Lay of the Land
Both the Basilicata and Apulia regions have histories that date back centuries, but because of the challenging, mountainous, and forested terrain in Basilicata, its past is filled far more with stories of wild wolves and boars than major cities and warring factions. Apulia, on the other hand, tends to be a region rich in archaeological discoveries, despite the fact that its coastal position never helped it rise in strategic prominence alongside cities such as Genoa and Venice. Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations both called Apulia home in their days, and in more recent times, before the unification of Italy, the French and Turks each had a turn at ruling here. Throughout it all, the terrain has made for a mostly agrarian economy, though today the traditional olive and grape farms are giving way to tourism.
Each of the major cities in these regions is reachable today via highway or train from other Italian hubs such as Rome, or you can fly here directly on a national flight or via one of a handful of internationally operating airline routes.
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Apulia is frequently referred to as “the Florida of Italy” because of the way tourism continues to encroach on the traditional, agrarian way of life. There's no Epcot Center or Disney World here yet, but the spas, golf resorts, and seaside hotels certainly could be a harbinger of more development to come.
Arriving by Air
Apulia has four airports, located in Bari, Taranto, Foggia, and Brindisi. Bari is the most international of the hubs and, given its proximity to the Basilicata region, serves it in addition to Apulia itself. Flights to the Bari airport originate in New York, Madrid, London, Athens, Paris, Amsterdam, and Dusseldorf (as well as in Italian cities such as Rome, Milan, Genoa, and Venice). The other three airports in Apulia, while they have some international flight schedules, are more regional in nature. Some offer only short itineraries entirely within Italy's borders.
Interestingly, the airport in Bari started out as a military facility. It opened to civilian use relatively recently, in the 1960s, and upgrades have continued in passenger areas. Most recently, a new terminal opened in 2005. Planning began in 2007 for additional extension of passenger areas after the airport saw a 20 percent increase in traffic over 2006 — again, a sign of the region's increasingly dominant tourism sector. All four of the Apulia airports share a single website (with English translation available) where you can check airlines, flight schedules, and more. It's at
Arriving by Train
Trenitalia (
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In the southern part of Italy, the major train lines run north to south, hugging the east and west coastlines until they get to Rome or Bologna and then splinter in all directions across the northern part of the country. Thus, the majority of trains that can get you to Bari by going west to east (say, from Rome or Naples) are smaller and slower, and transfers en route are likely.
Once you are in the Apulia region, you can take local train and bus lines if you want to travel without a rental car. Some of the lines cross over into the Basilicata region. Look for schedules and fares at
