Foggia

Now easily accessible from Rome on the high-speed rail line connecting the capital with the important port town of Brindisi on the heel of the Italian Boot, Foggia has enjoyed a quietly prosperous past as one of the major hubs on the productive and fertile Tavoliere delle Puglie – the so-called "granary of Italy”. A medieval settlement, Foggia rose to prominence under the patronage of the Holy Roman emperor Frederick II, who built a palace here in the 13th century - unfortunately since lost in the tumult of WWII bombings on the strategically placed town. Today, visitors enjoy a laid-back city, complete with the eclectic Cathedral of Santa Maria de Fovea (just check out that flamboyant Baroque upper storey!) and the sun-splashed Palazzo Dogana surrounded by archways and oodles of other hidden churches. Foggia tour guides are also quick to note the city’s reputation for wine – it is on the northern fringes of Apulia after all – and often delve into rustic enotecas to taste the region’s productions with travellers.