Puglia – Barletta Cathedral
Puglia – Bisceglie
Puglia – Castello Aragonese, Taranto
Puglia – Gallipoli
Puglia – Manfredonia
Puglia – Otranto
Puglia – Gargano
Puglia – Peschici
Puglia – Vieste
Puglia – Tremiti
Puglia – Trulli di Alberobello
Puglia – Territory
Apulia offers tourists very different landscapes: a very extensive coastline, of which 98% for bathing, a mountainous area in the north with the Gargano promontory, a great plain, the “Tavoliere delle Puglie”, which is the second largest plain in Italy, and the charming archipelago of Tremiti Islands.
In the area of Murgia, near Bari can be visited many cathedrals, castles and medieval villages.
Polignano a Mare is agem of the Apulian coast, birthplace of Domenico Modugno and beloved destination by beach lovers and gourmets.
Alberobello is the place of the famous “trulli”, ancient stone buildings with a characteristic conical roof. Trulli can be found just in a small area of Apulia and they have been included in World Heritage Sites (UNESCO).
Not far away are the town of Putignano, famous for its Carnival, and the caves of Castellana.
For a hike immersed in the nature, the must interesting place is the “Alta Murgia National Park“, a last example in Italy of Mediterranean steppe and a perfect habitat for many protected species of animals, plants and flowers.
Prehistory lovers may see the footprints of dinosaurs at Pontrelli quarry.
The “Altamura man,” a hominid dated 250,000 years ago has been found in the Lamalunga cave.
Ancient buildings of worship, as dolmens and megalithic tombs can be visited in Ruvo di Puglia.
Salento is the southernmost part of Apulia and is famous for its farms.
Beautiful city are the ancient Lecce, called the “Florence of the South” for the beauty of its palaces and baroque churches, built with a typical local stone; Otranto, medieval village perched on a rock overlooking the sea; and Gallipoli, a charming seaside resort. In the Northern part of Apulia, another very interesting area is Gargano, a large promontory in the province of Foggia, that offers tourist beautiful landscapes both inland and along the coast. Peschici, Vieste, Mattinata, Manfredonia are the best known seaside resorts while San Giovanni Rotondo, the city of Padre Pio, Monte Sant’Angelo, a Christian pilgrimage site since the sixth century, San Marco in Lamis are hot spots of religious interest.
NATIONAL PARKS IN PUGLIA:
The National Parks of Italy are natural areas of land, sea, river, or lake whose value is a well-preserved ecosystem. Thus their nature, together with their cultural, educational, or recreational values are protected by the Italian Government in order to be preserved for the future. Currently, in Italy there are 25 National Parks, covering an area of over 1,500,000 hectares (15,000 km²), about 6% of the Italian territory.
Gargano National Parks
Alta Murgia National Parks
REGIONAL PARKS IN PUGLIA:
The Italian Regional Parks are land, river, lake, and sea areas facing the coast. Their value is being like a system including the nature of the places, art, and cultural traditions of the local inhabitants. The Italian Regional Parks are more than 150 and cover an area of approximately 1million and 500,000 hectares.
Lama Balice Regional Park
Salina di Punta della Contessa Regional Park
Bosco e paludi di Rauccio Regional Park
Terra delle Gravine Regional Park
Porto Selvaggio e Palude del Capitano Regional Park
Bosco Incoronata Regional Park
Isola di S. Andrea e litorale di Punta Pizzo Regional Park
Costa Otranto – S. Maria di Leuca e Bosco di Tricase Regional Park
Dune costiere da Torre Canne a Torre S. Leonardo Regional Park
Litorale di Ugento Regional Park
Ofanto River Regional Park
NATURE RESERVES IN PUGLIA:
Nature Reserves, also called Protected Natural Areas or Natural Oasis, their mission is to maintain their “equilibrium” by conserving and increasing biodiversity. These areas are characterized by heterogeneous landscapes and they are home to different species of animals and plants. They are the animal’s shelter for reproduction. Hunting is prohibited. Actually Protected Natural Areas in Italy are more than 145.
