Apulia, the most sought-after Italian locations for holidays, stands out as one ofthe most popular tourist destinations selected by millions of foreign tourists who flock to it every year: A record confirmed by important international awards: Apulia was included among the top twenty must-see places in the world by National Geographic in its 2014 prestigious ranking of the best trips. An award which is also reflected in the annual ranking of Lonely Planet the worlds best-selling travel guide, where Apulia was ranked second among the top ten “best value travel destinations in the world for 2014". Not only for its landscapes and architectural beauties, the awards that enhance the excellence of this land extend to larger contexts. The world of music include many voices from Apulia at the top of the charts: from Caparezza who hails from Molfetta, to Negroamaro, Emma Marrone and Alessandra Amoroso from Salento, Renzo Rubino from Taranto, to the most historical voices in the field of Italian music such as Renzo Arbore and Al Bano, who followed in the footsteps of one of the greatest songwriters in Europe: Domenico Modugno. Also well-known are the names of such movie stars and directors as Sergio Rubini, Riccardo Scamarcio, Bianca Guaccero and Michele Placido, just to name a few who have been awarded prestigious prizes. The industry of Apulia has broadened its own horizons, turning to domotics, the development of sofware for aerospace systems, defense and security, robotics, and innovative services that have attracted the attention of European, Asian and African operators. But what distinguishes this land in a particular manner is undoubtedly its food and wine: ranging from the outstanding quality of its products, further enhanced by designations of controlled and protected origin, to the excellence of its raw materials and how they are processed. DOC wines are an example: Primitivo di Manduria, the typical wine of Taranto, Salice Salentino, made with Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera grapes, the full-flavored and sweet Aleatico di Puglia, as well as the fruity, full and intense Locorotondo. In the domain of extra virgin olive oil production, Apulia holds the distinction of having the most extensive area of land dedicated to growing olives and now accounts for some 35% of Italy’s production of oil, placing it at the top in the world rankings for the quality of its liquid gold. Wheat is also Apulia’s gold. It is used to make Apulia’s excellent foodstuffs, such as its famous D.O.P. bread of Altamura, baked in traditional wood-burning stone ovens, and its wonderful pasta. A long and fruitful tradition has accompanied Apulia’s pasta throughout the world, under the name of Divella. The production of this pasta started in Rutigliano, a small agricultural town near Bari in 1890, under the watchful and farsighted eye of Francesco Divella. The small mill and the few products manufactured there every day were only the beginning of Divellals history. Divella is now synonymous with excellence in taste, high quality and a rigorous contribution to a proper diet. There are now four generations that have concentrated their resources and energy into the pasta factory as well as in the new production of biscuits and fresh pasta. Genuine products, high quality standards for what is now known as the “Mediterranean Passion”.
