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Town: Bari/Barletta (south east)
Puglia, the heal of Italy, is one of the most interesting regions of Italy sometimes called the Tuscany of the south. 
In the Puglia region, bordered by the gentle Ionian Sea and the more lively Adriatic, lies Bari, the capital of Puglia. The city has conserved its ancient seafaring tradition over the centuries, becoming the trading centre in the southern Adriatic and Ionian areas, thanks partly to its busy port. This makes it an ideal bridge for traffic between Europe, the Middle and the Far east and favours the development of major economic events (Fiera del Levante, Expo-Levante, Expo-Mobili, etc.).

Barletta is an Antic port on the Adriatic coast known for its Disfida between the French and the Italians, its medieval architecture as well as its fine beaches. 

The climate here is characterized by the closeness to the sea, the rich vegetation and the almost total lack of mountains and the weather is typically with warm winters and very hot summers. 

Affiliated hotels:   Nicotel Barletta
Only a few kilometres from famous tourist and commercial sites of Puglia, The Nicotel hotel Barletta offers 62 comfortable rooms. No smoking rooms and disability accommodations are available. All the rooms are  fully air-conditioned, with private bathroom, hair-dryer, TV satellite, and direct-dial telephone. In addition, the hotel offers conference facilities, parking and garden.

Places to visit and things to do: 
Barletta was the scene for the famous “Disfida” (challenge) between the French and the Italians. Many ancient monuments including the magnificent castle from the Middle ages and various archaeological sites such as “Canne della battaglia” (roman age) and the Mistery of Castel del Monte. Castel del Monte was built by Emperor Frederick II in the 13th century and is a unique piece of medieval military architecture blending elements from classical antiquity, the Islamic Orient and north European Cistercian Gothic.
 

Regional food: 

Typical Pugliese cuisine with lots of fresh fish, fresh pasta and local cheeses. Sepias gratin, Clams with egg, Luciana’s octopus, Seafood corn, Cavatelli with legumes, Sea bream fish filet in balsamic vinegar, Paranza’s fried small fish, Scarciedda homemade dessert.

Local wines: 

Italian wines are tasteful and made from the best grapes. One of the best wines from this area is Castel del Monte.

Location: Motorway A14 exit Canosa di Puglia. Distance: Bari  60 km, Foggia 90 km, Naples 220 km, Pescara 240 km
  
 

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Town: Bari/Bisceglie (south east)

Puglia, the heal of Italy, is one of the most interesting regions of Italy sometimes called the Tuscany of the south. A rural countryside with big extensions of vegetable plantation with majestic olive trees seen nowhere else and where excellent wine is produced. The region's trademark is the 760 km long shoreline that makes Puglia one of the most popular tourist places in Italy. 

Bisceglie is a rural and seafacing town, which rose in the 10th century as a result of the depopulation of Medieval Casali. Founded by the Normans, with remarkings and over-structures built in later years, it is full of artistic churches and some beautiful Renaissance palaces.
Bisceglie is a vivacious center of commerce of agricultural products grown in the surrounding country, which is cultivated with vine, olive and almond-trees. The territory, with numerous traces of prehistoric life, offers suggestive views and a nice seaside. 

A remarkable monument is the prehistoric "Dolmen della Chianca" which is about 4 Km far from the town. It was discovered in 1909 by Mosso and Gervasio. It is a typical sepulchre-altar of the bronze age (3000-1000 a.c.) and the biggest and best kept "dolmen" in Europe. In the Bisceglie territory there are five "dolmen".
 

Affiliated hotels:   Nicotel Bisceglie

The Nicotel hotel Bisceglie offers 87 comfortable rooms and 4 suites. No smoking rooms and disability accommodations are available. All the rooms are  fully air-conditioned, with private bathroom, hair-dryer, TV satellite, and direct-dial telephone. In addition, the hotel offers conference facilities, gym, sauna/spa, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, parking, garage and private garden.

Places to visit and things to do: 

This is a fine seaside town where various prehistorical sites with Dolmens (funerary monuments) can be found: the “Chianca” is the one of the most important Dolmen sites in Europe. At easy reach is Trani, one of the most pictoresque towns in this area with its "floating" Cathedral and the Svevo Castle. The Chianca Dolmen, situated 5 Km. from Bisceglie on the road for Corato, is one of the largest and most famous pre-historic monuments of its kind in Italy. Still in the outskirts of Bisceglie lies the Santa Croce Grotto, one of the oldest prehistoric settlements in Puglia. Already inhabited 8,000 years ago (up until the Mid-Palaeolithic Age), one example of a major "find" has been the right thighbone of a Neanderthal man. The other objects found - dating back to the Musteriar Neolithic and Bronze Ages - i.e. (pointed) flints, scrapings and crudely-painted or engraved ceramics - are kept in the Bisceglie Archaeological Museum.

Regional food: 
Local specialities include Aubergines with parmesan cheese (melanzane alla parmigiana) and Mediterranean giant prawns, Maltagliati with broccoli, Sea mazzola and cherry tomatoes, Green Lasagnette with big onions and asparagus, Mackerel fish filet with chestnuts and vegetables caponatina, Adriatic sea bream with pecorino cheese and potatoes, Il Sospiro homemade dessert.
 

Local wines:

A selection of the best  wines from this area is Pietra Bianca e Nugnes di Trani (sweet moscato)

Location:

Motorway A14 exit Trani. Distance: Bari 35 km, Foggia 105 km, Lecce 190 km, Naples 240 km