Apulia, the "land of longing" on the heel of Italy's "boot" is inhabited since the stone age.

Bari, the old capital of Apulia, is an important trade gateway to the Orient.

Just a little north is the small coastal town Santo Spirito. And the nearest port city on the coast to the north is Giovinazzo. Trani is another port city towards the north. The city still radiates this historically fostered self-confidence. Barlette is the last town on the journey to the north of the Adriatic coast. The town was chosen as a place of embarkation for crusaders heading for the Holy Land.

Castel Del Monte, 60 kilometres inland from Bari, became the permanent residence of the kings of Sicily. Gravina in Puglia is considered one of the most interesting and beautiful tuff gorges.

Matera, the cave city in Basilikata is an extraordinary and impressive place. It is also believed that Matera is the third oldest city in the world.

Monopoli is considered the most important port city between Bari and southern Brindisi.

But the Trulli from Alberobello are an expression of the rural soul - the lifestyle of those who lived in the heart of the Murgia hills in their iconic stone huts. Locorotondo is a bright white, circular village situated on a hill near the Itria valley. Heading west and towards the Gulf of Taranto, we visit Grottaglie, the Apulian capital of ceramics.

Taranto, the second largest city in Apulia, is a thousand years older than Rome. From here we cross the Murge Tarantine and reach Lecce, the "baroque capital of Italy".

The last stop on this journey is Brindisi, the port city on the Adria, which already in ancient times was the "Gate to the Orient". The Via Appia ends here