Gourmet products
The deep-rooted agricultural tradition, the variety of landscapes and climates, and the generosity of the southern lands bathed in light and warmed by the sun explain why the three southern regions offer such a diversity of quality products. In the grocery stores and shops specialized in typical products, you will be spoiled for choice between dried pasta, condiments and jams. Horticultural products and wild varieties used in traditional dishes are available in preserves and jars: cime di rapa (broccoli shoots used with orecchiette), chicory, olives, artichokes, lampascioni (small wild onions), Tropea red onion IGP, funghi cardoncelli (small mushrooms), etc. There are also various condiments and pasta sauces. On the sweet side, all three regions offer excellent honeys and a wide variety of jams and marmalades, especially citrus ones. Calabria is one of the world's leading producers of bergamot, a citrus fruit used in marmalades, liqueurs and biscuits. Grocery stores often offer a selection of olive oils and wines, which you can also buy directly from the producer. For cured meats, go to a salumiere (pork butcher) who works and matures his own cured meats; for cheese, go to a caseificio (cheese shop).
Delicatessens. The know-how of the charcuterie artisans of southern Italy is a reality and lovers of cured meats will find their happiness in Calabria, Basilicata and the Apulian Murgia. Several Calabrian cured meats have a protected designation of origin(capocollo di Calabria DOP, soppressata di Calabria DOP) and the production of cured meats is a very old tradition that some experts believe dates back to the time of the Greek colonies: at that time, a breed of pig called Nera di Calabria was found in the region, whose meat and fat were used to make cured meats. Calabria is also the source of the famous 'Nduja di Spilinga' (province of Vibo Valentia), a pungent pork sausage with a pasty consistency that is eaten spread on bread and is available in jars. In Basilicata, almost every municipality has its own artisanal sausages with its own recipes. In Puglia, the town of Martina Franca is particularly famous for its delicious cold cuts, especially capocollo and culatello, tasty and melt-in-the-mouth. Typical cured meats of the three regions are soppressata, a salami made of pork meat mixed with cubes of bacon, and capocollo, which is similar to coppa from northern Italy and is eaten in thin slices. In addition, there is a wide range of raw hams, pancetta, smoked sausages, bacon..
Cheeses. Fresh cheeses such as mozzarella and burrata are best eaten quickly, or even the same day. If you still want to bring some back, make your purchases at the end of your stay and, if you travel by plane, ask the shopkeeper for a package for transport in the hold: these cheeses are preserved in brine and are therefore forbidden in the cabin. The three regions also offer a good variety of hard and semi-hard cheeses that, when vacuum-packed, can be transported quite well. Look for caciocavallo, a spun cheese shaped like a large pear with a round head, delicate, aromatic and melting when young, drier and more pungent when older. Made from cow's milk, it is produced in all regions of southern Italy. As for pecorino, it is a sheep's milk cheese that is produced in an infinite number of ways in Italy: the pecorino of Maglie in Puglia, and those of Pollino and Locride in Calabria are just a few examples. Two cheeses have a protected designation of origin: caciocavallo silano DOP, made in the three regions, and canestrato pugliese DOP, made from a mixture of sheep's and goat's milk and produced in the province of Foggia.
Extra virgin olive oil. It is excellent everywhere. The one from the Puglia region has an international reputation: it must be said that the region is the first producer of olive oil in Italy with 40% of the national production, and that it also concentrates 12% of the world production! Puglia's olive oil is of high quality, certified by several protected designations of origin(Olio Terra di Bari, Olio Terra d'Otranto, Olio Dauno...). But the other two regions are not to be underestimated: in Basilicata,Olio Extravergine di Oliva Vulture DOP is produced in the north of the region and Calabria also has a significant production(Olio Extravergine di Oliva Alto Crotonese DOP, Lamezia DOP, etc.).
Dry pasta. In Puglia and Basilicata, the most characteristic pasta is orecchiette, literally "little ears" because of its rounded and domed shape. In addition to the traditional wheat orecchiette , there are many other types of orecchiette available: with squid ink, with Primitivo wine, etc. Other varieties: cavatelli, lagane, sagne ncannulate (a kind of twisted tagliatelle)...
