Apulia's coastline is longer than that of any other mainland Italian region. In the north, theGargano promontory extends out into the Adriatic sea like a "sperone" ("spur"), while in the south, theSalento peninsula forms the "tacco" ("heel") ofItaly's boot.[6] The highest peak in the region isMonte Cornacchia 1,152 m (3,780 ft) above sea level) within theDaunian Mountains, in the north along theApennines.
Outside national parks in the North and West, most of Apulia, particularly the Salento peninsula, is geographically flat with only moderate hills.
The climate is typically Mediterranean with hot, dry and sunny summers and mild and rainy winters. Snowfall, especially on the coast is rare but has occurred as recently as January 2019 (following on from snow in March 2018 and January 2017).[8][9] Apulia is among the hottest and driest regions of Italy in summer, with temperatures sometimes reaching and exceeding 40 °C (104 °F) inLecce andFoggia.
The coastal areas, particularly on the Adriatic Sea and in the southern Salento peninsula, are frequently exposed to winds of varying strengths and directions, strongly affecting local temperatures and conditions, sometimes within the same day. The NortherlyBora wind from the Adriatic Sea can lower temperatures, humidity and moderate summer heat while the SoutherlySirocco wind fromNorth Africa can raise temperatures, and humidity and occasionally drop red dust from theSahara Desert.[citation needed] On some days in spring and autumn/fall, it can be warm enough to swim inGallipoli andPorto Cesareo on the Ionian coast while at the same time, cool winds warrant jackets and jumpers/sweaters inMonopoli andOtranto on the Adriatic coast.[citation needed]
The area between Otranto andSanta Maria di Leuca is part of the Regional Natural Coastal Park of "Costa Otranto —Santa Maria di Leuca e Bosco diTricase" wanted by the Apulia Region in 2008. This territory has numerous natural and historical attractions such asCiolo, which is a rocky cove.
In 2010 the Ministry of Health declared 98.6% of the Apulian coasts suitable for bathing.[10]
Human settlement in Apulia dates back to at least 250,000 years ago, as evidenced by the fossil remains of theAltamura Man, an archaic form ofNeanderthal. There are numerous finds from the prehistoric era, including severalmenhir anddolmen.[11]
Around the 1st millennium BC, theIapygians settled in the territory with the tribes of theDaunians, thePeucetians and theMessapians, as well as the populations of the Calabri and the Sallentini (both settled inSalento); later, in the Hellenic era, theMagna Graecia colonies were quite numerous, especially in the southern part of the region, including the city ofTaras, nowTaranto.[12]
During the secondSamnite war (326–304 BC), theRoman army, in an attempt to provide relief toLucera, besieged by the Samnites, suffered a serious defeat in theBattle of the Caudine Forks, in 321 BC. Rome soon understood the strategic importance ofApulia (corresponding only to the central-northern part of present-day Apulia, while theSalento Peninsula was known asCalabria in that period), but the occupation of the region, in the third century BC, was not easy, especially for the resistance of Tarentum and Brundisium. In 216 BC inCannae the Roman army suffered its worst defeat againstHannibal'sCarthage.[13]
Around 7 BC, emperorAugustus dividedRoman Italy into regions, one of them beingRegio II Apulia et Calabria. Later on, emperorDiocletian (284-305) reorganized Italian regions into provinces, and the newly createdProvince of Apulia and Calabria was placed under the jurisdiction of theDiocese of Suburbicarian Italy. With the construction of theAppian Way and, in the imperial era, of theVia Traiana along which cities such asTroia,Ordona,Gravina,Canosa,Ruvo andBitonto prospered. The region occupied leading positions in the production of grain and oil, becoming the largest exporter of olive oil in the East.[14]
At theFall of the Western Roman Empire (476), Apulia also went through a prolonged period of unrest and political changes. Under theOstrogothic rule, the old RomanProvince of Apulia and Calabria continued to exist within administrative structures of the Ostrogothic realm. In 535,Byzantine EmperorJustinian I (527-565) launched the re-conquest ofItaly, thus initiating theGothic War, that ended with Byzantine victory (554). Under imperial rule, thePraetorian prefecture of Italy also included the province ofApulia and Calabria (modern Apulia with Salento). Since 569, the invadingLombards tried and partially succeeded to conquer much of the region. Responding to those threats, remaining Byzantine territories in Italy were regrouped into several regions, oreparchies in 580, one of them beingCalabria, that was encompassing not only ancient RomanCalabria (Salento), but also remaining parts of Apulia,Lucania andBruttium, thus laying foundation for the expansion of the term. Already by 584, the entire Italian Prefecture was reorganized into theExarchate of Ravenna, that was encompassing the enlargedCalabria, but in time much of southern Italy, including parts of Apulia, fell under the rule of LombardDuchy of Benevento.[15]
