National Geographic honors Puglia
“The best of southern Italy: the rhythms of life, traditions, the beauty of places.” In a word: Puglia. In 2023, the “Heel of Italy” won the prestigious “Best Value Travel Destination in the world Prize” awarded by National Geographic for the second year in a row.
An award that honors the land “where it is possible to live unique experiences not only thanks to landscapes and monuments, but also for authenticity and typical food and wine.”
National Geographic’s award confirms the large roster of authoritative voices – starting with Lonely Planet – who see Puglia as standing out among tourist destinations thanks to the galaxy of countries, communities, and knowledge that together build the storytelling of a place dense with meaning.
Puglia in the New York Post and New York Times.
Recently even the New York Post, with journalist Max Gross, ventured into the “magic” of these stories by tracing the territory through the traditions of its wines and wineries(Italy’s Magical Puglia Region).
In 2022 it had been the New York Times, in Susan Wright’s lengthy feature Exploring Italy’s Salento region. Focusing on the southern part of Puglia, the article followed the journalist’s slow journey between the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic Sea, between the countryside and inland towns.
Enjoying a coffee on the rocks with almond milk – the typical Lecce variation of espresso – carefully prepared in a provincial coffee shop, listening to the adventurous stories of family businesses that have become small jewels of made in Italy, asking the fruit seller’s advice on the best beach to go swimming depending on where the wind is blowing are the added value of the reporter’s experience discovering the “South of the South” of Italy. All around, the dazzling early summer sun, international art gems such as the “Tree of Life,” the extraordinary mosaic floor of Otranto Cathedral, or the gold-glittering frescoes of the basilica of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Galatina.
A journey where beauty is more than just a beautiful postcard.
