Central Idea: Apuglia (a lesser known region in Italy) has some of the brightest seas and beautiful landscapes, rich history, diverse culture, mouthwatering food and kindest people of Italy.
Introduction
I. How many of you have heard of the Tuscany or Sicily regions of Italy? Or the bigger cities of Italy: Rome, Milan, Naples or Venice?
A. Most people in the United States are very familiar with these regions and cities of Italy.
II. But how many of you have ever heard of the Puglia or Apulia (as it’s pronounced in English) region of Italy and some of its cities: Brindisi, Taranto, Bari, Grottalia and Villa Castelli?
A. Most people in the United States have never heard of this region or its cities and that’s one of the best things about Puglia.
III. Today I have chosen to tell you about Puglia, because it holds a special place in my heart.
A. Puglia is where my family and ancestors are from and where many of my family members still live today.
IV. I will talk about Puglia’s geography, rich history, diverse culture, economy and mouthwatering food.
(Transition: Let’s start with the location and geography of Puglia)
Body
I. Puglia is the heel to Italy’s boot – which is southern Italy.
A. It is a long, narrow peninsula of mostly plains and hills with some mountains and steep cliffs overlooking the ocean.
1. Puglia is very arid and dry; its landscape is very similar to Greece or parts of the Middle East.
B. The region has over 500 miles of coastline on two seas, the Adriatic (to the East) and the Ionian (to the west).
C. It is presently divided into 6 provinces: Foggia, Barletta-Andria-Trani, Bari, Taranto, Brindisi and Lecce.
(Transition: Now that you know where Puglia is located, let’s talk about the history)
II. The region was always a strategic area for Mediterranean peoples.
A. Originally Puglia was