Delicious Italy has been to the Gargano promontory in north Puglia, province of Foggia, on two occasions. The first was a short 2 day trip organised by the parish in Rome with a pilgrimage to San Giovanni Rotondo, where we stayed, and further short visits to Monte Sant'Angelo for the Sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo, and the Abbey of Santa Maria di Pulsano.

The second trip was courtesy of the SIAFT (Southern Italy Agrifood and Tourism) invitation we received in June 2011. But with one big difference, the visit this time was by light aeroplane over the whole Gargano zone. For the record, the flight track list was the following:

Monopoli sits tranquilly overlooking the Med much as it must have done when it was part of the Marine Republics of Amalfi and Venice between the 11th and 15th centuries. It is not diifficukt at all to imagine how it must have been 500 years ago.

Head straight to the small port, or Molo Vecchio, where the traditional fishing boats still shore up for the night and marvel at the recently restored 'golden' walls of the castle which contrast spectacularly with the blues of the of the sea and sky. This and the surrounding fortifications date from 1552.

Do you know your way around the province of Taranto? Perhaps not. The province borders Basilicata in the west and curves eastwards before eventually reaching the province of Lecce, the heel of Italy. Its northern borders are split 40/60 between Bari and Brindisi.

The Brindisi tourism authorities describe their territory as: 'a land kissed by the sun, a territory generous in nature, art and history, a beautiful coast, made to measure for holidaying, whether you prefer to laze on the beach or follow new paths where you can discover caves, castles, cathedrals, rock dwellings, trulli and old manor houses'.

That combination of faith, superstition, folklore and religious ritual linked to the countryside can still be experienced all over Italy. Not least in Puglia where the annual festivals devoted to the patron saints are still celebrated with intensity and local pride.

This is because such events still mean something and are rooted to the land and values of the local people. In the province of Bari, the best time to see them is during the holiday periods, especially mid summer when they coincide with the return to the homeland of many people who work far away during the rest of the year.

The territory of Leuca, the very tip of Puglia, the so called heel of Italy, is characterised by stones walls, straw stacks and secular olive trees. These are powerful images made all the more evocative by the smell of origano, thyme, wild fennel and the salty sea.

Spectacular beauty which can be taken in with a round trip of the folliwng towns and hamlets.

Start in Cagliano del Capo where the roads are squeezed between the sea and the bare sun drenched rocks before arriving at the promontory of Ciolo. Here you can admire a series of gorges which head deep inland. They were natural shleters for the first primitve inhabitants of the zone, in particular the Cipolliane and Prazziche coves or caves.

The oldest and most venerated holy sanctuaries in Puglia can be found in Salento, right at the heel of Italy. The most venerated of all can be found at the most extreme point of the heel at 'finis terrae' or present day Leuca.

One of main appointments in the life of Roseto Valfortore is the throwing of the bread event or 'Lancio del pane' every final Sunday of May. The event is a procession in honor of Saint Filippo Neri, the patron of Roseto.

The archipelago of the Tremiti Islands is a marine reserve in the Apulian Adriatic Sea off the coast of Gargano, province of Foggia. The islands of San Domino, San Nicola and Caprara can each be described in turn as 'green', 'rough' and 'wild'.

Of all the names of Italian towns and cities, Foggia could well be the least romantic. It just doesn't throw up images in the same way as San Gimignano or Urbino. Yet, it is full of history.