Bari

The chief town of the Region is in the shape of a bird with open wings, whose head forms the nucleus of Bari Vecchia, the old town. Important monuments in town include the Basilica of San Nicola, housing the remains of the patron saint, the Romanesque basilica of San Gregorio, the Cathedral of San Sabino and Bari's Norman-Swabian Castle, built on the orders of Frederick II for purposes of defence. Places not to be missed in the old part of town are the piazza Mercantile, , the Colonna infame, once used as a pillory for insolvent debtors and the church on the reefs of Saint Candida.

Lecce

The origins of this city, capital of its province, are very ancient (Sybar the Messapico town on which Lecce was built seems to be older than the Trojan war). With the 3rd century BC Roman conquest, Lecce obtained the status of municipium, took the name of Lupiae and witnessed a period of splendour under the guidance of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. In 1493 Lecce became part of the Kingdom of Naples and became the liveliest cultural centre of the Mediterranean giving life to its own architectural style, known as Lecce Baroque. Lecce was also called the “Florence of the South” or “Pearl of the Salento”. Of the city's many churches (100+), all very beautiful and of great artistic interest, the Basilica of Santa Croce is worth seeing. The Duomo stands in the older part of the city which together with the Bishop's residence, Seminary and Bell Tower sit on the centrally located charming Piazza Duomo.

Ostuni

An important cultural centre in Salento, Ostuni is also known as the “white city” and is located eight kilometres from the Adriatic coast, in the southern Murgia. Ostuni's charm lies in the characteristic white walls of the houses in the old town. In fact, all the houses in the historic centre are only painted using white lime paint. This feature led to the town being called "the white town", the "queen of the olive groves" and the "city of the crib".