Gourmet products
Deep-rooted agricultural traditions, a variety of landscapes and climates, and the generosity of the sun-drenched, light-bathed lands of the south explain why the three southern regions offer such a diversity of quality products. In grocery stores and stores specializing in typical products, you'll be spoilt for choice with 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 IGP red onion, funghi cardoncelli (small mushrooms), etc. You'll also find a wide range of condiments and preserves. You'll also find various condiments and pasta sauces. On the sweet side, all three regions offer excellent honeys, as well as 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 cookies. Grocery stores often carry a selection of olive oils and wines, which you can also buy directly from the producer. For cured meats, visit a salumiere (pork butcher) who works and matures his own cured meats; for cheese, shop at a caseificio (cheese dairy).
Delicatessens. The expertise of Southern Italy's charcuterie artisans is a reality, and lovers of cured meats will find plenty to their liking in Calabria, Basilicata and the Apulian Murgia. A number of 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 long-standing tradition that some specialists even date back to the time of the Greek colonies: back then, the region was home to a breed of pig called Nera di Calabria, 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 available in jars. In Basilicata, almost every commune has its own artisanal cured meats with its own recipes. In Puglia, the town of Martina Franca is particularly renowned for its delicious cured meats, especially capocollo and culatello, which are tasty and melt-in-the-mouth. Typical cured meats in all three regions are soppressata, a salami made from pork mixed with cubes of bacon, and capocollo, which is similar to coppa in northern Italy and is eaten cut into thin slices. There's also a wide range of cured hams, pancetta, smoked sausages, bacon, etc
Cheeses. Fresh cheeses such as mozzarella and burrata are best eaten quickly, even the same day. If you still want to take some home, make your purchases at the end of your stay and, if you're traveling by plane, ask the shopkeeper for packaging for transport in the hold: these cheeses are preserved in brine and are therefore forbidden in the cabin. The three regions also offer a wide variety of hard and semi-hard cheeses which, when vacuum-packed, hold up well in transit. Look out for caciocavallo, a large pear-shaped spun cheese with a round head, delicate, aromatic and melt-in-the-mouth when young, drier and more pungent as it ages. Made from cow's milk, it is produced throughout southern Italy. Pecorino, on the other hand, is a sheep's milk cheese that comes in an infinite number of varieties in Italy: Maglie pecorino in Puglia, Pollino and Locride in Calabria are just a few examples. Two cheeses have protected designation status: caciocavallo silano DOP, made in all three regions, and canestrato pugliese DOP, made from a blend of sheep's and goat's milk and produced in the province of Foggia.
Extra virgin olive oil. Excellent everywhere. Puglia enjoys an international reputation as Italy's leading olive oil producer, with 40% of the country's output, and 12% of the world's production! Puglia's olive oil is of the highest 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 boasts 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, domed shape. Alongside the traditional wheat orecchiette , there's something for every taste and color: with squid ink, Primitivo wine, etc. Other varieties include cavatelli, lagane, sagne ncannulate (a kind of twisted tagliatelle)...
Taralli pugliesi. These hard, loop-shaped cookies are the perfect accompaniment to an aperitif, and now come in a variety of flavors: peperoncino, turmeric, cime di rapa, onions and raisins. They even come in sweet versions (chocolate, coconut, caramel...).
The wine. All three regions produce excellent wines, which can be tasted and purchased from wine merchants or directly from the winery. If you're traveling by car, and you can accumulate cases of bottles in the trunk of your car, you'll save on shipping costs! If you're traveling by plane, you'll have to make do with a few bottles in your checked luggage, or 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 a few discoveries in store, with endemic varieties such as Susumaniello. Calabrian wines are little known, yet the region was once known as Enotria ("land of wine"). Wine production here dates back to antiquity, when the first Greek settlers imported vines: greco di bianco, still cultivated today and producing a fresh, light white wine, is said to be one of Italy's oldest grape varieties. Calabria's DOC wines include Cirò (red and white) and terre di Cosenza. Finally, in Basilicate,Aglianico del Vulture DOC, a full-bodied red wine, is the best known, and is also produced in Val d'Agri and Materano.
Handicrafts
Paper-mâché craftsmanship. In Salento, the technique of cartapesta (literally "crushed paper") enjoyed its heyday in the 17th and 18th centuries. The art of cartapestaio was handed down from father to son in flourishing workshops that produced the decorations for many a church. Today, this craft is still alive and well in Lecce, where new generations are training with the masters. The workshops have expanded their production to include crib figures, masks, jewelry and a wide range of popular figurines: peasants, bakers, characters from local legends... In Matera, the cartapesta technique is also very much alive, as it is used to make the Madonna Bruna float, which, at the end of the procession, is entirely butchered by the participants! You'll find papier-mâché articles in workshops and boutiques in both towns.
Terracotta. In Grottaglie, in the province of Taranto, the region's red clay is used to make beautiful, hand-decorated wheel-thrown ceramics (vases, crockery), the quality of which is guaranteed by an appellation of origin label. Near Bari, the village of Rutigliano specializes in the creation of terracotta whistles depicting the traditional galletto pugliese, the rooster as a symbol of virility and fertility, other animals and caricatures of famous people. Ceramic whistles can also be found in Matera, where they are known as cuccù. In Basilicata, clay is used not only to produce ceramics, but also earthenware and porcelain. In Calabria, ceramics from Gerace reproduce the objects of the ancient Locri Epizefiri, such as amphorae and pinakes (tablets decorated with bas-reliefs). Those of Seminara, known throughout Calabria, are rooted in the old animist and pagan substratum, with apotropaic masks (which ward off evil) and anthropomorphic bottles called babbaluti. At Nicotera, some ceramics show grotesque inspiration.
Wrought iron and metalwork. Wrought iron is the star material of the Foggia and Salento regions. It adorns balconies, bed frames and gates, and is used to make decorative objects, candlesticks and floor lamps. Wrought-iron craftsmanship is also widespread in Basilicata, around Melfi and Potenza. Still in the Lucan region, the commune of Stigliano specializes in the manufacture of cowbells, and Avigliano in artistic cutlery. In Crotone, Calabria, goldsmithing is an ancient tradition that, according to some, dates back to the time of Magna Grecia. Goldsmiths reproduce the style and techniques of the past, such as filigree.
The wood. Olive wood is precious and often difficult to work. The skill of cabinetmakers can be seen in wooden furniture and marquetry, particularly in Gargano, Salento and Materano. In Calabria, Bisignano excels in violin making, while Brognaturo's artistic briar pipes are well known to collectors.
Fabrics, lace and embroidery. These are the work of the patient lacemakers of Capurso and Lecce in Puglia. In Calabria, it's still possible to meet a weaver or visit a weaving workshop specializing in fabrics typical of the region. In San Giovanni in Fiore, carpets are woven using a recently imported Armenian technique, and fabrics are drum-embroidered. Tiriolo and Badolato, in the province of Catanzaro, produce vancali, typical local shawls.
Wicker baskets. Woven wicker is an ancestral technique that continues to be used in all three regions. Particularly noteworthy are Acquarica del Capo in Apulia and Viggianello in Basilicata.
