Useful information for tourists about Brindisi in Italy - geographical position, tourist infrastructure, map, architectural features and attractions.
Brindisi is one of the largest cities in the Italian region of Apulia, the capital of the province of the same name. The city is located on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, he played an important role in the economic and cultural life region due to its location and the presence of a convenient port. And today Brindisi is the main port for trade with Greece and the countries of the Middle East. In addition, agriculture, chemical and energy industries are well developed here.
Brindisi is located on the shores of a natural harbor that juts deep into the Adriatic coast of Apulia. In the water area of this harbor is the tiny Pedanje archipelago, now closed to the public, as it is used for military purposes. And the territory of the city itself occupies the fertile plain of Brindisi, lying northeast of the Salento plain and about 40 km from the Val d'Itria valley. Near Brindisi is the Torre Guaceto Marine Nature Reserve, which is protected by WWF. And just 45 km from the city, the Ionian Sea begins.
There are several versions of the origin of Brindisi. According to one of them, the founder of the city was the legendary Greek hero Diomedes. And at Cape Punta, the remains of a Bronze Age settlement - 16th century BC were found. Until the arrival of the Romans in 267 BC, Brindisi was prosperous Greek colony... Its Latin name Brundisium comes from the Greek Brenthesion - "deer head" (meaning the shape of the harbor, on the banks of which the city stands). After the Punic Wars, Brindisi became the main Roman center of maritime trade and military base. In those days, about one hundred thousand people lived in it! The Trajan and Appian roads connected the city with Rome. The latter ended at the very coast of the sea, where there were two graceful columns - to this day, alas, only one, almost 19 meters high, has survived. Brindisi was later conquered by the Ostrogoths, then by the Byzantines, and in the 7th century by the Lombards. They destroyed the city, but already in the 9th century a Saracen settlement was founded here.
In 1070, the Normans appeared in Brindisi, and the city became subject to Taranto and the Duchy of Apulia. During the last Crusades, the city experienced an unprecedented heyday - a cathedral and a castle with an important arsenal of weapons were built here. It was in Brindisi that the Norman king Roger III was married, and Emperor Frederick II in 1277 left here for the Sixth Crusade.
For some time Brindisi, like other Apulian ports, was under the rule of the Venetian Republic, but was later conquered by the Spaniards. In 1348 and 1456, the city was seriously damaged by an epidemic of plague and an earthquake. In the 18th century, it came under the rule of the Austrians, then the Bourbons, and finally became part of a unified Italy. From September 1943 to February 1944, the temporary capital of Italy was located in Brindisi. Today it is one of the most interesting tourist cities in Puglia, which has preserved many monuments of history and culture from different periods.
Castle Castello Zvevo, also known as Castello Grande, was built by Frederick II. It has a trapezoidal shape with massive square towers. It was here that during the Second World War the residence of the Italian king Victor Emmanuel III was located. No less interesting is the Catalan-Aragonese castle, known as Forte a Mare - Sea Fort. It was erected by order of King Ferdinand I of Naples in 1491 on the island of Sant Andrea. The castle is divided into two parts: The red castle, named for its color brick walls, and the more modern Fort.
Cathedral Brindisi, built in the 11th-12th centuries, is built in the Romanesque style. Its current building is the result of an 18th century renovation, as the original cathedral was destroyed in the 1743 earthquake. Among other religious buildings in the city, it is worth noting the church of Santa Maria del Casale of the late 13th century in the Gothic-Romanesque style, the Church of San Benedetto, built in the 11th century as part of the Benedictine convent, as well as the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, San Giovanni al Sepolcro and Santissima Trinita.
We sailed before him for 20 hours.
Now Brindisi is a port city with a population of about 80 thousand, and in the days of ancient Rome it was home to more than 100 thousand people. It was here that the Appian Way ended, connecting Rome and Brundisium, which at that time was a Roman window to Greece.
We landed at 13 o'clock, and at 17-30 we had to be on board the ship. From the port we were taken by bus to Piazza Vittorio Emmanuel, they gave us maps of the city and said until what time the buses from this square would leave for the port. We had about three and a half hours at our disposal.
Piazza Dionisia, which began our acquaintance with Brindisi:
Studying before the cruise what to see in this city, we noted the following Brindisi sights: Swabian and Aragonese castles, Roman columns, Granafei Nerveña and Montenegro palaces, Cathedral, San Benedetto church, Church of Our Lady of Casale, Tancredi fountain, Italian monument the sailor.
