The first transformation of the town took place between the III and I century B.C. with the arrival of the Romans and the creation of a municipality. It was destroyed by the Muslims in 927 and  
 its reconstruction during the Norman and Suevian periods brought new churches and the subdivision of the city into four districts.
 All the imposing fortifications in the Old Town were destroyed by decree of King Victor Emanuel II of Savoy. In 1882 it was decided to locate the Italian Navy Arsenal in Santa Lucia Bay, in the Mar Piccolo, to defend Italy from the dangerous Mediterranean.

The trulli of Alberobello have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites list since 1996 

They are houses dug into the calciferous rock itself, which is characteristic of Basilicata and Puglia, locally called "tufo". Many of these "houses" are really only caverns.
Until the late 1980s this was considered an area of poverty, since these houses were, and in most areas still are, mostly uninhabitable. 

Only in the last few decades they have become a quite popular destination among travellers and UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage site in 1993. 

One of the most important features of the Park is the presence of about 150 rock churches scattered along the Murgia and ravines. Since the early Middle Ages there was throughout the area the presence of Benedictine and Byzantine monastic communities. The large number of places of worship, often embellished with frescoes and carvings, are evidence of the settlement's most spectacular rock art. . 

During the 17th and 18th centuries, both cartapesta and Baroque were embraced and flourished in this region, especially in Lecce. This resulted in requests to provide religious statues for local churches and monuments within a rather short time frame. Not having access to the preferred (and more expensive) materials, e.g., marble and bronze, or the tools to work with them, artisans were compelled to find a new method. Cartapesta was the perfect solution. Working with old rags, straw, paper, etc. they could easily fold, manipulate and sculpt the papier-mâché into exquisite statues of saints and religious figures that looked like marble and bronze but were less expensive, faster to produce, and easier to transport and carry in processions 

 

The Counts of Conversano, owners of the land on which Alberobello now stands, subsequently forced  the farmers to build their homes using dry materials, without using mortar,  so that they would seem like temporary buildings.

The farmers found that the simplest and most solid configuration was in a round shape with a self-supporting dome roof, made of overlapping stone circles. The domed roofs of the trulli were embellished with decorative pinnacles, whose shape was inspired by symbols of mystical and religious significance.

These pinnacles were associated with particular builders, and depending on the quality of the workmanship it could identify not only the individual who had carried out the work, and demonstrate his skills, but also the value of the building, therefore distinguishing the most affluent families from the less wealthy.

The Holy Week of Taranto starts on Palm Sunday with an exchange of Olive branches to remember the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem, ending with the procession on Holy Thursday and re-enacting the Mysteries on Good Friday.

On Holy Thursday the religious celebration commences with the liturgical functions that re-portray the Passion and the Death of Jesus through the various stages. The ceremony begins with the “lavanda dei piedi” a ritual which entails the cleansing of the feet, in memory of the Last Supper, following with the release of the “perduni”, also known as the the main figures of the Holy Week.. Walking barefoot, covering their heads with a hood, and wearing the traditional white coats, the “perduni” bring with them objects, recalling the crucifixion and carrying the 8 statues representing the Passion and the Death of Jesus and the Holy Cross. Advancing at a slow and swinging pace, are the “perduni”, whom follow the procession on the hollow sound of the “troccola”: a musical instrument made out of a wooden board and metal handles. The beauty and authenticity of the procession reaches a climax point when the Holy Statue of Jesus is covered by an ancient veil on which golden stars were embroidered

The statue of St. Oronzo stands on a big column which rises in the centre of the square representing the Saint in the act of blessing the city. The legend tells that during an epidemic of plague that afflicted all the Reign of Naples, Lecce was spared thanks to the saint intervention. Here is  also  the ancient church of St. Mark which remembers the little Venetian community that lived in the city, and the church of St. Mary of Grace, which was built in 1590 after a mysterious find of a painting representing the Virgin with the baby.

 

Pizza is one of the most popular foods in the world. 

2.    Sauté the garlic cloves in a frying pan with the extra virgin olive oil for about a minute, or until just golden.

3.    Add the diced tomatoes and cook them on a medium flame for 5 to 10 minutes. Keep the sauce aside.

4.    Put the mussels in a pot, cover with a lid and put on a high flame to open up.

5.    When open, remove them from the liquid and filter the liquid through a sieve (you will need this for your sauce, so do not discard it!).

6.    You can either keep the mussels in their shells or remove them from the shells. I usually remove half of them and keep the rest for decoration.

7.    Add the mussels and the filtered liquid to the warm tomato sauce. Cook on a high flame for 5 minutes.

8.    Add the chopped parsley, mix, season with salt and pepper to taste and put the fire off.

9.    Cook the spaghetti in 2 litres of boiling water. 

10. Put the drained pasta in the frying pan with the sauce and mix it well while cooking it on a slow flame for 1 or 2 minutes.

11. Serve immediately with more freshly ground pepper.
ENJOY YOUR MEAL!!!!!!