Apulia, from the Gargano to Salento

Your journey starts in Monte Sant'Angelo, where pilgrims have climbed for centuries to the cave sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo. Pass through its bronze doors, then lose yourself in the whitewashed lanes of the Rione Junno. Have orecchiette with turnip tops, then on to Vico del Gargano.

Vico del Gargano climbs its hill around the castle and the mother church. Walk up through the Civita quarter, and look out towards the Foresta Umbra woods and the citrus groves below. Have roast kid al ruoto for dinner, and stay the night here or nearby.

Alberona is a village of springs and white stone, high above the plain. Climb to the Torre del Priore and follow a woodland trail beside the water, then have a plate of cavatelli with wild boar sauce and stay the night here or nearby.

Bovino's narrow streets are stepped and cobbled, so take your time. Visit the diocesan museum in the old ducal castle, and look into the cathedral. End the day with a glass of Sangiovese, and stay the night here or nearby.

Gravina grows along the edge of a deep ravine. Cross the old bridge-aqueduct and look down at the rock-cut churches, such as San Michele delle Grotte. Try the local Pallone di Gravina cheese, and stay the night here.

Locorotondo's old town winds in whitewashed rings on a hilltop. Walk the lanes to Via Nardelli, which looks over the Valle d'Itria and its trulli, and raise a glass of Locorotondo DOC before heading on to Cisternino.

Lunch in Cisternino means bombette, little rolls of pork roasted at the butcher's own grill in the old centre. Afterwards, wander the white lanes out to a square on the edge of the hill and look across the trulli in the fields. Then on to Maruggio.

Maruggio sits in a hollow among olive groves and vineyards, not far from the Ionian Sea. See the Palazzo dei Commendatori, once the Knights of Malta's castle, and the Baroque cloister of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Settle in for the night with a glass of Primitivo.

Specchia stands among olive groves and dry-stone walls in the heart of lower Salento. Look at the Palazzo Risolo and the old church of Santa Eufemia, then sit down to the region's burrata for lunch. Then on to Otranto.

Otranto closes the journey at Italy's eastern edge. Walk the old quarter to the cathedral and look down at its great mosaic floor, then to the Aragonese castle with its moat. Spend your last night here, close to the harbour.