Italy - Apulia

Visitors flock each year to view the historical grandeur of the cultures of many past civilizations: Greeks, Romans, Goths, Lombards, Byzantines, Normans and Bourbons, among others Rich culinary traditions, a vast array of wines and towns that are filled with the artistic splendors of several centuries, and a natural beauty that render the region of Apulia much more than Italy’s gateway to Greece Through constant and varied occupations, Apulia has remained one of Italy’s most bountiful sources of wine and olive oil, and the Adriatic and Ionian seas provide a wealth of seafood Oysters and mussels are prized but octopus, squid, anchovies and sardines are popular as well.

Cheeses range from pecorino to burrata, and bakeries specialize in focaccia Apulia boasts the largest array of grape varieties in the south and there is a growing emphasis on premium wines in lieu of bulk juice (the notorious wine lake) The traditionally powerful, inky reds (made from Negroamaro, Primitivo, and Malvasia Nera) are now matched by a newer development of well-rounded whites, led by such indigenous grapes as Verdeca, Bianco d’Alessano, Bombino Bianco and Trebbiano Toscano Malvasia Bianca is the base of most Salento whites.

Aleatico di Apulia, the regions very red dessert wine, comes from the province of Bari, Apulia’s capital .