During the 9th century, coastal regions of Apulia were briefly occupied bySaracens who established theEmirate of Bari. Saracens were driven out of Apulia during 870s,[16] and the Byzantine rule was imposed again throughout Apulia,[17] with Bari becoming the capital of a distinctive Byzantine province (theme) known asLangobardia (in reference to regions recaptured from Beneventan Lombards), that was by the middle of the 19th century placed under jurisdiction of the newly createdCatepanate of Italy.[18][19]
In 1043, theNorman adventurerWilliam of Hauteville founded the county of Apulia, which in 1059 merged into the vastCounty of Apulia and Calabria, whose borders progressively extended up to inPrincipality of Salerno. From 1130 it became part of theKingdom of Sicily. In the 13th century the name Apulia was used by some authors to indicate the southern part of the Italian peninsula. During the Sicilian domination Apulia achieved great material and civil progress, which reached its peak withFrederick II, who was responsible for the construction of a series of secular and religious buildings, some of high artistic value, includingCastel del Monte, nearAndria. During this periodFoggia became one of his residences. From 1282, following the separation of the island of Sicily from the rest of the south of the peninsula, Apulia was under the rule of theKingdom of Naples, from that moment the power of the landowners began to take root in the territory.[21]
From the middle of the 18th century the region of Apulia experienced a period of strong economic prosperity and excellent development of trade and agriculture. Between 1806 and 1815, during theNapoleonic era, provided the modernization of Apulia with the abolition of feudalism and judicial reforms until the return of the Bourbons and the birth of theKingdom of the Two Sicilies. Liberal movements were formed throughout the region in 1820 with the spread ofFreemasonry andCarbonari.[22][23]
With theKingdom of Italy established in 1861, Apulia was administratively divided into the provinces of Foggia, Bari and Lecce; to these were added in the twentieth century the provinces of Brindisi and Taranto. In the period following the unification of Italy, various brigand gangs arose, especially in Capitanata and Terra di Bari; among the major exponents are Michele Caruso, Antonio Angelo Del Sambro and Giuseppe Schiavone, the latter a faithful lieutenant of the Lucanian brigand leaderCarmine Crocco.[24]
With the progressive decline of thelatifundium, the ancient Apulian farms, properties of medium agricultural size, also decayed. Duringfascism, Apulia was affected by numerous land reclamations in vast areas and, following the post-war agrarian reform, the region enjoyed strong agricultural development.[25] In the 1970s and 1980s the economy of the region moved from the primary sector to the tertiary one, with notable development coming from the tourism sector.[26]
The region's contribution to Italy'sgross value added was around 4.6% in 2000, while its population was 7% of the total. The per capita GDP is low compared to the national average and represents about 68.1% of the EU average.[27]
The share of gross value added by the agricultural and services sectors was above the national average in 2000. The region has industries specialising in particular areas, including food processing and vehicles inFoggia; footwear and textiles in theBarletta province, and wood and furniture in the Murge area to the west.[28]
Between 2007 and 2013 the economy of Apulia expanded more than that of the rest of southern Italy.[29] Such growth, over several decades, is a severe challenge to the hydrogeological system.[30]
Apulia's thriving economy is articulated into numerous sectors boasting several leading companies, but most of them produce materials or components, not finished goods:
InTaranto, there is the largest metallurgical work ILVA Acciaierie di Taranto (8,200 empl.) in Europe with a full iron and steel production cycle. It will be sold toArcelor Mittal.[32]
InBrindisi, there is a chemical industrial park with anEni power station, Eni oil refinery,Syndial chemical factory, andVersalis chemical factory (basic chemistry, intermediates, polyethene, styrenics and elastomers).LyondellBasell polypropylene plant,Sanofi plant (antibiotics). Another Eni oil refinery is located inTaranto.[33]
TodayTaranto is the world's largest producer of farmedmussels: with 1,300 employees, around 30,000 tons of mussels are processed per year. Mussel farming has characterized the city's economy for centuries, making the mussel the gastronomic symbol of Taranto. It is said that the first mussel gardens inLa Spezia,Pula,Olbia andChioggia were established by mussel farmers who emigrated from this city. The workplace of the Taranto mussel farmers is the boat; every detail of the working method has improved over time.
