Jeff Barrington's Puglia Connection Blog

Puglia says “no” to drilling for oil off Tremiti Islands

April 28, 2010 on 1:52 am | In Uncategorized | No Comments

As UNESCO weighs declaring the Tremiti Islands, a major tourism site off Puglia’s Gargano promontory, a protected World Heritage Site, regional and local officials as well as tourism organizations and environmentalists are banding together to oppose any plans to drill for oil there, La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno (http://www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it/) reports. Reportedly, the Ministry of Environment has decided to let an Irish company explore “the seabed off the coast of Gargano (to determine) whether or not there are conditions for installing wells,” La Gazzetta reports. One official told the newspaper, “the people of Tremiti, the province of Foggia and the Region of Puglia will oppose with all their strength to the idea of drilling.”
It would be a shame to give an oil company drilling rights to what La Gazzetta describes as “one of the most important environmental assets of Puglia.” The islands also are among Puglia’s richest tourism assets and their economy is 100% tourism based. Yes, Puglia’s economy could use the boost that oil drilling could potentially generate, but not at the expense of ruining one of Puglia’s most significant natural resources.

Puglia airports affected by volcanic ash cloud

April 17, 2010 on 8:31 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments

The newspaper of Puglia, La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno (www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it), reports that the cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland that’s already affected air traffic over northern Europe has begun forcing the cancellation of flights into and out of Puglia. The newspaper reports that 39 flights scheduled to depart Puglia today for destinations in northern Italy and other European destinations were canceled. Airports in Milan, Bergamo, Turin, Venice and Bologna were ordered closed through the weekend. Aviation officials said the situation is changing by the hour and they cannot predict how many other flights will be affected or when airline service could return to normal. For updates on this developing situation, see La Gazzetta’s website at www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it.

Historic Find in Puglia

February 7, 2010 on 9:36 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments

The 2,000-year-old skeleton of a man believed to be of East Asian origin has been unearthed near Bari, the Italian news service ANSA reports. The discovery is significant because, if proven, would mean that Asian people visited Italy far earlier than previously believed. It also focuses even more attention on Puglia’s value in archaeological and historical research, as well as in educational tourism.
Here’s the article from ANSA:
(ANSA) ‒ Rome, Feb. 4, 2010 ‒ Archaeologists have for the first time found evidence that people from the Far East were in Italy during Ancient Roman times.
A Canadian team has dug up a 2,000-year-old male skeleton at an imperial Roman estate in Puglia whose DNA matches those of present-day East Asians. The discovery, if proven, would push back by several hundred years the date of the first direct contact between the West and the East, to more than 1,000 years before Marco Polo’s historic trip to China.
“Our data reveals that some of the inhabitants of Vagnari (near Bari) came from far outside the confines of the Roman Empire,” said team leader Tracy Prowse, professor of anthropology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. “This discovery poses many questions about globalization and human mobility in Roman times,” she said in the Journal of Roman Archaeology. “The tests are only preliminary, but the results are intriguing.”
The analysis of the man’s mitochondrial DNA was unable to establish whether he himself came to ancient Puglia or was descended from Asians already living there, Prowse said. “The man probably lived between the first and second century AD, but we can’t say if he arrived on his own or was the son of people who preceded him.”
Prowse speculated the man was “probably a menial worker or a slave, because in his tomb we only found the food supposed to help him get to the afterlife and, above all, because another tomb was on top of his.”
The anthropologist will present her study, “Investigating population origins and migration on an Imperial Roman Estate at Vagnari, south Italy,” at a conference at Oxford University next month.
The Vagnari estate and necropolis, about seven miles west of Gravina di Puglia, was discovered in 2002 and has so far yielded the remains of 70 people. In Roman times, the area was known for iron-working and producing terracotta tiles, the remains of many of which were found over the tombs. The Ancient Romans are known to have traded with spice merchants from as far away as China, via intermediaries, but it was not thought that East Asians immigrated to Italy.
Copyright © ANSA

Luxury Villa Rentals in Salento

February 2, 2010 on 1:22 am | In Uncategorized | No Comments

A London-based travel company called The Thinking Traveller Ltd. has begun offering luxury villa rentals and other services for travelers to Puglia. The new operation is an extension of its existing services in Sicily.
According to its website, http://www.thinksicily.com/thinkpuglia.aspx, the company is offering “A rigorous selection of the very best villas on the Salento peninsula in Puglia. The villas in this Think Puglia collection are exclusive to The Thinking Traveller, finally giving our clients the opportunity to experience our award winning service in this fascinating region of Italy.”
Included in its villa program are Villa Elia in Gallipoli and Villa Blanca, La Sarica and Le Antiche Pajare, all in Santa Maria di Leuca on the Salento peninsula’s southernmost tip.

