Puglia, Italy

The small peninsula is the end of the rock on which the medieval city of Vieste stands.

Punta San Francesco.

The old city of Vieste

Vieste

Restaurant in Vieste in an old olive mill

Old Olive Mill

The Cathederal of Vieste built in the 11th century on the ruins of a Vesta temple.

Cathedral Bell Tower

Via Vesta, one of the many narrow streets of the old town leading up to the Duomo, previously the site of a Vesta temple.

Via Vesta, Vieste

Another narrow street in old Vieste, like the others charcterised by many steps.

Steps

View along the Lungomare with a Trabucco (traditional Adriatic fishing machine) at the end.

Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo

The church of St Francis dates back to 1438.

Church of St Francis, Vieste

The Lighthouse of Vieste, located on the small islet of Santa Eufemia. On the islet is a cave with many inscriptions dating back to the 3rd century BC some honour Venus Sosandra (Goddess of the sea and savior of men) .

Vieste Lighthouse

Arches and stairs, two characteristics of the old part of Vieste.

Arches and Stairs

Ristorante Enoteca Vesta is situated in a natural cave near the Duomo in Vieste - highly recommended!

Cave Restaurant

More arches above the street leading to the old Jewish sector.

Via Judeca, Vieste

A small lovely area between the cliffs and the Castle.

Park

The garden of the late Anna Maria Tantimonaco below the Castle.

Vieste Garden

The Castle dates back to 1240 and is currently a military complex.

The Swabian Castle of Vieste

The shallow bay of Peschici.

Peschici Beach

The old town of Peschici from the beach.

Peschici Old Town

Corso Vittoria Emmanuele II with the bust of Nicolas Petrovic, King of Montenegro.

Full Moon over Bari

View across the rooftops of Bari Cathedral and the Church of Saint Theresa of the Males.

Bari Skyline

This asymmetric Church was built to house the relics of Saint Nicholas whch were stolen from Myra in 1067.

Basilica of Saint Nicholas

Street in the old City of Bari with the Cathedral Tower in the background.

Old Bari

Old Bari, courtyard with a statue of Padre Pio. Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, was an Italian priest and saint. Also a location where Bari ladies sit and make Orichetti.

Corte Alberolungo

Polignano a Mare is situated just south of Bari with a popular beach between the two sides of a rocky ravine.

Polignano a Mare,

The trulli of Alberobello represent a dry-stone building tradition, several thousand years old, found across the Mediterranean region.

Trulli of Alberobello

The trulli, typical limestone dwellings in the southern region of Puglia, are remarkable examples of corbelled dry-stone construction, a prehistoric building technique still in use in this region.

Trulli

Trulli in the UESCO heritage site of Alberobello .

Trulli

The UNESCO recognised city of Matera is one of the oldest cities in the world with continuous occupation since several millenia BC.

Matera

Church of St Francis of Asssi, Matera.

Church of St Francis of Asssie

The original church was destroyed by an earthquake and this is the rebuilt Baroque style church.

The Church of St. Agostino (also Madonna delle Grazie)

The church perched on rocks overlooking the Gravina valley, was originally a monastry founded in 1591.

The Church of St. Agostino (also Madonna delle Grazie)

Caves built into the limestone in Matera

Limestone Caves

The river forms the valley which is the basis of Matera where caves were excavated into the limestone banks. Some of these continued to be occupied until the 1950s.

The Gravina River

Churches of Saint Mary of Idris and St Peter Caveoso

Churches of Saint Mary of Idris and St Peter Caveoso

Church of Saint Mary of Idris and San Giovanni in Monterrone, Matera. Two churches built into a rock that communicate with each other through a gallery.

Rock Church of Matera

St Peter Caveoso. Iin the background are the caves of the Parco della Murgia on the Eastern bank of the Gravina river.

Ancient Caves

Completed in 1270 the building of the Matera Cathedral revealed the layers of civilisation from previous centuries. Many of the houses shown have caves on the inside.

Matera and its Cathedral