Unfortunately, some of them were far from the center. For example, the Aragonese castle occupies a separate island, and we admired it enough from all angles when our liner approached Brindisi.
Tourist trains run around the city. The city sightseeing tour costs 15 euros and lasts an hour. The locomotive drives around the contour Old city Brindisi (as it was within the fortress walls), drives to the other side of the bay past the Tancredi fountain, past the fishing village to the monument to the sailor, and on the way back passes the church of Santa Maria de Casale. I wanted to see this church, I liked it from the photographs, but we still preferred to spend the time allotted to us in Brindisi exploring the old city.
First we went along the embankment. On the other side of the bay was visible a grandiose monument to an Italian sailor, 53 meters high, erected in 1933.
monument to italian sailor
We soon found ourselves at the foot of a wide staircase that led up to a lonely pillar. This ancient Roman column is the symbol of the city. At first there were two columns, then one of them was given to the neighboring city of Lecce, where it is now. Only the "tail" remained of it.
roman columns
During World War II, the column was dismantled and restored relatively recently, in the 90s of the 20th century. Moreover, its capital was replaced with a copy, and the original is in the museum - Palazzo Grafanei-Nerveña.
The column is visible from afar. And it used to be a reference point for sailors. According to one of the versions, it was built for this. According to another, the Romans erected these columns to mark the end of the Appian Way. And they also say that the Venetians, exactly in the likeness of the columns in Brindisi, installed their famous columns with a lion and St. George.
There is a free museum dedicated to the columns next to the column. A circular staircase rises around the layout of the column, and walking around the column in a spiral, you can see in detail the drawings that covered it.
Along the narrow street of Montenegro, which steeply climbed up, we reached the church of St. Teresa, representative and high.
In front of it, on the elongated St. Teresa Square, stands an expressive monument to the victims of the First World War.
The old town is built of light stone. It is easy to navigate here, the map is clear, the historical center is compact. The tourist office is located on the waterfront (Vialla Regina Margarita).
There are many decorative elements similar to those we saw in Sicily. Similar balconies met in
From Saint Teresa we went to the cathedral square of Brindisi - Piazza Duomo. The area is beautiful. The main building on it is the cathedral, built in honor of John the Baptist. The cathedral, built in the 12th century, was destroyed by an earthquake in the 18th century, and now we have a restored 18th century cathedral.
View of the Duomo from Tarantini Street
To the right of the cathedral attracts the attention of the Templar Portico, behind which is the entrance to Archaeological Museum.
Templar Portico
Museum courtyard
At the corner of Piazza Duomo, there is a fragment of a 14th century building, the so-called. Loggia Balsamo.
Opposite the Balsamo loggia is the Seminary building. The facade is decorated with 8 sculptures representing various sciences.
One of the strongest impressions from Brindisi was ancient church St. John at the Tomb (Sepolcro), built in the 11th century. The antiquity of the church is obvious and mesmerizing.
The church is low, round in plan. The entrance to it is guarded by lions worn out from time to time.
After visiting the church, we went to the Swabian castle. It turned out that naval sailors are now housed in the castle, and tourists, of course, are not allowed into the "military zone". After standing by a high fence with barbed wire and photographing a warship, we went to the city center.
On the way, we admired the wonderful streets of the old city with the indispensable drying clothes. Ah, this Italian spontaneity!
Via Marconi (I think the Russian translation is Popova Street) we reached the Church of St. Benedict (San Benedetto). Above the entrance to the church there is a wonderful stone carving from the 11th century.
Church of San Benedetto
Carving above the entrance: battle with dragons
Inside the church:
And this is already a stone carving on the Church of Our Lady of the Angels:
The city center, as almost always in Italy, looks solid, as if it were not a small town, but some kind of capital. It has everything that is needed for the cultural and economic life of a modern person. In addition to the old ones, there are quite modern buildings... But there is no vanity that is inherent in large cities.
Balconies and windows:
We went to the city museum of the Palazzo Granafei-Nerveña for 2 e., Where, among other things, we admired the original capital of the city column. Good, you won’t say anything.
Palazzo Granafei-Nerveña
The room in which the original capital from a Roman column is exhibited
In front of the Granafei Nerveña Palace, there are the ruins of a medieval basilica.
