James Martin
In the Gargano, visit the old cities of Lucera, Manfredonia, and San Severo, and the sanctuary of St. Giovanni Rotondo. Vieste is near to Italy's newest national park, the Foresta Umbra, and is the holiday capital of the Gargano.
Trani, along the coast, features an old settlement right around the harbor with seafront Cathedral dedicated to San Nicola Pellegrino. 18th century palaces like the Caccetta, the Quercia end the Bianchi give you a good idea of Puglia's Romanesque period. The Swabian castle of Trani was built by Federico II between 1223 and 1249, and was recently used as a prison.
Bari is a port city with an interesting old city. You can get the ferry to Greece from Bari.
You can also get ferries from Brindisi, but it's a far less interesting town.
Trulli country starts in Alberobello, where there are more than 1500 of the strange, conical houses. You can rent one for a week to get the feel for this interesting part of Puglia. Locorotundo and Martina Franca are also interesting cities to visit.
Lecce is blessed with a soft limestone so easy to work that Lecce became the center for ornate architectural ornamentation, called the barocco leccese, or Leccese Baroque. Lecce is a great town to walk around in, and its restaurants offer abundant fine food.
Gallipoli is a fishing village with a very nice port area. Another nice sea town is Otranto, known for its beautiful coast. Otranto was an important centre of the Byzantine dominion in Italy, and had a Greek bishop. A visit to the duomo is a must.
Santa Maria di Leuca is the end of the world, you might want to visit il Ciolo, a deep canyon scoured by the sea.
If you have time, you can also visit the Basilicata town of Matera, the filming site of "The Passion of the Christ." If you go in early July, be sure to catch the Festa della Madonna Bruna.
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