The document provides an overview of the Italian region of Puglia (Apulia). It details that the region has a long history, originally being settled by Greek and Roman civilizations. It is located in southern Italy along the Adriatic and Ionian seas. The region has a population of over 4 million and an economy that relies on agriculture, services, and small-to-medium sized industries. The official language is Italian but various other dialects are also spoken that reflect the diverse peoples who have inhabited the region over the centuries.

1. PUGLIA

2. Recipes
• http://cucina.corriere.it/ricette/salento/34/ca
rne-cavallo-pignatta_9da41d36-1af6-11df-
af4a-00144f02aabe.shtml

3. Some facts
• Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering
the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to
the southeast, and the Strait of Otranto and
Gulf of Taranto in the south.
• Its most southern portion is known as
Salento.
• The region comprises 19,345 square
kilometers (7,469 sq mi).
• Its population is about 4.1 million.

4. The Geography

5. Apulia is a very dry region. Its few rivers are torrential
and are to be found on the Tavoliere delle Puglie at the
foot of the Gargano promontory.

6. Elsewhere, rainwater permeates the limestone bedrock
to form underground watercourses that resurface near
the coast. Groundwater is therefore abundant, and
there are many caves and potholes. The caves at
Castellana Grotte are particularly spectacular.

7. Some History
• Apulia is one of the richest regions in Italy in
terms of archaeological findings.
• It was first settled by Illyric peoples, the most
well known of whom were the Messapii

8. Mycenaean Greeks colonized the area.

9. In the 8th century BC, the Ancient Greeks
expanded until reaching the area of Taranto and
Salento in Magna Graecia.

10. In the 5th and 4th centuries BC, the Greek settlement
at Taras produced a distinctive style of pottery (Apulian
vase painting).

14. Apulia was an important
area for the ancient
Romans, who conquered it
during the course of wars
against the Samnites and
against Pyrrhus in the 4th
and 3rd centuries BC but
also suffered a crushing
defeat here in the battle of
Cannae against Hannibal.

15. However, after the Carthaginians left the
region, the Romans captured the ports of
Brindisi and Taranto, and established dominion
over the region.
During the Imperial age Apulia was a flourishing
area for production of grain and oil, becoming
the most important exporter to the Eastern
provinces.

19. After the fall of Rome, Apulia was held successively by
the Goths, the Lombards and, from the 6th century
onwards, the Byzantines. Bari became the capital of a
province that extended to modern Basilicata

20. Apulia remained under the Byzantine authority, until
the 11th century, when the Normans conquered it with
relative ease.

21. From the late 12th to early 13th centuries, Apulia was a
favorite residence of the Hohenstaufen
emperors, notably Frederick II

22. Frederic II

23. Under the Angevine and Crown of
Aragon/Spanish dominations Apulia became
largely dominated by a small number of
powerful landowners (Baroni).
In 1734 there were the battle of Bitonto, a
Spanish victory over Austrian forces.
The coast was occupied at times by the Turks
and by the Venetians.
The French also controlled the region in 1806–
15, resulting in the abolition of feudalism and
the reformation of the justice system.

24. In 1861, with the fall of Two
Sicilies, the region joined Italy.

25. Mamma, li turchi!

26. • On July 28, 1480, an Ottoman fleet of 128
ships arrived near the city of Otranto.
• On July 29 the garrison and the citizens
retreated to the citadel, the Castle of Otranto.
• On 11 August this was taken by the invaders.

29. According to Christian
historiography
Archbishop Stefano
Agricoli and others
were killed in the
cathedral.
Bishop Stephen
Pendinelli and the
garrison
commander, count
Francesco Zurlo, were
sawn in two alive.

30. On August 12, 800 citizens who refused to convert
to Islam were taken to the Hill of the Minerva and
beheaded.

31. Some of the remains of the 800 martyrs are
today stored in Otranto cathedral

34. The Economy
In comparison with the country as a whole, the
economy of Apulia is characterized by a greater
emphasis on agriculture and services and a smaller part
played by industry.

35. In the last 20 years the industrial base of the region's
economy has changed radically. Alongside highly
capital-intensive large-scale a network of small and
medium-sized firms has gradually expanded, and these
now provide approximately 70% of the jobs in the
region.

36. The region has a good network of roads but the railway
network is somewhat inadequate, particularly in the
south. Apulia's 800 kilometers (497 mi) of coastline is
studded with ports, which make this region an
important terminal for transport and tourism to Greece
and the eastern Mediterranean.

37. Language
• The official national language (since 1861) is
Italian. However, as a consequence of its long
and varied history, other historical languages
have been spoken in this region for centuries.
• In the northern and central sections, some
dialects of the Neapolitan language are
spoken.

39. • In the southern part of the region, dialects of the
Sicilian language called Tarantino and Salentino
are spoken.
• In isolated pockets of the Southern part of
Salento, a Greek dialect called Griko, is spoken by
just a few thousand people.
• A rare dialect of the Franco-Provençal language
called Faetar is spoken in two isolated towns in
the Province of Foggia.
• In a couple of villages, the Arbëreshë dialect of
the Albanian language has been spoken by a very
small community since a wave of refugees settled
there in the 15th century.

49. Some Music
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdVaHCCxHMw
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsTQM4t76r8&feat
ure=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ummRkOP7lBQ&fe
ature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3hfQnuWgAI
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtCQXJwN96o
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUJkbbuh_84&feat
ure=related