Apulia

Apulia (əˈpuːliə ), also known by its Italian name Puglia (ˈpuʎʎa), is a region of Italy, located in the southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Otranto and Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Gulf of Taranto to the south. The region comprises , and its population is about four million people. It is bordered by the other Italian regions of Molise to the north, Campania to the west, and Basilicata to the southwest. Its chief town is Bari. In ancient times part of its territory belonged to Magna Graecia being populated by coastal Greek colonies. Later the region was conquered by the ancient Romans. It was then conquered by the Byzantines, and then by the Normans, the Aragonese and the Spanish. Subsequently it became part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, to then be annexed to the unified Kingdom of Italy after the Expedition of the Thousand. Apulia's coastline is longer than that of any other mainland Italian region. In the north, the Gargano promontory extends out into the Adriatic sea like a 'sperone' ("spur"), while in the south, the Salento peninsula forms the 'tacco' ("heel") of Italy's boot. The highest peak in the region is Monte Cornacchia (1,152 m/3,779 ft above sea level) within the Daunian Mountains, in the north along the Apennines. It is home to two national parks, the Alta Murgia National Park and Gargano National Park. Outside national parks in the North and West, most of Apulia and particularly the Salento peninsula is geographically flat with only moderate hills. The climate is typically Mediterranean with hot, dry and sunny summers and mild and rainy winters. Snowfall, especially on the coast is rare but has occurred as recently as January 2019 (following on from snow in March 2018 and January 2017). Apulia is among the hottest and driest regions of Italy in summer with temperatures sometimes reaching up to and above 40 °C/104 °F in Lecce and Foggia.