LECCE, Italy -- Travelers -- even Italians -- may tell you that the heel of the Italian boot is remote and unhospitable. They haven't been here.

Those in-the-know might mention medieval towns spilling from rocky cliffs above Caribbean-blue seas and the mysterious eight-sided Castel del Monte, the cone-topped houses of Valle d'Istria and long stretches of olive groves sweeping across the hills. They will note the baroque confectioner's marvels of Lecce and Galatina, and the cave dwellings of mysterious Matera (though the town where Mel Gibson filmed his Passion isn't technically in Puglia but a neighboring region.)

But at heart, what this sloping rural landscape is really about is food, gloriously delicious, just-out-of-the-fields-and-sea food, and the people who produce it.

Hang on; we'll eat in a minute. First, let's meet a few locals. Say, this fellow in the pretty-as-a-wedding-cake town of Galatina.

The town is shuttered tight for the Sunday lunch siesta, and save for a few leather-clad men laughing in front of a bar door, the place seems deserted. I stop to take a photo of a church facade, then turn to read the historical information on a placard out front.

''Signora, Signora,'' a man calls as I step down the cobbled street. I cower, wondering what sales pitch might be coming next.

He gestures, showing me the church is open; I can go inside.

I step into a delicate little jewel box of salmon-colored walls flanking a rich marble altar surrounding a painting of the Virgin Mary on a startling field of blue. Even after seeing dozens of Italian churches, I'm awestruck. And to think I could have missed it.

In Puglia, such helpfulness seems a way of life. The farm hand who opens the gate so I can see the cows, then leads me through the yard and positions me so I can catch photos of the goats as they're led out to pasture. The bar worker who follows me across the plaza to be sure I understand his directions to the cathedral. The police officer who stops traffic to explain that I should go to the rotonda, then points right so I will understand just where to find the traffic circle. The elderly woman in the church who mistakes me for her friend, then touches my face in smiling greeting. Another 80-plus woman who opens her shuttered B&B just for me, and climbs an extra flight of steps to ensure I get a good view from the roof of the town's most impressive landmark.

''Those Pugilese, they're so sweet,'' said a colleague whose mother lives in Italy. So right.

FEW VISITORS

You might credit that friendliness to the fact that, relatively speaking, few foreigners get here. Only about 3 percent of the visitors to Italy make it to Puglia, says Vittorio Muolo, a hotelier involved with regional tourism efforts. English-language guidebooks to the region are few; Lonely Planet -- which offers a handbook on nearly every corner of the globe -- published its first Puglia guide earlier this year.

Puglia -- in Italian, Apulia -- offers neither the drama of Tuscany's hilltop wall-ringed towns nor the fame wrought by Frances Mayes' artful storytelling. Grimy industry crowds some historic centers; the countryside ambles rather than swaggers.

But obscurity has its rewards. While Tuscany is crowded and pricey by summer, chilly by winter, Puglia offers balmy seasons, relative bargains and locals who are actually happy to see you -- not just your wallet.

The region is such a surprise that when Miamian Robert Frehling celebrated his 60th birthday a few years ago, none of his circle of 40-plus friends -- Americans and Italians -- had been there. Even Frehling and wife Nancy, whose company Oggetti imports home furnishings, had been there only once before in the 80 times they've visited Italy.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@