Category: Year

We spent the last day reflecting on some of this we hopefully learned and enjoying a local pool to blow off some steam before our early flight home in the morning. Arrivederci. The Deep History of PugliaPuglia (often called Apulia in English) is the “heel” of Italy’s boot. Because it sticks out into the Mediterranean…

Rain, Relics, and Red-Hot Pasta: Our Deep Dive into Bari 🇮🇹Sometimes the best way to see a city is through a rain-streaked window and a steaming plate of delivery. Today, Bari showed us that its beauty isn’t just in the sunshine on the Adriatic, but in the layers of history tucked into its limestone alleys…

Our final day of exploring the rugged interior and dramatic coastline took us from the golden Baroque of Lecce back toward the Adriatic. Even with the rain rolling in, the day offered a powerful contrast between the white-washed heights of the coast and the silent, ancient depths of the earth.Polignano a Mare: The Poetry of…

Tonight, we are unwinding in Lecce, a city that feels less like a town and more like a theatrical set carved from honey-colored stone. Today was a journey through the “heel” of the Italian boot—the Salento peninsula—a region with a history as layered as the limestone it’s built upon.Morning: The Wild Ionian CoastWe started our…

After days of diving deep into the history of cave dwellings and ancient tax evasion, we decided it was time to trade the “Sassi” for the “Safari.” Today was all about pure, unadulterated fun at Zoosafari Fasanolandia. Located just outside of Fasano, this is one of the largest wildlife parks in Europe, and it provided…

Today, we journeyed into the heart of the Valle d’Itria to uncover the story behind the trulli—the iconic conical stone huts of Alberobello. While they look like something out of a fairy tale, their origins are rooted in a clever, high-stakes game of 17th-century tax evasion.The Art of the “Dry” Tax DodgeThe defining feature of…

Our second day in Matera shifted from the ancient to the surprisingly modern. While these sun-bleached stones feel like they’ve stood still for millennia, we discovered that the city’s survival is deeply intertwined with 20th-century history and a massive boost from the United States. The “Marshall Plan” Connection: A Geopolitical Rescue It’s easy to look…

Our first day in Southern Italy was a masterclass in ancient history and “slow living.” After landing at Bari Airport, we traded the modern world for the limestone cliffs of the Puglia and Basilicata regions, tracing routes that have been walked for millennia. Gravina in Puglia: The Prelude to the PastOur introduction to cave culture…