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Apulia (official Italian name: Puglia) is a region in southeastern 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 southern portion known as Salento, a peninsula, forms the heel of the Italian "boot." The region is comprised of 7,469 square miles (19,345 squ km), and its population is 4,031,885 residents (1991). It is bordered by the other Italian regions of Molise to the north, Campania to the west, and Basilicata to the southwest. It is close to Albania, which is 80 km across the Adriatic. The region extends as far north as Monte Gargano, and was the scene of the last stages in the second Punic_War.

Bari is the capital of the region, which is divided into the provinces (and their capitals by the same name) of Bari, Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce, and Taranto. Apulia is mostly a plain; its low coast, however, is broken by the mountainous Garagano Peninsula in the north, and there are mountains in the north central part of the region. Other important centers are Alberobello, Conversano, Canosa, San Giovanni Rotondo, Manfredonia, Martina Franca, Mesagne, Molfetta,Gallipoli, Otranto, Santa Maria di Leuca, Tricase, Trani, Barletta and Andria.

Farming was the chief occupation, but industry has expanded rapidly. Farm products include olives, grapes, cereals, almonds, figs, tobacco, and livestock (sheep, pigs, cattle, and goats). Manufactured products include refined petroleum, chemicals, cement, iron and steel, processed food, plastics, and wine. Fishing is pursued in the Adriatic and in the Gulf of Taranto. The scarcity of water has long been an acute problem in Apulia, and it is necessary to carry drinking water by aqueduct across the Apennines from the Sele River in Campania.

In ancient times only the northern part of the region was called Apulia; the southern peninsula was known as Calabria, a name later used to designate the toe of the Italian "boot." The region was settled by several Italic peoples and by the colonial Greeks before it was conquered in the 4th century B.C. by the Romans. After the fall of Rome, Apulia was held successively by the Goths, the Lombards, and the Byzantines. In the 11th century, it was conquered by the Normans; Robert Guiscard set up the duchy of Apulia in 1059. After the Norman conquest of Sicily in the late 11th century, Palermo replaced Melfi (just west of present day Apulia) as the center of Norman power, and Apulia became a mere province, first of the Kingdom of Sicily, then of the Kingdom of Naples. From the late 12th to early 13th centuries, Apulia was a favorite residence of the Hohenstaufen emperors, notably Frederick_II. The coast later was occupied at times by the Turks and by the Venetians. In 1861, the region joined Italy. The feudal system long prevailed in the rural areas of Apulia; social and agrarian reforms proceeded slowly from the 19th century and accelerated in the mid-20th century. The characteristic Apulian architecture of the 11th–13th centuries reflects Greek, Arab, Norman, and Pisan influences. There are universities at Bari and Lecce.

The official national language (since 1861) is Italian. However, as a consequence of its deep and colorful history, other historical languages have been spoken in this region for centuries. In the northern sections, a dialect of the Neapolitan language called "northern Pugliese" is spoken. In the southern part of the region, a dialect of the Sicilian language called "Salentino" is spoken. In isolated pockets of Salento, a hybrid language that dates back to the 9th century, called Griko, is spoken. In several villages, the Arbëreshë dialect of the Albanian language has been spoken since a wave of refugees settled there in the 15th century. Even a variety of Franco-Provençal can also be found in certain communities (*Fonte: Wikipedia)

CASTLES AND CATHEDRALS IN APULIA. THIS IS ANOTHER LAND OF ANCIENT CIVILISATIONS:

This is another land of ancient civilisations, the Messapic, which was native, and the Greek which came from overseas; these two civilisations were enemies until they were fused under Roman domination. Some of their richest cities disappeared over the centuries, such as Sybaris and Metapontus, others such as Taranto, survived.

Taranto had as great a population in Roman times as today. Others came later, as the centuries passed. Brindisi came to mark the end of the great road to the East, the Appian Way.
Horace was born in the harsh mountainous country of Venosa and the other great Roman poet, Vergil died at Brindisi.
After the fall of the Empire came that long succession of conquests and warfare-Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Swabians, Angevins, Aragonese and Bourbons-a bloody and often dark history, relieved by the civilising presence of Venice, whose sea-routes to the East skirted the Apulian coats, jutting into the central Mediterranean. There was a brief flowering in the Swabian period, when this land dear to Frederick II, was covered with fine cathedrals and castles.
Castel del Monte, built by the Emperor for hunting and feasting, is still the finest example of a medieval castle in Italy; Frederick II died in the castle of Fiorentino; in the Lucera district rises the castle where his son Manfred left wife and son before the disastrous battle of Benevento. After the Swabian flowering came the long winter of blood and violence which attended the Angevin conquest, and then the long sleep of the Bourbon regime: few glories came the way of Apulia in those times, either political or artistic. Today Apuliaattracts by castle and cathedral in other words, it is still the Apulia of Frederick II that appeals to the visitor. (*fonte: ENIT)

