Comments for Jeff Barrington's Puglia Connection Blog http://pugliaconnection.com/blog A place to share Puglia travel stories and ideas, ask questions and get answers. Join us! Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:34:48 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 Comment on New president for Brindisi hotel federation by Administrator http://pugliaconnection.com/blog/2011/12/04/new-president-for-brindisi-hotel-federation/comment-page-1/#comment-3239 Administrator Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:34:48 +0000 http://pugliaconnection.com/blog/?p=89#comment-3239 Hi Donna - Thanks for writing. I haven't been able to update the content for a while since my Dad passed away and I've been helping the rest of my family take care of his affairs. I'll be resuming the updates shortly. I have some new posts and photos. Please let me know how your plans to return to Puglia are progressing. Otranto is a very intriguing place - one of my tour guide guide friends says it's "the beautiful city with the horrible history." Have you seen the giant mosaic on the floor of the cathedral? The first time we visited they were still letting people walk on it! And then there's the lower-level altar with all the skulls and bones from the martyrdom. Please stay in touch and good luck with your novel. - Jeff Hi Donna – Thanks for writing. I haven’t been able to update the content for a while since my Dad passed away and I’ve been helping the rest of my family take care of his affairs. I’ll be resuming the updates shortly. I have some new posts and photos. Please let me know how your plans to return to Puglia are progressing. Otranto is a very intriguing place – one of my tour guide guide friends says it’s “the beautiful city with the horrible history.” Have you seen the giant mosaic on the floor of the cathedral? The first time we visited they were still letting people walk on it! And then there’s the lower-level altar with all the skulls and bones from the martyrdom. Please stay in touch and good luck with your novel. – Jeff

]]> Comment on Puglia Is No. 1 Domestic Summer Tourism Destination by Administrator http://pugliaconnection.com/blog/2010/08/07/puglia-is-no-1-domestic-summer-tourism-destination/comment-page-1/#comment-471 Administrator Thu, 04 Nov 2010 18:23:51 +0000 http://pugliaconnection.com/blog/?p=54#comment-471 Hi Mina - Thanks for your very nice note. It's good to see interest in Puglia, especially from a preservationist point of view. The trash situation is very disappointing, and I've brought it up whenever I've met with regional and local tourism officials. It's particularly bad on roads leading away from the Bari airport, which of course is the first thing many visitors see. I've also seen numerous historic sites and monuments littered with garbage and spray-painted with graffiti. Very sad. As far as I know, any project to accommodate paying guests would fall under the jurisdiction of the <a href="http://www.regione.puglia.it/index.php?page=macroaree&at_id=8&opz=disparee" rel="nofollow">region's tourism commissioner</a>: http://www.regione.puglia.it/index.php?page=macroaree&at_id=8&opz=disparee The region's government has been trying for the past few years to control the quality of accommodations after travelers reported bad experiences and it resulted in negative publicity. There also have been efforts toward regulating and licensing tour operators and guides, which the legitimate providers want very badly in order to ensure quality. For many years, Puglia's tourism industry centered almost exclusively on attracting huge crowds to its beaches, which are famous throughout Europe, because of the revenues they generate, but they've given little thought to the negative repercussions. My particular interest is in sustainable tourism away from the beaches, particularly in responsible tourism that protects antiquities and other sensitive sites, and your idea sounds terrific. Puglia has a lot of potential. I wish you success - Jeff Hi Mina – Thanks for your very nice note. It’s good to see interest in Puglia, especially from a preservationist point of view. The trash situation is very disappointing, and I’ve brought it up whenever I’ve met with regional and local tourism officials. It’s particularly bad on roads leading away from the Bari airport, which of course is the first thing many visitors see. I’ve also seen numerous historic sites and monuments littered with garbage and spray-painted with graffiti. Very sad.

As far as I know, any project to accommodate paying guests would fall under the jurisdiction of the region’s tourism commissioner:

http://www.regione.puglia.it/index.php?page=macroaree&at_id=8&opz=disparee

The region’s government has been trying for the past few years to control the quality of accommodations after travelers reported bad experiences and it resulted in negative publicity. There also have been efforts toward regulating and licensing tour operators and guides, which the legitimate providers want very badly in order to ensure quality. For many years, Puglia’s tourism industry centered almost exclusively on attracting huge crowds to its beaches, which are famous throughout Europe, because of the revenues they generate, but they’ve given little thought to the negative repercussions. My particular interest is in sustainable tourism away from the beaches, particularly in responsible tourism that protects antiquities and other sensitive sites, and your idea sounds terrific. Puglia has a lot of potential. I wish you success – Jeff

]]> Comment on Puglia Is No. 1 Domestic Summer Tourism Destination by Mina http://pugliaconnection.com/blog/2010/08/07/puglia-is-no-1-domestic-summer-tourism-destination/comment-page-1/#comment-470 Mina Thu, 04 Nov 2010 17:02:26 +0000 http://pugliaconnection.com/blog/?p=54#comment-470 Hello and thank you for your informative blog. I, too, fell for Puglia upon first visiting in 2000 and subsequently left NY-LA to purchase a property in the countryside of Ostuni. The only aspect that has upset me in regards to Puglia is how often I have seen trash and waste dotting the gorgeous land and coastline. This is committed by the locals and visitors alike. I want to return to create an intimate ecological lodge made up in part by restored trullis but mostly by temporary modular luxury tents that will leave little to no impace on the surroundings and blend in perfectly with the nature, the olives and the of course, the trulli. I wonder if you can tell me about any specific laws/regulations pertaining to such a business. Or since this involves no newly constructed permanent structures, if it can just fall under "camping" and if so, does that require specific permissions? Any insight or advice would be greatly appreciated. Hello and thank you for your informative blog. I, too, fell for Puglia upon first visiting in 2000 and subsequently left NY-LA to purchase a property in the countryside of Ostuni.

The only aspect that has upset me in regards to Puglia is how often I have seen trash and waste dotting the gorgeous land and coastline. This is committed by the locals and visitors alike.

I want to return to create an intimate ecological lodge made up in part by restored trullis but mostly by temporary modular luxury tents that will leave little to no impace on the surroundings and blend in perfectly with the nature, the olives and the of course, the trulli.

I wonder if you can tell me about any specific laws/regulations pertaining to such a business. Or since this involves no newly constructed permanent structures, if it can just fall under “camping” and if so, does that require specific permissions?

Any insight or advice would be greatly appreciated.

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