10 m long structures made of wood or metal, called "pali" (piles), are attached to the seabed, to which ropes and nets are then attached, on which the mussels are grown. The mussels farmed here are particularly tasty and valued because they grow in a special environment, a mixture of salt seawater and karst freshwater. These special environmental conditions of the seas of Taranto are ideal not only for the mussels but also for the fish and crustaceans that find food and shelter between the piles. While there are around 18 submarine freshwater springs, called "Citri", in the Mar Piccolo, there is only one large one in the Mar Grande, which is called "Anello diSan Cataldo" in honour of the patron saint of the city.
Agriculture plays a prominent economic role in Apulia. It is mainly intensive and modern agriculture that allows the region to be among the first in Italy for the production of many products:
Vineyards cover 106,715 ha (263,700 acres) in Apulia, which is first place among Italian grape-growing regions. But in the production of quality DOC and DOCG wines, Apulia has only ranked 12th of 20 with 297,667 hl.
Terre Tarentine extra-virgin olive oilOlive trees near Modugno
There are an estimated 50 to 60 million olive trees in Apulia, and the region accounts for 40% of Italy's olive oil production. There are four specificProtected designations of Origin (PDO) covering the whole region.[35] Olive varieties include:Baresane,Biancolilla,Brandofino (Castiglione),Buscionetto (Biancolilla),Carolea,Cellina di Nardò,Cerasuola (Ogliara),Cerignola (Bella di Cerignola),Cima di Bitonto,Cima di Mola,Coratina,[36] also grown in Corning, California, a 2018 Gold Medal New York International Olive Oil Competition (NYIOOC) winner,[37]Frantoio,Garganica,La Minuta,Leccino,Moresca,Nocellara Etnea,Nocellara Messinese,Ogliarola,Ogliarola Barese,Ogliara Messinese,Ottobratica,Peranzana,Rotondella,Santagatese,Saracena,Tonda Iblea, andVerdello (subspecies of San Benedetto).[38][39]
Since 2008–2010, the olive oil industry in Apulia has been under threat from the pathogenXylella fastidiosa, a disease that inhibits the trees' uptake of water and nutrients. The epicentre of the epidemic is the southeastern part of the region.
Apulia has many small and picturesque villages, 14 of them have been selected byI Borghi più belli d'Italia (English:The most beautiful Villages of Italy),[40] a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest,[41] that was founded on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities.[42]
The region has a good network of roads, but the railway network is less comprehensive, particularly in the south. There are no high-speed lines, but a high-speed line between Naples and Bari is under construction, which should be completed in 2027.[43] The region is crossed northwest to southeast by theA14 highway (Bologna–Taranto), which connects the region's capital,Bari, toTaranto, the second most populous city in the region. The A14 also connectsFoggia and points further north along the Adriatic coast toPescara,Ancona,Rimini and eventuallyBologna. The only other highway in the region is theA16 (Naples–Canosa), which crosses the Italian peninsula east–west and links the region withNaples.
Emigration from the region's depressed areas to northern Italy and the rest of Europe was very intense in the years between 1956 and 1971. Subsequently, the trend declined, as economic conditions improved, to the point where there was net immigration in the years between 1982 and 1985. Since 1986, the stagnation in employment has led to a new inversion of the trend caused by a decrease in immigration.[46]
Important locally produced ingredients include olive oil, artichokes, tomatoes, eggplant, asparagus, and various kinds of seafood. Local specialties include thecarosello, a variety ofmuskmelon which is often consumed when unripe. ApulianProtected designation of origin (PDO) andProtected Geographical indication (PGI) products included cheeses, olive oils, fruits and vegetables, and a type of bread.
As with the other regions of Italy, the national language (since 1861) is Italian. However, because of its long and varied history, other historical languages have been used in this region for centuries. The local languages of northern and central Apulia (roughly the provinces ofBari,Barletta-Andria-Trani, andFoggia as well as the northwestern parts of theProvince of Taranto) are the Apulian SouthernItalo-Romance dialects, includingBari dialect andTarantino dialect. In the southern region ofSalento, an extreme SouthernItalo-Romance language, theSalentino dialect is widely spoken. There is also anItaliot Greek language found in Salento calledGriko, which is still spoken by a few thousandGriko people in some areas.[50] In addition, a rare daughter language of theFranco-Provençal language calledFaetar is spoken in the mountain villages ofFaeto andCelle di San Vito, in theProvince of Foggia. It is sometimes classified as a pair of dialects of Franco-Provençal, Faetar and Cellese.[51] TheArbëreshë dialect of theAlbanian language has been spoken by a small community since refugees settled there in the 16th century.[52]
