Overlooking high wind- and time-sculpted cliffs, Polignano a Mare is a suspended jewel between the sky and the Adriatic Sea. Strolling through the white alleys of the historic center, among flower-bedecked balconies and poems on the walls, one discovers a place that knows how to thrill at every step. From the enchanting view of Lama Monachile to the magic of Grotta Palazzese, each corner yields pure beauty.
Here was born Domenico Modugno, and his statue welcomes visitors along the seafront, still singing “Volare”; in June the world’s top athletes jump with breathtaking moves during the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, while in July illustrious guests from the worlds of literature and journalism arrive to take part in the famous Book Possible Festival. The ancient Abbey of San Vito, keeper of legends and silences, also reflects off the sea.
A few kilometers away, wonder continues: the Basilica of San Nicola in Bari, the colorful gozzi in the old port of Monopoli, the Acquaviva d’Aragona castle in Conversano and that of Angioino in Mola di Bari, the fairytale trulli at Alberobello, the centuries-old olive groves of the Itria Valley, the white light of Locorotondo and Cisternino, the ancient crafts passed on with pride in Grottaglie, the white city of Ostuni, and the triumph of baroque in Lecce.
