The Italian Baroque flourished in the South more than in the North, but while many would suppose that Naples exhibits the grandest face of that flamboyant style, it is in Puglia, where it is most exemplary in a finer tone. So, too, the food of the region had been adapted to a modern style showcasing the seafood and ingredients of the region.

Otranto, like so many towns on the coast of the Adriatic, was always ripe for invasion and rule by others, including the Byzantines, Ottomans and French, protected by the massive Castello Aragonese since the late 15th century. Its most magnificent sight is the Cathedral, begun in 1088, and home to extraordinary mosaic floors throughout the basilica. The first Gothic novel took place there: The Castle of Otranto by English author Horace Walpole.