Good Things From Italy - Le Cose Buone d'Italia

John Heseltine heads south to Puglia and the unspoilt Gargano Peninsula.

The Gargano Peninsula, with its steep forested hills and beautiful coastline, is irresistible for holiday makers who relish its gorgeous weather and its unhurried, unspoilt way of life. Arriving from the north, the first place to experience the area’s delights is the small town of Rodi Garganico. As you wind your way down the hillside on the number 89 road, passing numerous olive and carob trees, you get your first close look at the Adriatic’s clear, turquoise waters and beautiful beaches of white sand and the harbourside where boats leave for the nearby Tremeti Islands, with several good restaurants specialising in seafood. [...]

Italian archaeologists have discovered an ancient terracotta pig which worked as a toy as well as a modern-day baby bottle.

Known as guttus, the unique vessel dates back about 2,400 years, when the “heel” of Italy was inhabited by the Messapian people, a tribal group who migrated from Illyria (a region in the western part of the Balkan peninsula) around 1000 B.C.
Featuring pointy ears and human-like eyes, the pig-shaped guttus featured terracotta rattles in its tummy to apparently encourage the baby to sleep after the meal.
The small terracotta pig is one of several rare objects found last May in Manduria, near Taranto in Puglia, when construction work exposed a Messapian tomb. [...]

It was a beautiful drive along the coast out to the headland with stunning scenery. We stopped at one of the road side vendors and bought fresh locally grown fruits.
Then we arrived in the centre of the town. Vieste is a town and comune in the province of Foggia, in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. It is a marine resort on the Gargano promontory, a rocky mass that makes up part of the “heel” of Italy
For years, Vieste was just another fishing village but now it’s a popular Mediterranean beach destination. The conditions for swimming, sailing or boating are fabulous. The water is crystal clear, clean and deep blue.
We seemed to be the only English speaking people in town, although Liane is from Brazil, however she speaks perfect English and very good Italian. We sat for a coffee and worked out our plans for the day.
After exploring the town by foot we took a jet boat ride to tour the caves which are on the coast and accessible by boat. It only costs about 10 euro each.

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The houses of Puglia, called "masseria," are fortified structures of brick, stone, and concrete dating from the Middle Ages and surrounded by verdant vineyards and groves of olive trees; many have been renovated to serve as private residences or boutique hotels (see Paradise in Puglia: Pensione to the Stars). You can admire the local architecture in Masseria: The Italian Farmhouses of Puglia (Rizzoli).

Apulia, or Puglia in Italian, is one of Italy’s most magical regions. It is the spur of the boot of the Italian landmass, with an intricately chiseled coastline that often creates an island-style feel