In the Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani:
Salina di Margherita di Savoia Nature Reserve
In the Province of Brindisi:
Torre Guaceto Nature Reserve
In the Province of Foggia:
Falascone
Foresta Umbra Nature Reserve
Il Monte Nature Reserve
Ischitella e Carpino Nature Reserve
Isola di Varano Nature Reserve
Lago di Lesina Nature Reserve
Masseria Combattenti Nature Reserve
Monte Barone Nature Reserve
Palude di Frattarolo Nature Reserve
Sfilzi Nature Reserve
In the Province of Lecce:
Le Cesine Nature Reserve
San Cataldo Nature Reserve
In the Province of Taranto:
Riserva naturale Murge Orientali Nature Reserve
Stornara Nature Reserve
MARINE PROTECTED AREAS IN PUGLIA:
Marine Protected Areas or Marine Reserves are stretches of the sea where sport fishing, professional fishing, scuba diving, the entry with motorboats, motorcycles, cars are prohibited or limited. And the abandonment of waste on the beaches is severely punished. The typology of these areas varies according to the protection constraints. There are more than 25 Italian Marine Protected Areas, covering an area of approximately 222,442 hectares of sea.
Isole Tremiti
Porto Cesareo
Torre Guaceto
WWF NATURE RESERVES IN PUGLIA:
The WWF Oases are the first Italian network of protected areas managed by a private association. WWF activities in the Oases range from ecotourism to nature holidays, education, training, and environmental information programs. There are more than 100 WWF Oases in Italy, covering more than 30,000 hectares of land in 18 regions. They are visited by more than 500,000 people a year.
In the Province of Bari:
Boschi Romanazzi
Gioia del Colle
Il Rifugio Melitto
Oasi Acquaviva delle Fonti
In other Provinces:
Lago Salso (Foggia)
Le Cesine (Lecce)
Monte Sant’Elia (Taranto)
Torre Guaceto (Brindisi)
BLUE FLAGS IN PUGLIA:
Blue Flag is an International recognition reserved for lakes or seaside tourist resorts that comply with sustainable land management criteria. The Blue Flag is awarded annually by the non-governmental and non-profit organization “Foundation for Environmental Education” (FEE). Only the localities whose waters have been excellent in the previous season can apply. In 2020, more than 195 municipalities and over 407 Italian beaches have been awarded as “Blue Flag”.
In the Province of Brindisi:
Carovigno – punta Penna Grossa/Torre Guaceto
Fasano – Egnazia Case Bianche/Savelletri/Torre Canne
Ostuni – Creta Rossa, lido Fontanelle, Pilone, Lido Morelli
In the Province of Lecce:
Castro – La sorgente, Zinzulusa
Idro, Porto Badisco
Melendugno – Roca, San Foca nord/centro/Torre Specchia, Torre Sant’Andrea, Torre dell’Orso
Otranto – Alimini/Baia dei Turchi/Santo Stefano, Castellana/Porto Craulo, Madonna dell’Altomare, Salve – Pescoluse, Posto Vecchio, Torre Pali
In the Province of Taranto:
Castellaneta – Riva dei Tessali/Pineta
Ginosa – Marina di Ginosa
Giovinazzi/Castellaneta marina/Bosco della Marina
In other Provinces:
Margherita di Savoia – centro urbano/Canna Fesca (BT)
Polignano a Mare – San Vito, San Giovanni, Cala Fetente, Ripagnola/Coco Village (BA)
ORANGE FLAGS IN PUGLIA:
Orange Flag is a tourism-environmental quality mark awarded by the Italian Touring Club to small towns in the Italian inland (maximum 15,000 inhabitants) which stand out for their quality hospitality. The Orange Flag has been awarded to over 200 Italian municipalities.
In the Province of Bari:
Alberobello
Locorotondo
In the Province of Brindisi:
Cisternino
Oria
In the Province of Foggia:
Alberona
Bovino
Orsara di Puglia
Pietramontecorvino
Rocchetta Sant’Antonio
Sant’Agata di Puglia
Troia
In the Province of Lecce:
Corigliano d’Otranto
Specchia