And right in front of the palace rises the ultra-modern building of the Verdi Opera House.
The provincial capital with about 90,000 inhabitants Brindisi- a beautiful and attractive city for tourists in southern Italy, located in extreme point"heel", v.
One of the three largest cities on the Salentine Peninsula, Brindisi is a city in whose air the true atmosphere of southern Italy hovers, where everything seems different than in the popular centers of tourism in the country: a different way of life, a different language, even the sea and something else, deeper and more open. Brindisi, at times, even seems more like Greece than Italy - in a word, a real Mediterranean climate reigns here.
Evening Brindisi. Photo flickr.com
It is always full of visitors, the main reason for arriving in the city is the ferry crossing to Greece or Albania. However, those who come to Brindisi only to the extent that they leave the city without proper attention are losing a lot. After all, Brindisi offers its visitors many interesting monuments.
Brindisi has always been famous for its port, the "Gateway to the East". The city retains important testimonies that are echoes of historical events of a huge scale. In short, the city is packed with attractions. From the Roman era, the limestone baths of the imperial era have survived here, as well as majestic columns on a hill overlooking the sea, which may have once served as a lighthouse. The Romanesque church of St. Benedict, built in 1090, is striking evidence of the medieval period; Church of St. John and the Holy Sepulcher of the Order of the Knights Templar; Cathedral, with original mosaic floor of the twelfth century, which "saw" the marriage of Frederick II; the Norman fountain of Tancredi; Templar Portico; Swabian castle and much more.
Port of Brindisi. Photo flickr.com
In addition to monuments, the surroundings of Brindisi will give the visitor a panorama extraordinary beauty... This applies, for example, to the species nature reserve Torre Guaceto, attractive local landscapes among olive groves and vineyards, enchanting beaches, Alberobello with his Trulli nearby ... What can we say about the many festivals and cultural events of all kinds, combined with delicious local cuisine!
All in all, welcome to the charming, bright, colorful, unusual and always different Brindisi!
Where to stay in Brindisi
On a ferryboat
Numerous ferries from the port cities of Italy and Europe arrive at the port of Brindisi.
A brief history of Brindisi
Inhabited in prehistoric times by the peoples of Crete-Mycenaean origin and the Illyrians, who built the first fortified city walls, Brindisi became an important Latin colony in 244 BC. and the Roman Municipality in 89 BC.
In the seventh century, the Longobards settled here in order to better protect themselves from pirates, as a result of which Brindisi had to endure numerous skirmishes and plunder by the Saracens.
Brindisi's resources have been revived thanks to the coming to power of the Normans (about a thousand years ago), who built numerous churches and fortified castles here. The city's port became an important base for the Crusades, and Brindisi itself was a densely populated and developed coastal city.
For the Normans, the Swabians contributed to the development, in particular, King Frederick II, who was famous as a great builder. Frederick built an earthen castle in Brindisi, at the end of the Appian Way.
The modernization of the port of Brindisi continued under the rule of the Anjou, who made Brindisi the main center for the expansion to the East and the conquest of Sicily.
Around 1450, however, Brindisi fell into decline. The reigning prince of Taranto, Giovanni Antonio del Balzo Orsini, ordered the city to be surrounded by moats of water to protect the city from the Saracens' raids, but the stagnant water caused an epidemic of malaria, which, along with the continuing night attacks by pirates, caused people to flee the city.
In the seventeenth century, the city began to revive thanks to the investments of the Bourbons, and the port of Brindisi reopened for the transit of large merchant ships.
The city's heyday came in 1870 with the so-called "Suitcase of India", a line of trains and ships that connected the city's port and the Suez Canal with London, Bombay and Calcutta.
The economy of Brindisi finally revived at the end of the 19th century - numerous wineries and oil mills opened here, which gave the city many jobs.
What to see in Brindisi
Brindisi is so rich in sights that it is incredibly difficult and time-consuming to describe each of them. Therefore, the portal "Italy in Russian" will try to focus only on the most important monuments of the city, the most worthy of your attention.
Fortress walls and Bastions of Brindisi
The historic center of Brindisi is still partially surrounded by the Aragonese fortress walls, which were erected by the Spanish rulers in the middle of the 15th century, and then changed and fortified by King Charles V, who added bastions (strategic towers) to the structure.
