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Writer's pictureProfiles in Catholicism

Stories from Puglia: Two Californians in Southern Italy

Updated: Oct 20, 2023

Reviewed by Eileen Quinn Knight, Ph.D. Profiles in Catholicism



Two Californians came to Puglia for friendship and found a people with open arms, a rich history influenced by Greece and Rome, and a land embedded not only with olives but with stories that recount stories of courage, industry, faith and loyalty. In Bari, the author and his friend encountered St. Nicholas and the story that led to his being laid to rest in this city. His tomb became a symbol of different faiths working together for peace. As the author entered the area of Alberobello, he understood the value of friendship and met some expats who dared to give up everything to start a new life. Why did they leave? Why did they come to Puglia? What did they find? These questions opened up new horizons as we listened to their stories.


The difference in mentalities between California and Puglisi bubbled to the surface as we spent an evening at a farmhouse, a masseria, and the journeyed to participate in a living Nativity scene for Christmas Sometimes irritating and other times humorous, these encounters of different mentalities enriched and challenged us to judge less and to enlarge our cultural benchmarks. When we finally went to Oranto, we were not only spellbound by the 1000-year-old design on the Cathedral floor but wondered how such an open mentality towards the world could emerge from a Greek monastery near the coast of Italy a thousand years ago. Perhaps this history helps to understand the mindset in Puglia today, which tends to be more open than the extreme north.


Lecce is the land of elegant architecture and a more diverse population than one would expect. One evening we met Mohsen, an Egyptian who sold artifacts at one of the main entrance gates to the city. We met others from Brazil and Ecuador, and other countries. From these friendships we discovered that Lecce is home to entirely diverse mentalities, background, and religious beliefs that thrive together without conflict, each with their own story that led them to this place. The tales in this work conclude with Transi, one of the most beautiful places in Puglia. A homeless man, perhaps with Tourette Syndrome’, became a model for others because of how he loved.


It is challenging to define Puglia in one or many words because it means many things to different people. Perhaps the stories here will help show that a tree is not just a tree, a cathedral by the sea is not just a building, and a foreigner is not just another resident. Each has its story which gives it life, just like the floor of the Cathedral in Otranto. Enjoy the book and pass it on to a friend.

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