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Focus on Puglia Italy

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A Mountainous Region of Italy

It is a long, narrow peninsula, which is maily consists of plains and hills, apart from some lower mountains of the Southern Apennine chain and the Gargano promontory, with high, steep cliffs. The hilly area is called Le Murge, while the plains are the Terra di Bari, Terra d'Otranto, Penisola Salentina and the Tavoliere, while the very long coastline is usually low and with sandy beaches. Apart from the province capitals, other important centres are Alberobello, Barletta, Canosa di Puglia, Conversano, San Giovanni Rotondo, Manfredonia, Martina Franca, Mesagne, Molfetta, Ostuni, Otranto, Santa Maria di Leuca, San Vito dei Normanni, Gioia del Colle.

The region densely populated, the countryside is mainly used for cultivation. Agriculture, the region is among the biggest Italian producers of tomatoes, citrus fruit, carrots, olives, artichokes, almonds and citrus fruit. Also highly developed is sheep raising in the Tavoliere plain and fishing in the Gulf of Taranto. Tourism in the summer is another great resource, thanks to the beautiful beaches along the coast and there are many tourist villages in Puglia.

The region is renowned for it's Trulli's these are whitewashed cones made of stones held together without mortar, they are visible in almost every wheat field and olive grove, where they serve as miniature barns. But they are at their most picturesque when clustered together in the hundreds, to form a town. As a consequence of its variegated history and the different languages spoken in this region for centuries, there are a number of different dialects: in the northern areas a Neapolitan dialect called northern Pugliese, in the southern part a Sicilian dialect called Salentino, and in isolated areas of Salento a hybrid language dating back to the 9th century called Griko, as well as a rare dialect of the French-Provencal language called "Faetar" is spoken in Faeto and Carlantino in the Province of Foggia and in a number villages, the "Arbëreshë" dialect has been spoken since Albanian refugees settled there in the 15th century, following the invasion of the Balkans by the Turkish Empire.  All of these dialects are still spoken today which is remarkable considering that these languages are so old and would have been expected to have merged by now.



Italy's northeastern corner is barely mentioned in most guidebooks and rarely visited even by Italians, which makes it a great place for travelers seeking to leave the beaten path. Whether you like snow-capped mountains, warm sandy beaches, lagoons teeming with water birds, remote alpine hamlets, Roman ruins, palatial country villas, rocky coastal cliffs, bustling international seaports or picturesque fishing villages, your tastes will be thoroughly satisfied in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, one of Italy's most versatile regions.




History has marched back and forth across this relatively narrow strip of land. In Roman times it was a vital outpost, with Aquileia serving as a bastion against marauding Gauls. Later, the infamous Huns forced that fortified town's inhabitants to seek refuge by founding the town of Grado on an island in the lagoon, much as the less civilized tribes to the west had built the settlement we now know as Venice. For most of the ensuing centuries, shrewd local leaders managed to keep the region essentially independent.


However, a quick glance at the map shows why the Austrian Hapsburgs fought hard to change that status quo. Once under their dominion, Trieste was declared a free port and quickly became Mitteleuropa's gateway to the East. Immigrants flocked here from all over the Mediterranean, giving Italy's easternmost city a cosmopolitan air matched only by Naples at the time. Today, its spacious boulevards, handsome buildings and vaguely dowdy magnificence make it something of a Vienna-By-The-Sea.



The Hapsburgs ruled here through the 19th century, and all the while the friulani longed to see their region returned to Italy. But that was not to be until after the First World War, and even then it was short-lived, because a significant chunk of the territory to the east and south of Trieste was awarded to the state of Yugoslavia in recognition of its valiant fight against the Nazis in World War II. The region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia was not created until 1963, and many of its towns still bear vivid signs of Austrian and Slavic influence in their lifestyle, folklore and cuisine.

 

Rail Tickets & Passes Throughout Europe

 

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  • Skirting Italy's second largest lagoon, this two-day itinerary takes you by car and ferry from Aquileia, the most important archeological site in northern Italy, to Muggia, a picturesque fishing village that is the last outpost before the Slovenian border.

     

  • The foothills along Friuli's western border make a good spot for a day trip from Venice. You'll encounter a perfect blend of wilderness, river towns, ancient castles and abbeys and fantastic local cuisine.

     

  • Starting in the vast corn fields and meandering eastward into the mountains, this two-day trip lets you visit several exquisite art centers, an extravagant country villa and a town built in the shape of a nine-pointed star.

     

  • This month, Sims Brannon gives us an unusual recipe for polenta, the Friulan equivalent of grits.

     

  • If you've been to Venice, Madrid or Würzburg, you're probably familiar with the work of Giambattista Tiepolo. You may not know that many of his greatest works are in one Friulan town, Udine.

     

  • Our third long itinerary starts on the border of exotic Slovenia. With stops in several picturesque hill towns, it takes you into the little-known Carso Valley, an alpine region just south of Austria.

     

  • If you're trying to find the location, zip code, area code, province or region of a specific town, Click here.

     

  • Looking for an Friuli-Venezia Giulia flag? Click here to find one, along with hundreds of other flags from Italy and around the world.

     

  • Useful WWW links.

     

  • A year-round calendar of the colorful festivals and pageants held throughout the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

     

  • Ceramics, kitchen utensils, hand-made linens, antique bric-a-brac: what better place to find souvenirs for your friends and yourself than a flea market, set in the shadow of a 16th-century cathedral, perchance? Keep this calendar of outdoor markets in Friuli-Venezia Giulia for your files.

     

  • The basic facts about Friuli-Venezia Giulia.