A Nice Plug for Puglia

January 23, 2010 on 5:40 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments

Puglia’s tourism industry has received a welcome boost from The New York Times, which just published a travel article headlined “The 31 Places to Go in 2010.” (http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/travel/10places.html?pagewanted=1&sq=Gargano&st=cse&scp=1) Number 29 on the list is the Gargano Peninsula in the Province of Foggia. Already famous for the pilgrimage shrines of San Giovanni Rotondo (Padre Pio) and Monte Sant’Angelo (St. Michael the Archangel) and the resort areas of Vieste and Pizzomunno, the area boasts many other features that are attractive to international travelers, according to the article.
Here’s what The Times has to say:
“Far from the madding crowds of Amalfi and Cinque Terre, the Italian peninsula of Gargano sits on the Adriatic and boasts a checklist of summer-perfect Italian holiday options. The offerings are largely a part of the protected Gargano National Park, a swath of terrain encompassing everything from the oak and beech Foresta Umbra to the sheer chalk-colored cliffs and grottoes of the coast’s Caribbean-clear waters to the postcard-worthy whitewashed villages that hug the sea. Twelve nautical miles offshore, accessible by boat and hydrofoil, are the Tremiti Islands, specks of land surrounded by a wealth of sea life and a marine reserve of their own.
“Looking for Romanesque churches and seaside fisherman’s restaurants? Try Peschici and Vieste, larger than fishing villages but cozier than cities, with white walls and medieval centers. How about mountain hiking? Check. Gargano also offers the rarest of luxuries: fabulous food and lodging on the cheap ˗ campsites offer space for mere pocket change, while hotel rooms can be had for 30 to 60 euros a night ($42 to $84 at $1.40 to the euro) in Peschici. If saving on food is wallet-friendly enough, pay a bit more than 100 euros and stay at the Chiusa delle More (www.lachiusadellemore.it), a 16th-century farmhouse in the national park but still only yards from the sea. Meals are locavore, Gargano style, incorporating the farm’s own vegetables and eggs.” ˗ Sarah Wildman (Copyright © The New York Times, www.nytimes.com)
In response to the article, the Region of Puglia’s Tourism Councillor of the Puglia Region, Magda Terrevoli, told the Italian tourism publication Travel Trade Italia: “It is with satisfaction that I have learned of the interest that the Gargano area is stirring up on the American market. We can’t help but be pleased with the promotion that The New York Times is doing for our splendid area, but Gargano deserves this attention because it has a varied, high-quality offer.” According to Terrevoli, all of this “is also the result of tourism policies launched by the Vendola government to develop our region through multiple channels.”

Is Puglia Passé?

December 30, 2009 on 3:25 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments

Check this out: The January 2010 issue of Condé Nast Traveler magazine suggests that Puglia’s time as a “hot” tourism destination has passed. In its “Word of Mouth” section, the magazine headlines “Italy: The New Dolce Vita” and opens by asking, “Done with Tuscany and Umbria? Discovered Puglia and Sicily? Italy insiders are now heading to Piedmont for a wine, food, and design fix at a reasonable price.”
So does this mean that Puglia is passé? Not for us. However, if you think you’ve “done” Puglia by experiencing the trulli of Alberobello, Castel del Monte, a beach or two, and a few bottles of primitivo-based wine, then by all means, move on. But Puglia has so much more to offer, if you take the time to do some research. One of our goals is to make you aware of some of the lesser-known attractions and activities Puglia offers to discerning travelers.
A side note: We have been experiencing a horrible series of computer problems, mishaps and lost files over the past few months. We apologize for this situation and we are doing what we can do fix this and prevent it from happening again. Please keep watching our site and this blog for updates. Thanks for visiting, and we welcome your comments.

George Benson in Bari Nov. 24

November 21, 2009 on 3:03 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments

The American jazz guitarist George Benson will be appearing in Bari on Tuesday night (Nov. 24) as part of his “Songs and Stories Tour.”
Benson will perform at Teatro Team, Piazza Umberto 37, beginning at 9 P.M. Tickets range from 42 euros to 82 euros, and are available at the theater and online at http://www.teatroteam.it/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=garden_flypage.tpl&product_id=84&category_id=32&.
His performance is part of an Italian tour with other stops in Catania, Naples and Rome. The winner of many Grammy Awards, Benson’s hits include “On Broadway,” “This Masquerade,” “Give me the Night” and “Turn Your Love Around.”

