In a few words, this is both a tourist trap and a demonstration of the unrestrained greed of the…read morecomune of Castellana Grotte. The tickets to the Grotte are offensively expensive, given what you get; the tour is long (in time and distance) but rushed; there are too many people by half in each group (and too many groups at once: you constantly run into groups going in the opposite direction, creating traffic jams in the narrow passageways; paradoxically, you're glad for the traffic jams because they're essentially the only opportunity you have to stop and look at what's around you); the lighting inside is tenebrous to put it mildly, which renders 80% of the formations impossible to see (in fact, there are lights everywhere; they're just not turned on, apparently because the approximately €3,000 they're raking in per hour aren't sufficient to illuminate the grotto); you're not allowed to take photos inside because the comune owns the rights to images of the grotto (search Google; you'll find hundreds for free); there is no unpaid street parking anywhere near the grotto; the website doesn't explain clearly that groups are admitted only on the hour, meaning that you may find yourself twiddling your thumbs in a cesspit of a town that has NOTHING going for it but a few overpriced restaurants and shops selling tawdry souvenirs; and, to add insult to all that injury, your 18€ ticket doesn't even entitle you to go to the bathroom for free. Puglia ought to be ashamed of itself for this kind of scabrous tourist con, or Castellana Grotte ought to be ashamed, or someone ought to be ashamed. But no one is and, at times, that's travel in Italy in a nutshell.

Not everyday you can walk up to a Roman Amphitheater and just look in. In the heart of old town…read more On the walls below are depictions of warriors fighting bulls, bears, lions, and other warriors. Re-discovered in 1901 in construction for a bank it is in a long term preservation 125 years later. Not lighted at night, it is still a venue for music. Very quiet today.

This nice Theatre is right in the middle of lovely Lecce. It was a quiet day when we visited…read more(Sunday in August). But it was still surprising how few tourists were in town....and almost none a the Amphiteatre. Because it is actually quite a beauty, but not always open for public. There was a stage for concerts, which messed up the view a bit of course. Nice to see the theatre is still used....but on the other hand I'm not sure how good that is, if it is still used regularly. Because the stone surface might wear off a lot faster that way, would be a shame. Lecce is a real beauty, but not so popular yet. Too bad, because the Theatre, the Piazza Del Duomo and the Centro Storico in general are really beautiful. But Southern Italy might be a tad too far for many. But if you're in the area, be sure to make a visit.

Since they do not allow photography in this beautiful space, I included pictures from a guidebook…read more(including the English translation of the promotional material). Some of the tour guides speak some English, but it's not typically spoken in this region. I was very fortunate in that I had a guide who spoke some English as well as a bilingual friend who went with me. It should be noted that although my guide knew some English, the tour was entirely in Italian. You should not allow that to intimidate you if you don't speak Italian, since they have some written info in English and everyone is very nice and friendly. I think I would probably have been able to manage it even if I didn't have my bilingual friend with me.

The 2 columns are what remains of the Temple of Poseidon or the Doric Temple. The Doric Temple…read moreruins are located in the modern Piazza Castello in the center of Taranto. It is the oldest temple in Magna Graecia and the only Greek religious structure still visible. The temple dates to the first quarter of the sixth century BC. It fell into ruin in the Middle Ages and parts of it were reused in the construction of other buildings