When Audrey Fielding first came to Puglia, she was expecting "a barren landscape", based on what she's heard and read. Instead, she found vibrant towns, chatty locals, a rich culture and delicious food that kept her coming back year after year. "From what we had read, there were no hills or mountains, and all the large cities and developed farmlands were in the north," she tells The Local.

"So when we arrived in Lecce, we were surprised to find a vibrant walled city with Baroque churches, narrow cobblestone walkways, old palazzos with hanging plants from wrought iron balconies and a Roman amphitheater." Together with four friends, a mixture of Salento locals and American travellers, Fielding has just published a book.