Nicknamed the ‘’Pearl of the Adriatic sea’’, Polignano a Mare lies only 30 km south of Bari, stretching along a jagged coastline characterized by blue flag beaches with crystal-clear waters and partially submerged sea caves.
A meeting point of different cultures, its historic center shows traces of Arab, Byzantine, Spanish and Norman rule, for instance the remains of the four watchtowers that once dominated the old town walls.
Sightseeing
POLIGNANO A MARE
ALBEROBELLO
Alberobello (literally “Beautiful Tree”) is a small town near Martina Franca.
It is famous for its unique cone-shaped buildings, called trulli. The trulli of Alberobello date back to the 14th century and have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996.
Alberobello was first mentioned in the early 16th century when the first 40 families were granted land to farm in the area.
These houses were the first trulli that contributed to the expansion of the settlement.
The abundance of limestone that was found led to the building of houses with dry stone without the use of mortar.
The trullo’s dry-wall construction, without the use of mortar, was imposed on the new settlers so that they could dismantle their shelters in a hurry: an efficient means to evade taxes on new settlements under the Kingdom of Naples.