Book Review | Puglia: A Love Story
A Visual and Emotional Tribute to Puglia
From Luxury Book Collections, Puglia: A Love Story is a stunning addition to any coffee table. A tactile and visual feast for Puglia lovers (and yet to be Puglia lovers). The matt and textured cover immediately sets it apart from more conventional glossy coffee table books, signaling a refined aesthetic that perfectly matches its contents.
Curated and edited by journalist Fabio Mollica with photography by aerospace engineer and enthusiast Marco Falcone, the book is branded as “a declaration of love for Puglia.” And indeed, it succeeds in making readers fall in love with this region, primarily through Falcone’s striking imagery. His engineering precision lends itself to breathtaking compositions, capturing Puglia’s unique charm and raw beauty.
A Journey from Rediscovery to Renaissance
The narrative behind Puglia: A Love Story explores the region’s transformation from an overlooked corner of Italy to a global destination. In the early 1990s, Puglia was not a “dream place.” As Mollica notes, the Pugliesi themselves often overlooked the treasures they had. The region’s evolution was driven by (not always thoughtful) tourism policies, low-cost airlines, and, notably, the experiences of curious tourists who helped locals rediscover the beauty of their own heritage.
This rediscovery, however, is tinged with the melancholy of south to north “brain drain”, a theme that runs through many of the declarations of love included in the book. Several contributors recount their youthful dreams of leaving Puglia for better opportunities, only to later return, driven by nostalgia or a deep-rooted connection to their homeland. For Marco Falcone, this absence made his love grow fonder, though he recognises his return is an exception in a region still grappling with limited economic opportunities.
Love in Words and Pictures
The book features 17 personal reflections curated by Mollica. These declarations range from wistful to sentimental. While the texts provide some social and historical insights, such as Raffaello Mastrolonardo’s reflections on Bari or Michele Bruno’s acknowledgment of Puglia’s multicultural roots, the compelling images speak for themselves.
This is, after all, a photographic celebration, its purpose is emotional: to evoke Puglia’s essence rather than document its complexities.
The Allure and Challenges of Puglia
The photographs, such as the counter-intuitive nighttime capture of the Abbazia di San Vito or the thoughtful shot into Lecce’s Basilica di Santa Croce from its rose window, are the heart of the book. Spread over 372 pages, they depict Puglia’s landscapes, architecture, and coastal allure with an eye for enchantment.
The text occasionally raises important critiques about Puglia’s historic and current challenges. Oronzo Martucci’s reflections highlight the tension between “hit-and-run” tourism-driven prosperity and its pitfalls—soaring prices, inconsistent services, and commercial ventures that often burden locals. Puglia’s beauty must be met with sustainable and thoughtful growth.
A Sentimental Package
Puglia: A Love Story may incidentally contribute towards packaging and selling the region as a product but at its core it is about celebrating Puglia’s natural and cultural splendour. The inclusion of personal stories provides a context, although ultimately the photographs are the book’s enduring love letter to Puglia.
For those who appreciate the language of love—both visual and written—this is a book best read in its original Italian, where its poetic nuances shine brighter.
Conclusion
Puglia: A Love Story is a book that captures the soul of a region in transition: its landscapes, its people, and its dreams. Its photographs speak volumes, making it a must-have for those who wish to celebrate or discover the Puglia’s beauty. It is an ode to a place where the old and the new coexist, where tradition meets reinvention, and where love, like wine, gives life its flavour. After all, as Pino de Luca explains: “Love without wine is a soup without salt.” And in Puglia, we have an abundance of wine to share.
From the publishers of amazingpuglia.com | Puglia: a Love Story by Fabio Mollica and Marco Falcone (39,00€) is available in bookshops across Puglia: Feltrinelli (Bari via Melo and Brindisi), Mondadori (Brindisi, Casarano, Ostuni), Europa (Maglie), Minopolis (Monopoli). Domestic and international delivery available from the publisher direct by emailing pr@nextbook.it.
We bought our own copy from Mondadori Ostuni for the purposes of this review.
