The Land
of Brindisi
The
land on which Brindisi lies is one rich of antiquity,
history and tradition.
Notable are her artistic and historic monuments; but
she also has on offer, numerous and most interesting
moments for the gourmet tourist.
The
provincial area of Brindisi stretches from the Apulian
hills namely Le Murge, which border the cities of
Bari and Taranto to the north and amble down into
the southern planes.
An area of approximately 1.838Km square, which is
9.5% of the regional surface, the land of Brindisi
has the characteristics of terrain typical of a frontier,
an area which has always done its duty as a passage
for its Latin heritage to the north, Puglia, and its
Greek heritage to the south.
Almost all of the 20 suburbs that make up the province
of Brindisi speak their own dialect, different in
rhythm and terminology from those just a few kilometres
in distance, due to the many migrating influences
and diverse dominations from the past.
The coastline, which stretches over a distance of
80,606 km, is rich with small landings and creeks,
which alternate with sandy beaches and rocky stretches,
and the northern towns boast many tourist settlements.
A
territory, which has great agricultural vocation,
where the olive rules, (approximately 60 thousand
hectares), this product is exported all over the world.
So are the numerous and diverse cultivations of great
quality, for example the tomato, artichokes, grains
and melons.
The production of wines in this area has remote traditions,
which date back to ancient and dominant Rome. The
Romans showed that cultivating vines on this soil
and the process of turning grapes into wine proved
always to give excellent results. Wine, which derived
from Brindisi, had also been found in the cellars
of King Herod.
Wines
of " Denominazione d'Origine Controllata"
abbreviated D.O.C. (mark guaranteeing the quality
and origin of a wine), comprise of "Brindisi
Rosso" (Brindisi Red), "Brindisi
Rosso Riserva" (Brindisi Red Reserve) and
"Brindisi Rosato" (Brindisi Rosè).
These wines are produced
almost exclusively from grapes harvested from vines
native to this region, being Negroamaro and
Malvasia Nera of Brindisi.
The
production of oil is also notable, for its superb
quality and the quantity, which is produced.
In the XVI centaury Leonardi
Alberti, during his recounts would describe the territory
of Brindisi as such…. " Amongst other
things in production, there is lots of oil, so much
so that it seems quiet incredible to those who have
not seen the masses of olives which exist ".