The best preserved of these is the Bastion of San Giacomo, which has been recently restored. Today it is used as an exhibition space. The bastions of Porta Mesagne, Porta Lecce, di Levante and Torrione Inferno are also well preserved.
Bastion of San Giacomo. Photo flickr.com
Swabian castle
Also called "Castello di terra" ("earthen" castle) to distinguish it from the Aragonese (called the "sea" castle), the Swabian castle was built by order of Federico II in 1227. The structure was focused on protecting the inhabitants of Brindisi, who in those days they "mourned" the favorable period of the rule of the Normans and disliked the Swabians.
In the original, the castle had a square shape with 4 towers at the corners - on one side, the castle was protected by the sea, on the other, by a deep moat. Then the castle was improved and strengthened by Ferdinand of Aragon. After the overthrow of the Spaniards, the structure turned into a meeting room under Gioacchino Murata in 1813. The castle was used in the same way by the Bourbons and Savoyans until the 20th century, when the castle came into the possession of the Italian Navy. During World War II, it housed military base Italy.
Swabian castle. Photo flickr.com
Aragonese Castle (Alfonsino Castle)
The castle is located on the islet of Sant Andrea, opposite the entrance to the Pigonati Brindisi canal. The reason for the construction of this castle was the constant danger of an attack on Brindisi by the Ottoman Empire. The tower, which became the basis for the construction of the castle, was erected by Ferdinando of Aragon in 1481 on a cliff in front of the port.
After only 4 years of service of the tower, Ferdinando's son, Alfonso Count of Calabria, decided to thoroughly strengthen the walls of the city, transforming the observation tower into a castle, which was named Aragonese or "sea".
The work lasted about 46 years and ended with the construction of a dam, partially covering the canal, round lookout tower"San Felipe" (harbor side) and a triangular observation tower (sea side).
Alfonsino Castle. Photo flickr.com
Roman columns
The symbol of the city of Brindisi, these two columns are located in the square at the end of the Salita Colonna descent. The columns are said to mark the completion of the Appian Way, however, in fact, these columns represent the remains of an ancient monumental square from the Roman era. For centuries, these columns served as a reference point for ships arriving at the port.
Of the two columns - originally of the same size - dating from the 1-2 century. BC, only one has retained its original appearance. The columns are about 19 meters high. The columns were completed by a beautiful capital depicting the gods Jupiter, Neptune, Juno and Triton. The capital is currently kept in the Palazzo Corte d'Assise, on rue Duomo. The second column was destroyed in 1528, its remains were donated to the city - it was from them that the monument of Sant Oronzo was made.
Roman column. Photo flickr.com
Palazzo and mansions
Walking through the city, you can admire the various historical buildings that are part of the history of Brindisi, such as the Venetian-style Palazzo Dionisi, the old International Hotel, built in the late 19th century, which flourished during the founding of the "Suitcase" India ", or an old mansion built by the Knights Templar, which is now called the" Tourist House "and is used for cultural events.
Palazzo Montenegro, built in the sixteenth century, is the most beautiful Baroque building in Brindisi.
As for the Renaissance, its most striking representative is the Palazzo Granafei Nerveña, built in 1565.
Historic center of Brindisi. Photo flickr.com
Churches of Brindisi
Cathedral of Brindisi
In 1089, Pope Urbano II consecrated Piazza Duomo, where the Cathedral of Brindisi was built between 1132 and 1140 by order of Ruggiero II, King of the Normans and Sicily, Calabria and Puglia. In 1225, the wedding of King Federico II and Yolanda of Jerusalem was held here. In 1743, the Duomo was destroyed by an earthquake. Its reconstruction was entrusted to the architect Mauro Magnieri. Only the foundation, the left nave, four capitals and fragments of 12th century mosaics remained from the old cathedral.
The facade of the cathedral has undergone many changes, the last time, in 1957, it was decorated with statues of saints by the sculptor Alessandro Fiordigillo. The cathedral chapel was built between 1780 and 1793; in November 1941 the building was damaged by bombs and was also reconstructed in 1957.
Cathedral of Brindisi. Photo flickr.com
Cathedral (complex) of San Benedetto
Located in the city center, along Via Marconi, the complex of St. Benedict is formed from a church whose foundations date back to 1089, a convent of nuns of the Benedictine order and their retreat. The building is an example of Romanesque art, with domes supported by ribbed vaults.
