This was, however, the time when
Baroque architecture blossomed in many Pugliese towns and cities and
can be seen in the style of the cathedrals built at that time. Lecce,
a city dating from Greek times, rapidly expanded and was turned it
into the most beautiful and individual of baroque cities:
In 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht briefly gave Puglia to the Austrians
until they were defeated by the Bourbon dynasty, which ruled there
from 1734.
From the end of the 18th century it was
Napoleonic France that controlled Puglia, as well as most of the
rest of Italy, leading to the "ot;ot;Repubblica Italiana" and then the
Kingdom of Italy. This was a time of administrative and economic
organisation as well as agricultural reform. Although, there are
early examples from up to 400 years before, the 18th century was
when the world-famous conical trulli houses were mostly built.
To avoid paying taxes to the crown, feudal landowners made the
peasant farmers build their houses dry-walled (without any binding
material). This either made them exempt from tax or meant they could
be quickly dismantled before inspectors arrived from Naples. By now
there was a strong popular feeling for democracy and the unification
of Italy and, in 1861, Puglia was annexed to the new Italian state.
Since this time, there has been a sharp divide between the
industrialised north of Italy and the rural south, the "Mezzogiorno".
While this divide includes Puglia, the region has generally been far
richer than the rest of the south due to the intensity of it's
agricultural output, in particular Olive oil and Wine. Since then,
the region has been a site of much development and improving
infrastructure, although it was badly affected by the two World
Wars, again due to its strategic position.
Taranto and Brindisi were badly damaged in WWII, but are now
thriving industrialised ports, as is the capital city, Bari. After
the war there was a large exodus to the north and abroad but the
state began a program of assistance for southern Italy and Puglia is
now a productive area industrially and agriculturally as well as
benefiting greatly from the tourist industry. However importantly
Puglia retains a traditional feel: in the farming of the
countryside, the buildings, the villages and towns, along with the
Mediterranean way of life.
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