cones made of stones which are whitewashed and held together without mortar. They can be found in almost all the olive groves and wheat fields of the region. When clustered together in large number to form a town, they form a picturesque sight. This unforgettable sight can be found in Alberobello.