Taralli pugliesi. These hard, loop-shaped biscuits are the ideal accompaniment to an aperitif and are now available in a variety of flavours: peperoncino, curcuma, cime di rapa, onions and raisins. They even come in a sweet version (chocolate, coconut, caramel...).
The wine. All three regions produce excellent wines, which can be tasted and bought at the wine shop or directly from a farm. If you are travelling by car and can accumulate cases of bottles in the boot of your car, you will save on shipping costs! If you travel by plane, you'll have to make do with a few bottles in your checked luggage, or you can have the cases delivered to your home. In Puglia, Primitivo di Manduria DOC and Salice Salentino DOC are the best known, but the region also has some discoveries to make, with endemic varieties such as Susumaniello. Calabrian wines are little known, yet the region was once called Enotria ("land of wine"). Wine production in Calabria dates back to ancient times, when the first Greek settlers imported vines: the Greco di Bianco, which is still cultivated today and produces a fresh, light white wine, is thought to be one of the oldest grape varieties in Italy. Among the DOC wines of Calabria are Cirò (red and white) and Terre di Cosenza. Finally, in Basilicata,Aglianico del Vulture DOC, a full-bodied red wine, is the best known, and wine is also produced in Val d'Agri and Materano.
Handicrafts
The craft of papier-mâché. In Salento, the technique of cartapesta (literally "crushed paper") had its period of splendour in the 17th and 18th centuries. The art of cartapestaio was passed down from father to son in flourishing workshops that produced the decorations for many of the churches. Today, this craft is still alive and well in Lecce, where new generations are training with the masters. The workshops have extended their production to crib figures, masks, jewellery and a wide range of popular figurines: peasants, bakers, characters from local legends... In Matera, the cartapesta technique is also alive and well, as it is used to make the float of the Madonna Bruna, which, at the end of the procession, is entirely cut up by the participants! Paper mache articles can be found in the workshops and shops of these two cities.
Terracotta. In Grottaglie, in the province of Taranto, the red clay of the territory is used to make beautiful ceramics (vases, dishes) made on the wheel and decorated by hand, the quality of which is guaranteed by a designation of origin. Near Bari, the village of Rutigliano is specialized in the creation of clay whistles representing the traditional galletto pugliese, the rooster symbol of virility and fertility, other animals or caricatures of famous people. We can also find ceramic whistles in Matera where they are called cuccù . In Basilicata, the clay allows the production not only of ceramics, but also of earthenware and porcelain. In Calabria, the ceramics of Gerace reproduce the objects of the ancient Locri Epizefiri, such as amphorae and pinakes (tablets decorated with bas-reliefs). Those of Seminara, known all over Calabria, have their roots in the old animist and pagan substratum, with apotropaic masks (which ward off evil) and anthropomorphic bottles called babbaluti. In Nicotera, some ceramics show a grotesque inspiration.
Wrought iron and metalwork. Wrought iron is the star material of the Foggia and Salento region. It adorns balconies, bed frames and gates, and is used to make decorative objects, candlesticks and lamp posts. Wrought iron craftsmanship is also widespread in Basilicata, around Melfi and Potenza. In the Lucanian region, the municipality of Stigliano specialises in the production of cowbells and Avigliano in cutlery. In Calabria, in Crotone, goldsmithing is an ancient tradition which, according to some, dates back to the time of Magna Grecia. The goldsmiths' work reproduces the style and techniques of the past, such as filigree.
The wood. Olive wood is precious and often difficult to work. The skill of the cabinetmakers is visible in the wooden furniture and in the marquetry, especially in Gargano, Salento and Materano. In Calabria, Bisignano is famous for its violin making, while the artistic briar pipes of Brognaturo are well known to collectors.
Fabrics, lace and embroidery. These are due to the patient work of the lacemakers of Capurso and Lecce in Puglia. In Calabria, it is still possible to meet a weaver or to visit a weaving workshop, specialized in the typical fabrics of the region. In San Giovanni in Fiore, carpets are woven using a recently imported Armenian technique and the fabrics are embroidered with drums. In Tiriolo and Badolato, in the province of Catanzaro, vancali, typical local shawls, are made.
Wicker baskets. Woven wicker is an ancient technique that is still used in all three regions. In particular, Acquarica del Capo in Puglia and Viggianello in Basilicata.
