Ask Joan: Touring Puglia and the battlefields of the American Civil war

We plan to go to Puglia and tour the area. Where would be a good place to stay? POB, Dublin.

Apulia, or Puglia, is a long narrow region that runs right into the heel of Italy, about 400km from spur to heel. New flights to Bari with Ryanair make it very accessible.

Ideally it should be considered in three main sections. To the north the Gargano promontory with the national park and city of Foggia, the central region around the capital Bari and the pretty coastal city of Monopoli, and the heel which is the province of Salento.

The region is steeped in history and the landscapes move from rocky coastline to fields of wildflowers, abundant farmland of olive trees, vines and other crops, to sandy beaches.

You have a choice of staying on the coast or inland, on the Adriatic or Ionian seas.

I recently travelled from Bari to the Salento region in the far south, and there is much there to keep holiday-makers occupied.

The whole area is alive with history, as people who came here include the Romans to the Crusaders to the Greeks, Spanish, Bourbons and English. There are 110 villages and each one has a surprise.

Torre San Giovanni is a lovely coastal town with beaches and plenty of places to stay. The Parco dei Principi Hotel with its own beach also has self-catering apartments (parcodeiprincipi.it).

Inland the Itria Valley is beautiful and dotted with ancient trullis, the conical stone houses of the region. It is also close to the heritage town of Alberobello, whose whitewashed trullis huddle together along narrow streets.

If you do go there, try to visit in the morning as it gets very crowded. You might also consider staying in a traditional, stone Masserie, which are former estate houses (masseriesalento.it).

We explored the towns of Santa Maria di Leuca, Otranto, Gallipoli, Galatina, Ugento, and the city of Lecce.

Memorable places included the Roman arena in the centre of Lecce, the medieval frescoes in the church of St Catherine of Alexandria, a boat trip to see the sea caves and coast around Santa Maria di Leuca, the historic streets of Gallipoli and the beaches on the Ionian coast. For tourist information on for Puglia on log on to viaggiareinpuglia.it

My father is interested in the American civil war. Could you recommend a US tour of the civil war sites. Getting there is not an issue but guide authenticity is. Do you know if there is a tour for, say, third-level history students? PM, Dublin Virginia and Maryland are at the heart of US history, from slavery to civil rights.

The region has more than 10,000 sites on the US National Register of Historic Places, nine presidential homes, 13 national parks and battlefields of the Revolutionary War, the French-Indian War and the War of 1812. You could use Washington as a base.

Pennsylvania also has some of the major sites such as Gettysburg and York and the city of Philadelphia is a rich in US history .

There are a number of websites you can consult to find information and guided tours: these include the National Parks Service nps.gov, civilwartours.net, civilwartours.org, gettysburgfoundation.org, destinationgettysburg.com and Virginia.org/CW NationalBattlefields.

Guides must be licensed to work in any of the national sites. Guides are normally very interested in their subject and will be authentic.

Send your questions to jscales@irishtimes.com.