An Armchair Traveller's History of Apulia is the story of the heel of Italy - Puglia - as told by past and present day travellers. It has beautiful landscapes, cave towns and frescoed grotto churches, wonderful old cities with Romanesque cathedrals, Gothic castles and a wealth of Baroque architecture. And yet, while far from inaccessible, until quite recently it was seldom visited by tourists. This portrait of Apulia concentrates on the Apulian people down the ages. Conquerors, whether Messapians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Lombards, Byzantines, Normans, Angevins, Germans or Spaniards, have all left their mark on the region in a cultural palimpsest that at first sight bewilders, but which hugely repays investigation. Arranged in short chapters, the narrative travels from north to south, making it an ideal companion for exploring Apulia by car. The Gazetteer, which is cross-referenced to the main text, highlights cities, churches, cathedrals, castles and sites of historical importance to the visitor. For travellers on the ground or students at their desks, this elegant, cloth-bound book will prove invaluable.
Chapter 4. The Norman Conquest – of Apulia
Chapter 5. San Giovanni di Rotondo and Padre Pio
Chapter 6. The Gargano Coast and the Tremiti
Chapter 7. The Heretic from Ischitella
Chapter 8. “The Wonder of the World”
Chapter 10. The Emperor’s Faithful Andria
Chapter 11. The Land of Manfred
Chapter 12. Foggia and the Tavoliere
Chapter 13. The Tavoliere: Lucera, Troia and Cerignola
Chapter 14. Life on the Old Tavoliere
Chapter 16. Cathedral Cities on the Coast
Chapter 17. King Ferrante’s Coronation at Barletta, 1459
Chapter 21. Bari, 1647 – Revolution
Chapter 24. Cities of the Murge
Chapter 25. The Battle of Cannae, 216 BC
Chapter 26. Maundy Thursday at Noicattaro
Chapter 29. Horace, the Apulian
Chapter 35. The Difesa di Malta
Chapter 36. The Duel at Ostuni
Chapter 39. Two Men from Taras
Chapter 40. The Princes of Tàranto
Chapter 41. The Travellers’ Tàranto
Chapter 44. Don Cirò, the Bandit Priest
Chapter 45. Baroque in the Salento
Chapter 46. A Band of Brigands – the Vardarelli
Chapter 48. The Byzantine Terra d’Òtranto
Chapter 49. The Castle of Otranto
Chapter 53. Francavilla Fontana
Chapter 54. The Death of the Regno
Chapter 56. “A War of Extermination”