Frank Nechvatal
The first meeting of the Italian Club was held on Oct 8, at 6:00 p.m. in the Lakeview Room. Following the committee reports, the club entered into a discussion on the Christmas party. Club President Nechvatal had tentatively scheduled a date of Dec. 2, in the Horizon Room with cocktails beginning at 5 p.m. and dinner to follow at 6 p.m. Details of the discussion and results will be further discussed at the November meeting. The November meeting will include a video presentation.
This month’s article includes a look at the third regional area (state) in Italy in our series. It is Apulia, the region on the Adriatic with the capital city of Bari. This region is on the east coast of Italy and stretches from the heel of the boot northward to about one-third of the way up the coast. It is bordered by the regions of Molise to the north, Campania to the west, and Basilicata to the southwest. Apulia’s coastline is longer than any other region in Italy. The climate is Mediterranean, meaning it is hot and dry, with sunny summers and mild, rainy winters. Snowfall is rare. This region ranks as the hottest and driest area of Italy.
Apulia is considered the richest archaeological regions in Italy. It was first colonized by Mycenaean Greeks and later was conquered briefly by Muslim Saracens. A number of castles were built in the area by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. Apulia was an autonomous duchy until 1190 when its duke became the King of Sicily. After 1282, the kingdom lost Sicily and remained a part of the Kingdom of Naples. Apulia bounced around under various rulers, such as the Kingdom of Aragon (Spain), the Turks, and the Venetians. In 1861, the region became a part of the Kingdom of Italy.
The leading industries today include aerospace, agriculture, automotive, furniture, food and beverage, mechanics, publishing, and tourism. Olive production, along with its byproducts, accounts for 40% of olive-related products in all of Italy. Cuisine also plays an important role in Apulia because of the production of olives, olive oil, artichokes, tomatoes, aubergine, asparagus, and mushrooms.
Until next month,
Ciao