It's one of the five regions ( the more southern one ) which constitute Puglia, jointly Murge, Tavoliere, Appennino Dauno, and Gargano. It's the Land of Lecce, spreaded over 2300 km2. It's the Salento, homeland of art, culture, nature. And it welcome and invite You to discover all the places of this wonderful territory, suspended from the Mediterranean Sea and stretched out East. In fact, Occidental civilization and oriental magic live together in this suggestive corner of Italy, in thet one which is the "heel" of the Stivale. A peninsula in the peninsula, a balcony which leans out of the mediterranean limpid water. History and art are interwovwn between two sea, Jonio and Adriatic, which alternate wild and incontaminated seashores and modern tourist villages, green oasis and pleasant small town where life goes on easely and peacefully and where people's spirit gives a tripper a sincere and exquisite hospitality. From Porto Cesareo to Gallipoli, from Lecce / Capital of province) to Nardò, from Otranto to Tricase, from Ugento to Santa Maria di Leuca, towns of Salento offer a very good gastronomy, particular landscape, artistic beauties, fabulous routes, centuries-old traditions and so on. Everything to discover! It's a land which has been recalled in the literary sea voyage in Odissea and Eneide, has been gone through the centuries by maritime and terrestrial courses, has inherited a great concentration of dolmen, menhir, specchie, nemanthol from the prehistoric civilization. From the Mycenaeans to the Greeks, from the Romans to the Byzantines, until the normans and the Spanish. Let's dive into the Salento, in its age-old culture and art, which come here from a far past, in its vegetation, in its coast and sea, in its colours and scents, in its dances and typical atmosphere.

Salento has got a level round, a sunny landscape, overgrown by almond and orange trees and secular olive trees. With some spurs of Murge. There are many natural parks, such at those ones in Cesine and Torre Guaceto, or in Porto Selvaggio, but also lots of pine woods ( Alimini, Ugento, Torre dell'Orso ) and the ancient Mediterranean maquis. A crystalline sea permitts to see the depth. Coast is a sort of Heaven with its overhanging cliffs and rocks. Finally, there is a type of Salento which is hidden, with its underground " monuments " thet were created by rain of rivers underground, where limestone plasm the ground and creates gorges, dolines, galleries, caves e coves. A world to dicover, up and under the Salento's land.

The Salento's gastronomy has an ancient tradition and it correspond to the history and culture of a people who continues loving and tasting quality and flavours of the most typical local products, in a technologic era even. That is, those tastes of past ages. Pasta and juice home-made, legumes' purees, lampascioni, horse's chops in ragout, roulade of lamb's trippe, seafaring tielle, pettole, jams, almond pastes, rosoli, winw, olive oil. These recipes are distinctive of the mediterranean cousine. The Salento's cookery is humble and poor, but very nutrient and rich of good and different flavours, because of many dominations in this land. As fist courses, we have tagliatelle with chick-beas, namely " ciceri e tria ". Tagliatelle with tomato's juice, cottage cheese and basil became " sagne 'ncannulate". Orecchiette an maccheroncini (" minchiareddhi") are really appreciated and genuine ( they are often combinated to vegetables and meat). As second courses, we have "pitte" ( thet is chapatti with potatoes and vegetables). "Turcinieddhi" are herbal lam's roulades. "Taieddha" is made by little pumpkins, potatoes, artichokes, onions, tomatoes, and black cozze. "Purcedduzzi" and "corteddhate" are Christmas cakes, made by sweet paste shaped pellets or roses, enriched with anice and honey little dragee. Every dish is supplemented with olive oil and wine. Salento is the region of "Negro Amaro", one of the best red and ruby wine in Italy. (* Fonte Siff)

At just 4 km from Adriatic sea, Tricase is rounded by Serra dei Cianci and by Serra di San Mito (here, from up above, there's one of the widest and lightest landscape of the region).

Regarding the origins of Tricase, there are different versions, but the most effective ones are those by Antonio Micetti from Tricase and by Capuchin father Luigi Tasselli from Casarano. It's told that, between the X and XI century, there were build up three farmhouses and the first dwelling-places raised right through the joining of them: here the name of Tricase.

But more probably, the name of the town hall should be related to "inter casas" that means "town coming up among different farmhouses". That is a centre raised among other farmhouses, which ones would had mingled together, bringing to the birth of a new town. It's worthy the opinion that the unification of the three farmhouses came from the need of a powerful force, because these towns were actually small villages and so weak and armless against barbarian invasions and raids or against peoples coming from near towns. Anyway Tricase ancient name was "Treccase", then "Trecase", further "Tricasi" or "Tricasium" and in the end it took what is still the nowadays name.