EDITORIAL
I
t is fall. The summer is behind us. It is a time for weighing up tourism in Puglia. Yet again the summer brought to the region surrounded by two seas a legion of VIPs who for their holidays or for special celebrations – of all the places on land and sea available to them on the planet – had no hesitation in choosing Puglia.
It is a great satisfaction to record on Puglia’s “gold list” that Renee Sutton and Eliot Cohen, heirs to American fortunes, were married at Santo Stefano lido in Monopoli, near Bari, on 31 August. The bride’s father, Jeff Sutton, appears in the Forbes billionaires list with a wealth of 3.6 billion dollars, 22 places ahead of the super rich president of the US, Donald Trump. Apparently his daughter’s wedding in Puglia cost over 25 million dollars.
“Puglia Mon Amour” also for Madonna, who fell in love with the region last year on her first trip and came back to Savelletri di Fasano around the mid-August weekend, staying at the superb white residences of Borgo Egnazia, to celebrate her birthday with the motto of ”Life, love, music, dance, familia”. Entranced by the Apulian summer night, she danced the pizzica, and posted a video on the web. If it could be quantified – wondered Francesco Costantini in the Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno – how much would it be worth in terms of earnings to have an ad like the one Madonna gifted to Puglia? …a short video of the planet’s number one diva cavorting to the rhythm of pizzica posted on Instagram for millions of followers all over the world …millions (not thousands or hundreds of thousands, but millions) of fans or mere browsers saw it and brought Puglia to the center of their attention.”
And what about The Queen, Oscar-winner Helen Mirren, who with her husband Taylor Hackford, one of the top Hollywood directors, has chosen to buy a masseria at Tiggiano, a tiny village in the far south of Salento, to which the couple return several times a year? Their fondness of this area is also shown by their presence in support of local causes. Less than a month ago Mirren appeared among the olive trees in a widely reported campaign to draw attention to the problem of Xylella and its possible solutions.
In June on his Instagram profile, Matt Dillon posted photos taken during his vacation in Lecce, Otranto, Alimini and Gallipoli while Tom Hanks chose Ostuni. Among our homegrown showbiz stars there are some real devotees of vacations in Puglia. Every single summer for many years, Gianni Morandi and family have been coming to one of Salento’s best beaches, Lido Pizzo near Gallipoli, and this year Morandi also enjoyed a swim in the emerald green water at Porto Selvaggio, along the Ionian coast. Vasco Rossi, accompanied by his band and technical staff, has always spent long periods on the coast at Castellaneta Marina (another spot with amazing water), in the Taranto area, not only to relax but also to work on his shows and write new songs.
Puglia is also a muse, then. Puglia, the perfect scenario for fairytale weddings. Idyllic refuge for stars seeking peace and quiet but also the pleasures that only scenery and genuine flavors can provide. The ideal destination for an immersion in beauty, prized by many celebrities but available to all. A perfect place also in fall, when with the mild climate of the South, the vacation could continue.
365 days a year Between America and Puglia
A time of foreboding, taking stock and making plans Puglia “best value travel destination in the world”
Besieged by kings and stars The railroad disaster in Puglia
that has shaken our summer The other Puglia.
The harsh reality of the gangmaster system a world away from the glossy magazine covers If spring starts with the tragedy in Brussels 2016: a year in the sign of Puglia, also in the US TEDx Lecce
The extraordinary lives and the “revolutionary” choices of ordinary people Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci
Icons of Puglia on the world scene Puglia
A hot summer of culture Lecce in The New York Times again
The love affair of the American press with Puglia and the South continues… Ben Hur in Matera
Italy’s revival may start from the South In memory of Mario Cuomo, pride of Italian Americans TEDex
From a conference comes inspiration for designing the future Puglia taken by storm by the stars
A train not to be missed Web
Vieste and Gallipoli the most-clicked by Italians Blue flags
In Puglia ten beaches with top marks Buried waste dumps, searches for oil, and a gas pipeline in the crystal-clear waters.
Let there be a stop to the misdeeds in Puglia Renata Fonte
30 years since her murder.
She was defending Porto Selvaggio Pugliamania Nebraska
An unsettling story of the other America Otranto’s tree of life
symbol of Italy at Expo 2015 End of the year with great expectations for Puglia TEDx
From California to Lecce the courage of ideas Bill de Blasio.
The most likely candidate in the running for New York mayor is an Italian American If Lecce appears in the New York Times,
if the “Notte della Taranta” attracts 130,000 people… Pianos in the streets of New York The Great Gatsby...
If, by way of the silver screen, the American dream breaks into our lives “If you see something, say something”
Considerations after the Boston attack Salento “Territory of the year 2013” 2013, the Year of Italian Culture in the United States Good resolutions at the end of the year Obama re-elected
“Dreams and pragmatism”
America’s lesson for Europe The Passing of Cristanziano Serricchio, poet of the light Ten reasons to come on holiday to Puglia “Extremely loud and incredibly close” Zeppole in California Those tears on the death of Dalla “Totally awesome” 9/11
ten years later The first time on the web