The monastery, built by the Normans, was modified in the second half of the sixteenth century and later in the eighteenth century.
The original appearance of the church was completely different from the present, however, some of the most beautiful elements ancient architecture are still visible in the construction (for example, the portal of the XI century). Next to the church is the Diocesan Museum, where you can see some interesting statues, including the 15th century Madonna della Neve.
Church of San Benedetto. Facade decoration. Photo flickr.com
Church of Santa Maria del Casale
The elegant church of Santa Maria del Casale is located on the street of the same name, near the airport, and is one of the most famous monuments in Brindisi. Built between 1300 and 1310 Prince of Taranto Filippo of Anjou, it shows the transition from the Romanesque style to the Gothic, which is characterized by the alternation in the outer walls, in harmonious geometric compositions, sandstone blocks and gray-golden stones.
The interior has a Latin cross and a single nave adorned with a series of magnificent fourteenth-century frescoes by Rinaldo of Taranto.
In this church, in 1310, under the chairmanship of Pope Clement V, a trial was held, which sentenced the Order of the Knights Templar to be disbanded, which was abolished in 1312.
Church of Santa Maria del Casale. Photo flickr.com
Fountain Tancredi
Built in 1192 to commemorate the wedding of King Roger and Princess Irene of Constantinople, the Tancredi Fountain - also known as the Great Fountain - is located outside historic center Brindisi, in Via Provinciale San Vito. The fountain was made on the remains of a pre-existing fountain from Roman times.
The fountain was famous for its water with medicinal properties - its water was used by local doctors to treat patients from the city and the surrounding area.
The monument has undergone significant numerous restorations, especially in 1192 and 1549. In 1828, the fountain was expanded, and the coat of arms of Ferrante Loffredo and the coat of arms of Charles V were added to the monument.
Fountain Tancredi. Photo panoramio.com
Monument to the Italian sailor
Located on Boulevard Duca degli Abruzzi, the monument was erected as a memorial to the sailors who were victims of the war. The monument was inaugurated on November 4, 1933, in the presence of King Vittorio Emanuele III.
Made in the form of a rudder, the monument has a height of 53 meters and is interesting for tourists because everyone has the opportunity to climb to the top observation deck from where you can enjoy breathtaking views of the harbor and city. There are several halls inside the memorial, where a collection of historical objects is collected, such as the stern of the battleship Benedetto Brin, which sank in 1915 in the port of Brindisi. A marble statue of the Madonna was placed on the top of the monument in 1954.
Monument to the Italian sailor. Photo flickr.com
What to try in Brindisi
The ancient and delicious cuisine of Brindisi is based on simple ingredients: vegetables, pasta and of course seafood.
Traditionally, a meal in Brindisi begins with delicious and fresh seafood, followed by fresh or pickled vegetable appetizers such as dried tomatoes, grilled eggplants and peppers, artichokes, capers and olives.
Typical Brindisi cuisine. Photo flickr.com
The main dish of Brindisi is "Orecchiette" - fresh handmade pasta. A typical sauce for such a pasta is sauteed snapper with clams, or alternatively meat sauce with tomatoes and artichokes.
The most typical second course is fish in various varieties. You can taste grilled perch dishes, stuffed squid and cuttlefish, fish soup and the famous "Pignata" octopus, fried shrimp, mussels and squid.
Lunch is accompanied by excellent homemade bread, which is sometimes replaced by "puddica", a very soft focaccia. All this is accompanied by quite good local wine.
Events in Brindisi
Procession "Il Cavallo Parato"
When:
During the Corpus Christi celebration (June)
The procession starts from Piazza Duomo and is always scheduled to start at 18:00
Description:
This is the oldest and most significant ceremony that Brindisi preserves. The archbishop leads the procession along the central streets of the city in an open stretcher mounted on a white horse.
The origins of this tradition date back to 1264, when the first procession was held in honor of the arrival of King Louis IX in Brindisi.
Marine Procession of the Protector Saints
When:
First Saturday of September
The procession takes place at sea in the inner harbor, starting at 19:00
Description:
The holiday is dedicated to the holy defenders of the city, Saint Teodoro and Saint Lawrence of Brindisi.
Starting from the Aragonese castle, statues and relics of the saints are transported in a solemn procession across the sea by boat. The statues accompany many fishermen and believers on ships that come with the procession to the inner harbor, to the central docks, where the procession accompanies the saints to the cathedral.
