Puglia is a region suitable for everyone: not only for lovers of the sea and hiking, but also offers a wide selection of sacred sites.
Among the countries with the greatest tourist attraction we certainly find San Giovanni Rotondo . It is a place that attracts pilgrims from all over the world and features some places of great religious interest, such as the tomb of Padre Pio and the cell of Saint Pio.
The tomb of Saint Pio holds the remains of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina. Work on the new crypt, entirely in gold, was completed in July 2009. Before reaching the tomb, one passes through a corridor decorated with mosaics by Rupink: it's a true spiritual journey. If you're in San Giovanni Rotondo, you can't miss visiting the Saint's cell. It's cell no. 5, where he spent his last days. It's here that he meditated, prayed, suffered, and was tormented by the devil and his temptations. The cell is very humble: there's a bed with a crucifix, a bedside table with a statue of the Madonna, and sacred images.
However, San Giovanni Rotondo is not only a religious city but also the perfect place to sample the delicacies of the Gargano. There are many excellent restaurants where you can sample caciocavallo podolico cheese, black anchovies, or stuffed wafers; these are some of the area's typical products.
Another very religious city is Bari . The relics of Saint Nicholas rest here, and for this reason the Basilica of Saint Nicholas has become the center of Christian and Orthodox religious life. The basilica is certainly Romanesque in style and stands just a few meters from the sea. At the end of the side aisles is the crypt containing the relics of the saint of the same name.
The Basilica stands in the city's historic center and is a pilgrimage destination for thousands of faithful from around the world. Inside is also the funerary monument of Bona Sforza, Queen of Poland and Duchess of Bari. The significant influx of pilgrims who visit to venerate the relics of the patron saint has allowed the basilica to preserve a considerable quantity of precious objects donated to the basilica as a sign of devotion. Today, they are collected and preserved in the Nicolaiano Museum, along with parchments, epigraphs, and illuminated manuscripts.
But Bari, besides being an important religious center, is also a city built on food tourism. You can't visit Bari without tasting focaccia barese or meat-filled panzerotti, specialties of this wonderful city. Another characteristic tradition is the women in the historic center who make orecchiette, or "ear-shaped pasta." Everyone can admire this art, breathing in the air of bygone eras.