PUGLIA, IT'S TIME FOR THE BIT
Of Ostuni, the “white town”, I remember the intense fragrance of the flowers on the balconies, the panoramic viewpoint terraces that open the sight on the natural show of city lights and the enchanting hill sides that go down towards the sea and it almost seems that they meet with the blue sky. But above all, I can still hear in my ears the eco of footsteps while I walked through the narrow streets, surrounded by houses that embrace one another. Of Lecce, I see the magic atmosphere of Piazza Sant’Oronzo, centre of encounters and gatherings. Of Vieste I cannot forget the colors of the houses that seemed sprinkled with talcum powder. And Otranto comes back to my mind, the most exposed town of Italy towards the East, every time someone speaks about the sea. It’s impossible to not “reach with fantasy” the stretches of fine sand, the cliffs, the caves. And then that state of wellness that you can feel in San Giovanni Rotondo, where San Pio lived and was buried.
These places, these sounds, these smells, these sensations, remain preserved inside of me, in my heart. It’s a must to visit Puglia, at least once, to feel swept away by those intense emotions that only memories can give and only the culture of memory can bring back to life again.
Why did I tell you all of this? Because, I would ike us to find again the pleasure and desire to travel. To be seduced by the beauty of the cities and by the towns of the hinterland; to be swept away by the joy of new encounters, in a certain way, a bit magic. To recuperate, then, those pleasant sensations when we are stressed or turned down. Without that fear and anxiety that can be felt by hearing speaking about recession. The mood that makes us hide away in our households or, at the most, have made us grant ourselves a luxurious week-end out, but not so far away.
I like the idea that the BIT – International Tourism Exhibition, could make an opening in Milan (from the 19th to 22nd of February) in a climate of retrieved optimism. There are numerous initiatives to make a contact between the requests and offers of operators and travellers. Among the novelties, a workshop dedicated to religious tourism, a sector that sees Puglia, according to a reseach of the BitLab Observatory, in second place with San Giovanni Rotondo, at the centre of attention for the ostension of the corpse of Padre Pio (first place is Rome and third place is Turin, with the Holy Shroud.) The BIT is the occasion to have an idea of our next destinations (low cost flights have increased from Bari and Brindisi airports), to discover the “heel of Italy” always more intriguing, with a careful welcoming (new relais, quality bed and breakfasts, super elegant masserias), new proposals (art itineraries among thousand year old churches and antique courtyards) and the pleasures of a good cuisine. To sum up, a region to live.. everywhere you go. I like to believe that you are getting ready to leave, with inside that desire of revival that is encompassed in every journey. Because to travel is a bit like falling in love (and in this month we also celebrate Valentine’s Day), opening your heart to what’s new and getting carried away...
Isa Grassano
Editor-in-Chief “Buona Puglia Magazine”
Of Ostuni, the “white town”, I remember the intense fragrance of the flowers on the balconies, the panoramic viewpoint terraces that open the sight on the natural show of city lights and the enchanting hill sides that go down towards the sea and it almost seems that they meet with the blue sky. But above all, I can still hear in my ears the eco of footsteps while I walked through the narrow streets, surrounded by houses that embrace one another. Of Lecce, I see the magic atmosphere of Piazza Sant’Oronzo, centre of encounters and gatherings. Of Vieste I cannot forget the colors of the houses that seemed sprinkled with talcum powder. And Otranto comes back to my mind, the most exposed town of Italy towards the East, every time someone speaks about the sea. It’s impossible to not “reach with fantasy” the stretches of fine sand, the cliffs, the caves. And then that state of wellness that you can feel in San Giovanni Rotondo, where San Pio lived and was buried.
These places, these sounds, these smells, these sensations, remain preserved inside of me, in my heart. It’s a must to visit Puglia, at least once, to feel swept away by those intense emotions that only memories can give and only the culture of memory can bring back to life again.
Why did I tell you all of this? Because, I would ike us to find again the pleasure and desire to travel. To be seduced by the beauty of the cities and by the towns of the hinterland; to be swept away by the joy of new encounters, in a certain way, a bit magic. To recuperate, then, those pleasant sensations when we are stressed or turned down. Without that fear and anxiety that can be felt by hearing speaking about recession. The mood that makes us hide away in our households or, at the most, have made us grant ourselves a luxurious week-end out, but not so far away.
I like the idea that the BIT – International Tourism Exhibition, could make an opening in Milan (from the 19th to 22nd of February) in a climate of retrieved optimism. There are numerous initiatives to make a contact between the requests and offers of operators and travellers. Among the novelties, a workshop dedicated to religious tourism, a sector that sees Puglia, according to a reseach of the BitLab Observatory, in second place with San Giovanni Rotondo, at the centre of attention for the ostension of the corpse of Padre Pio (first place is Rome and third place is Turin, with the Holy Shroud.) The BIT is the occasion to have an idea of our next destinations (low cost flights have increased from Bari and Brindisi airports), to discover the “heel of Italy” always more intriguing, with a careful welcoming (new relais, quality bed and breakfasts, super elegant masserias), new proposals (art itineraries among thousand year old churches and antique courtyards) and the pleasures of a good cuisine. To sum up, a region to live.. everywhere you go. I like to believe that you are getting ready to leave, with inside that desire of revival that is encompassed in every journey. Because to travel is a bit like falling in love (and in this month we also celebrate Valentine’s Day), opening your heart to what’s new and getting carried away...
Isa Grassano
Editor-in-Chief “Buona Puglia Magazine”
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