Welcome Back to the Puglia Connection Blog

November 9, 2009 on 2:29 am | In Uncategorized | No Comments

Welcome back to the Puglia Connection blog. We were dormant for the past few months, as we had to take care of some family matters, but we’re pleased to be back at work and continuing our efforts to promote the Region of Puglia in Italy as a sustainable cultural tourism destination for international travelers. As wrote here in 2007 when we launched this blog, we’re hoping that we can serve as a starting point for creating a network of travelers interested in learning more about Puglia (also called Apulia), particularly because of its diverse cultural offerings. We also hope to generate interest in the region among Americans of Pugliese heritage and we look forward to learning and sharing stories about your families.
We’re Jeff and Randa Barrington, and we’ve been promoting tourism to Puglia – mainly by word of mouth – since we started this project in 2000. That’s when we visited Puglia for the second time and saw enormous potential for using very carefully managed international tourism as a way to help preserve Puglia’s precious antiquities and diverse heritage (we’ve been back nearly every year since to explore the region and compile information for travelers). If you’re not familiar with Puglia, it is the region that comprises the heel of the Italian boot along the coasts of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. The region’s principal cities are Bari, Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce and Taranto.
While Puglia’s excellent beaches have been popular with Italians and other Europeans for many years, only recently has there been significant awareness of Puglia’s history, art, architecture, heritage, food and wine. We’ve explored most of Puglia by car and train; and we have many ideas to share about places to see, stay, eat and shop; and we can offer practical advice and tips about planning your Puglia vacation.
A little about us: Randa’s grandparents are all from Puglia, within the province of Bari – her maternal grandparents are from Palo del Colle and her paternal grandparents are from Bitonto. Randa and Jeff have both studied Puglia’s culture and history extensively, and Jeff earned a master’s degree in tourism development from New York University, where his research centered on developing Puglia as a sustainable tourism destination. We formalized this project in 2005 under the name Puglia Connection and are working to develop the website www.pugliaconnection.com as a resource for travelers. We’ve explored Puglia from top to bottom, from Vieste on the edge of the Gargano Peninsula to Marina de Leuca at the tip of Salento. We’ve booked trains, rented cars, discovered numerous restaurants, hotels and sites worth visiting, worked with local guides to gather information about the most interesting places to see in Puglia, and we’re happy to share that information with anybody who is interested in learning more about this fascinating region.
We hope that this blog will encourage you to learn more about Puglia as a tourism destination. Please send us your comments, questions and ideas. Thanks!

More Low-Cost Air Service to Puglia in 2010

November 6, 2009 on 2:30 am | In Uncategorized | No Comments

The Irish low-fare airline Ryanair has announced plans to open two new international bases in Bari and Brindisi, effective in January 2010, according to the Irish website Independent.ie and Aeroporti di Puglia, which operates the region’s four airports.
The carrier plans to base two aircraft at L’Aeroporto Internazionale-Karol Wojtyla di Bari in Palese and offer service on nine new routes out of that facility. It also plans to base an additional aircraft at Aeroporto del Salento in Brindisi and open four new routes from there.
Puglia’s other airports are Aeroporto di Grottaglie in Taranto and Aeroporto Civile Gino Lisa in Foggia.

“CN Traveler” Highlights Masseria Torre Coccaro

June 17, 2009 on 2:11 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments

The July issue of Conde Nast Traveler magazine reports on Masseria Torre Coccaro, a luxury agriturismo in Savelletri di Fasano, in an article titled “Spa Plus: The Foodie.” The article advises readers to, “Take a road trip from Italy’s mountainous north down to the heel and you’ll experience the country’s most picturesque regions, fantastic food and superlative spas.”
The article says this about Torre Coccaro’s spa: “In a beautifully restored masseria (farmhouse) hotel, this Aveda spa offers treatments that use local ingredients such as wild capers and fresh fava beans. The seaside massages at the hotel’s private beach club are also a highlight.” For “foodies,” it says this: “At Restaurant Egnathia, sample Pugliese specialties like orecchiette with broccoli rabe and agnello con lampascioni (lamb with wild sweet onions), plus plenty of veggies from the resort’s kitchen garden.”
We visited Masseria Torre Coccaro in the summer of 2002. It was an extraordinary experience for us, and with the upgrades that it has undergone since then, the resort has been receiving excellent reviews in international press coverage over the past few years. The masseria is on the Adriatic coast in the Province of Brindisi, halfway between the cities of Bari and Brindisi. Take a virtual tour at www.masseriatorrecoccaro.com.

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