These days, the city hosts a traditional fair, and the celebrations end with a grand pyrotechnic show.
Pyrotechnic show in Brindisi. Photo flickr.com
The port city of Brindisi in Italy is located in the southeastern region of Apulia, right on the heel of the Italian "boot". It is a lively and distinctive town with a rich history and vibrant traditions. It is actively developing as tourist centre and a resort, offering its guests an excellent infrastructure and all conditions for a good rest.
Business card
History and modernity
According to the ancient Greeks, Brindisi in Italy was founded by the companion of Odysseus - Diomedes. Be that as it may, the city has always played an important role in the life of the country, being its major sea harbor in the southeast. In the days of the ancient Romans, many trade routes led here (just here the Appian Way ended) and from here trade with the entire Eastern Mediterranean proceeded.
In the Middle Ages, many crusaders traveled from the port of Brindisi to the Holy Land. And after the unification of Italy, the city received the status of a naval base.
Today Brindisi continues to be an important link in the maritime trade and transport links... From here you can get to Greece by ferry - this route is very popular among tourists. In addition, the city is the center of winemaking and industry.
What to see, where to visit
Modern Brindisi keeps many monuments of history and architecture. On Cathedral Square the city, you can see the majestic Cathedral, which was founded in the IX century. In 1743 it was badly damaged by an earthquake, so it was almost completely rebuilt, keeping the original layout and Romanesque style.
Not far from the cathedral there is another unique building - Roman columns, which served as a kind of beacons for sailors. The oldest building on the Brindisi map is the Tancreda Fountain, built in 1193 in honor of the marriage of the son of the King of Sicily and the daughter of the Byzantine ruler.
There are castles and fortresses here: Svevsky castle (XIII century), Aragonese castle with a fortress wall (XV century). Among the religious buildings, one can note the graceful Church of Our Lady, where ancient icons and artifacts are kept, the Baroque Church of St. Teresa and the grandiose size of the Church of St. Benedict.
Tourists can visit the ancient Slave Quarter, explore the ruins of an ancient Roman city, see sculptures and monuments, and look at the F. Ribezzo Archaeological Museum. Lots of interesting places can be found in suburban areas. In a word, the excursion program for the sights of Brindisi can be very, very rich.
Entertainment and active recreation
Residents of Brindisi are very fond of noisy celebrations and festivities. One of the most interesting national holidays- "Procession of the decorated horse", which takes place on the 60th day after Easter, during which the bishop, accompanied by knights in armor, rides through the streets of the city on a white horse. And at the beginning of September, the "Festival of the Sea" is held here, dedicated to the patrons of the city - Laurentius of Brindisi and Theodore of Amasa.
Also, tourists will find rich shopping (sales occur at the end of winter and early autumn), training in diving and surfing at local schools, yacht rental, horseback riding and a host of other entertainments.
Local cuisine and wines
Local restaurants serve traditional Apulian cuisine, which is simple but delicious. This is a wide selection of fish dishes, Italian paella, rice baked with potatoes and seafood (tajedda), deep-fried dough balls with different fillings (pettul), etc.
Brindisi from A to Z: map, hotels, attractions, restaurants, entertainment. Shopping, shops. Photos, videos and reviews about Brindisi.
- Last Minute Tours to italy
- Tours for the New Year around the world
One of the oldest port cities of the Apennine Peninsula, sunny Brindisi is located almost at the very end of the "heel" of the Italian "boot", in picturesque Apulia. During the times of the Roman Empire, the legendary Appian Way ended here, along which travelers and pilgrims, legionaries, crusaders and salesmen arrived at the port to depart on ships to different corners Mediterranean Sea... Brindisi has not changed its character today, combining the features of a port, resort and historic city: lively and, at times, loud, active and at the same time lazy, with a lot of ancient sights and no less modern entertainment, including great beaches, restaurants and yacht clubs.
How to get to Brindisi
Brindisi Salento Airport receives domestic flights from Rome, Naples and Milan with Alitalia and EasyJet airlines. Charters from Europe also arrive in the summer (on board Air Berlin, TUIfly, Air One and Ryanair), and the number of local flights is increasing. From the cities of Russia to Brindisi, alas, to direct flight you will not get there, you will need a change, usually in Rome or Milan.
