Why on earth would I visit the typical sites in Italy? I would much rather see the less known regions.  So when I received a brochure for the East coast of Italy I booked the tour for my daughter and I.

We flew into Bari, Italy and stayed in the town of Polignano. We explored the Apulia region including the towns of Alberobello and Sassi di Matera (UNESCO sites), Lecce, and Monopoliy.  Here’s a brief photo tour:

 

Polignano

 

Lecce

The ancient building discovered that mixing milk with the local porous rock decreased the rate of decay. The buildings in “old town” has a beautiful golden hue. The soft stone was idea for  carving and sculpting building facades. Because of the Baroque architecture and monuments Lecce is nicknamed “the Florence of the South.”

Roman ruins at Lecce

Lecce

 

Bari

Trulli houses at Alberobello (UNESCO site)

Found nowhere else in the world, these Truli houses are made without mortar. Legend has it they were created as a tax dodge due to the ease of the demolition and reconstruction.

 

Sassi di Matera (UNESCO site)

The Sassi are suspected to be among the first human settlements in Italy. There is evidence that people were living here as early as the year 7000 BC.

The Sassi are houses dug into the rock (caves). The streets in some parts of the Sassi often run on top of other houses.

In the 1950s, the Sassi area was riddled with malaria and the unhealthy living conditions were considered an affront to the new Italian Republic. So, the Italian government forcefully relocated most of the residents of Sassi to areas of the developing modern city, though some people continued to live in Sassi. Matera is the only place in the world where people can boast to be still living in the same houses of the ancestors of 9,000 year ago. The Sassi area has now been modernized and people have moved back into the “cave” homes.

 

 

Following are scenes from Monopoly

 

 

And one more from Polignano