The second smallest of the Puglian provinces, Brindisi is located south of Bari, with the hills of the Murgia and the Itria Valley continuing south across the provincial border. It is the northern part of the Salento Peninsula. The long Adriatic coastline includes many sandy beaches. The city of Brindisi, one of the largest natural harbours in the Mediterranean, has been a major port for over two thousand years and was the end point of the Via Appia Traiana, one of the great Roman roads which ran the length and breadth of the Italian peninsula (parts of which still remain throughout the region).
The landscape is dominated by vineyards and olive groves, with agriculture making up a large portion of the economy. Other than the city of Brindisi, Ostuni and Oria are the main locations on the tourist trail; Ostuni for it's cathedral and distinctive whitewashed Norman town walls and dwellings, Oria for it's 13th Century castle, another of Frederick II’s legacies.
Brindisi Province has a population of c.400k, and covers a land area of 1 839 km2.