Arriving in Brindisi by bus from other cities in Italy will not be difficult: settlements Apulia - Bari and Lecce, but there are also direct bus routes from the capital and major cities... The bus from Bari takes about 2 hours, the journey will cost about 10 EUR, Lecce is very close: half an hour away and the damage for the wallet is 7.5 EUR. Prices on the page are for November 2018.
Beaches
The beaches of Brindisi are located to the north of the city, along the Via Materdomini highway, and offer vacationers fine golden sand and azure waters with a gradual increase in depth. There are also rocky areas. Nearest wild beach is located right at the end of the airport runway, so here you can not only relax, but also watch the planes approaching. Further there are several hotels, the beaches of which face north. There are no rocky areas here, however, sea waves are possible, since the beaches are not protected by harbors.
The charm of Brindisi
Cuisine and restaurants
Brindisi's cuisine is simple, healthy and delicious. Apulian "peasantness" is combined with seafood, therefore vegetables, root vegetables and herbs are generously used in the dishes, serving as an excellent side dish for a variety of fish and seafood. The local characteristic snack is pettole donuts, which are sweet and savory, stuffed with cod or anchovies with broccoli or cauliflower. It is also worth trying "pattani" made from rice, potatoes and mussels, as well as tasting cheeses (mainly sheep): burrata, ricotta, pecorino or mozzarella.
On a hot Apulian afternoon, residents of Brindisi refresh themselves with almond milk (it is considered a traditional product of this region of Italy) and slightly heady limoncello, and on pacifying evenings they enjoy sipping red and rosé wines: Ostuni, Aleatico di Puglia, Brindisi Rosso, Rosato Brindisi and others.
Brindisi entertainment and attractions
The very first, albeit a very small attraction, with which you should start your acquaintance with Brindisi, is the 18-meter white marble column, marking the end of the Appian Way. It is located at the very top of the promenade stairs that descend to the ancient port, from where Roman ships once sailed. At first there were two columns, but in 1666 the inhabitants of Brindisi presented one to Lecce as a token of gratitude that the patron saint of the city, Saint Orontius, saved the Brindisi people from the plague.
Going down the stairs, it makes sense to continue your walk along the wide promenade along the sea, admiring the Mussolini fountain and not forgetting to pay attention to the monument to Italian sailors on the opposite shore of the bay - a giant stylized ship keel. It was erected in 1933 also by order of the Duce.
The architectural dominants of Brindisi are two castles towering on a low hill above the city. The first, Castello Grande (or Castello Zvevo), was built in the 13th century, was not used for a long time, then it managed to be a prison and a base of the Italian fleet. The Aragonese castle of Forte a Mare dates back to the end of the 15th century and is interesting because of its division into two parts - the so-called Red Palace and the fortified fort.
The main temple of Brindisi is a majestic Romanesque cathedral of the 11th-12th centuries. At the end of the 18th century, it was destroyed by an earthquake, later the duomo was restored in the same style, but little has survived from the original structure - only fragments of floor mosaics. At a distance - the Portico of the Crusaders of the 12-13th centuries is the only remnant of the church of the same name. The Church of San Benedetto is also worth seeing, also in Romanesque style. Once there was a Benedictine abbey, from which only the temple with a massive bell tower, decorated with a tier of arched windows, has survived.
The magnificent Archaeological Museum of Ribezzo presents the richest collection of antique artifacts found in the vicinity of Brindisi: Roman statues and busts, terracotta figurines of the 7th century and more than 3000 bronze sculptures.
Take the time to leave Brindisi to visit the Church of Santa Maria del Casale, 4 km from the city, on your way to the airport. In addition to its considerable age (the church was built at the turn of the 13-14 centuries), it will surprise you with a mixture of three architectural styles- Romanesque, Gothic and Byzantine. On the façade, one should pay attention to the eloquent depiction of the suffering of the Last Judgment over the entrance by Rinaldo di Taranto, and inside - to the well-preserved Byzantine frescoes.
Brindisi Accommodation
Brindisi has a good selection of hotels, mostly beach "three" and "four". They are located on the first line and have their own beaches, equipped with everything you need for a "sunny" holiday. There are also city hotels, as a rule, these are old two-three-story mansions with no more than a dozen rooms, as well as numerous hostels, pensions and guest houses working on the bed and breakfast system.
