Otranto: a city on the Adriatic coast in Apulia

The town lies in an inlet on the western coast of the Otranto Channel. Ancient Hydruntum was founded by the Greeks and through-out antiquity it was a busy trading town, thanks to its position and its port. During the Middle Ages Otranto became even more important as a mercantile port, but the mid-fifteenth century marked the beginning of a long period of decline, to which the repeated, violent Turkish incursions also contributed, and its golden age drew to close.

The cathedral, founded towards the end of the eleventh century and completed halfway through the following century and completed halfway through the following century, has a majestic interior decorated with an exceptional twelfth-century mosaic floor, precious historic works including the Splendid Tree of Life, various Romanesque frescoes ad the magnificent crypt.

The Matari chapel commemorates the massacre perpetrated in 1480 by Turks, who occupied the town and shortly thereafter decapitated its bishop, the priests and many of its residents right in the church, while 800 other citizens were beheaded on the neighboring Minerva Hill. Its castle was built in a dominant position by the Arogonese over the site of an existing Swabian fortification, and it has three massive round corner towers.

Lecce: an architectural jewel in Apulia

This historic city is truly rich in artistic and cultural traditions. Known as the “Florence of the South”, it is located about ten kilometers from the Adriatic coast. It is of Messapian origins and became extremely important as early as the Imperial Age because of its busy port (San Cataldo).

However, it rose to glory chiefly after the Norman conquest, when it became the major town on the Salanto peninsula, and then during the Spanish reign, when the elegant Baroque monuments – for which even now it is rightly famous- were built. The Lecce Baroque style is extremely original and it flourished between the sixteenth and the eighteenth centuries. It is unique in its use of local limestone, which is unusual because it turns to a lovely golden hue with the passage of time.

Traces of the Imperial Age are visible in the Roman theatre and amphitheatre built in the early second century AD. A splendid combination of Romanesque and Baroque art, the church devoted to Saints Nicholas and Cataldus, erected at the end of the twelfth century and later remodeled, is Lecce’s chief Norman monument.

The elegant Palazzo and the church of Santa Maria della Grazie, which look out onto Piazza Sant’Oronzo were built in the sixteenth century, as were the nearby castle, built over the site of the previous Norman fortification, and the lovely churches of Sant’Irene and Gesu. The Santa Croce basilica, built at the turn of the seventeenth century, presages the triumph of the Lecce Baroque. The same style was used for adjacent Palazzo del Governo, which for many years housed an interesting provincial archaeological museum, which has now been moved to the Viale Gallipoli.
The city’s most precious architectural gem is Piazza Duomo, with the Assunta cathedral and its charming bell tower, the bishop’s palace and the Palazzo del Seminario, which are the finest examples of the Lecce Baroque.

Polignano A Mare: a picturesque small town in Apulia

This picturesque little town, with its Romanesque mother church, is set high above the sea, protected by tall stone walls. Its splendid panoramic position overlooks a stretch of coast that is rich in marine grottoes, which the surf has carved from the calcareous rock over thousands of years.

Almost all of these vast, magical grottoes may be visited from the sea and in several cases, like the Piazzese grotto formed by two adjoining caves, they have even brought to light priceless material documenting the presence of human settlements in the area as earl as prehistoric times.

Poligana a Mare is also a romantic place through the beauty of the sea and many couples who are just married come to there for romantic wedding pictures. Polignano is really wonderful if you want to relax and you can even enjoy of an ice-cream in the many gelato’s which you can find there. You have a beautiful view over the coast with many boats and it is amazing to see the magnificent fluorescent blue color of the water.




Poligana is really a city which I can recommend to visit.

Trani: an immense historical architectonic patrimony in Apulia

Trani was established in the third-fourth century AD and quickly became an important seagoing and trading town, reaching its peak under Frederick II. The cathedral, one of Apulia’s most perfect examples of the Romanesque style, was founded in 1097 over an existing church and finished in the thirteenth century.

Other noteworthy monuments include the Ognissanti church, also Romanesque, and the Swabian castle (1233). Nearby, on Capo Colonna, there is the interesting abbey of Santa Maria della Colonna, built toward the end of the eleventh century.

Barletta: the port of Canosa during the Roman era in Apulia

Barletto is a city in Apulia which is located on the Adriatic coast (the Southern part of the Manfredonia Gulf). This city was already flourishing in Norman and Swabian times, and it rose to its greatest splendor under the reign of the Angevins, when its coastal position enabled it to develop wealthy trade and an important fleet.

It was the birthplace of Ettore Fieramosca, the leading figure in the famous “Disfida di Barletta (Challenge of Barletta) on 13 February 1503. Its churches, which have a wealth of valuable works of art, include the basilica of San Sepolcro, restructured in the Gothic style in the thirteenth century, and the cathedral (twelfth-fourteenth century).

Worth visiting are the Swabian Castele, the “Colosso”, a fourth-century statue depicting a Roman emperor, and the museum didictated to Giuseppi De Nittis, the great painter born in Barletta in 1846

Vieste: a popular holiday resort on the most eastern end of the Gargano peninsila in Apulia

Vieste is a well known and extremely popular holiday resort that offers visitors not only a splendid seascape and a marvelous natural backdrop, but also precious evidence of its past, set in the suggestive atmosphere of the medieval town.

This ancient town was also an Episcopal see, and at the end of the tenth century it was repeatedly attacked by the Saracen Turks who, in 1554, led by the pirate Dragut, devastated the town and decapitated many of the townsfolk on the Chianca amara (bitter rock). It was next to his stone that the splendid Romanesque cathedral was built in the eleventh century, and it now houses valuable sixteenth century works.

The castle, set in a dominant position, was built by Frederick II in 1240 but was subsequently remodeled extensively on several occasions. In addition to the long beach and lovely bays, the famous Pizzomunno monolith and the equally famous architiello (little arch), the innumerable grottoes found nearby, including the large Campana, are also worth visiting.

A trip to Disney World in Florida

Disney World markets itself as being magical, and there is an element of truth in this. A trip to the Magic Kingdom truly is wondrous, especially if it is your first time. There is much to see and do in Disney and if you’re planning a trip, you may want to have a good idea of the things you want to experience.

For some events, such as sharing a meal with characters, or eating at specific restaurants, you’ll need to make reservations in advance. Other events, such as the parades, fireworks and of course, the rides, you can do on the spur of the moment, although you might want to arrive early in order to get a good spot.

These photos were taken when Leigh Goessl and her family visited in the spring of 2004. The Castle Show, “Cinderella’s Surprise Celebration” was professionally done and a whole lot of fun to watch, for all ages. (For a glimpse of this particular show, check out this YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaDhyxel_-Q&feature=related ). The fireworks are magnificent and the parade, amazing.

There are plenty of rides, all Disney themed of course. You can ride the famous Space Mountain, explore Tomorrowland, wander through the many neighborhoods, get spooked at Haunted Mansion, enjoy water fun on Splash Mountain or relish in the character dancing and parades on Main Street USA. Fantasyland. Don’t forget Mickey's Toontown Fair, Adventureland, Frontierland, and Liberty Square.

A trip to Disney is indeed a trip to remember.

Cinderella's Castle

Show Cinderella's surprise

Firework

Daytime parade

Parade in the Main street USA

Parade of Lights