Continuing his journey between Puglia and Basilicata, our friend Massimo sends us images of Brindisi.

The city, among the largest in Salento, is an important cultural and commercial center for its position facing the East and thanks to its harbor.

A bit of history:
Its origins date back to the 16th century BC, the Bronze Age.
As passed down by Herodotus, it could have been of Mycenaean origin,
In the Messapian age it had commercial relations with the opposite side of the Adriatic and certainly with Greece. It was conquered by the Romans in 267 BC and it became the most important seaport toward the Orient.
It was also a remarkable cultural crossroads where important people went through. The poet Virgil died in Brindisi (… calabri^[*] rapuere …) on his return from his journey to Greece.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Brindisi was subject to the Goths and later to the Lombards.
Like many seaside cities, it was subject to several looting by the Saracens.
After the Byzantine rule, it passed under Norman rule.
Subject from 1496 to 1509 to the Serenissima Republic, it then passed to the Spanish misrule.
A new economic growth occurred during the Bourbon period.
In 1860 it was finally annexed to the kingdom of Italy.
One detail: the opening of the Suez canal in 1869 brought a new vitality to the city, making it a preferential terminal for the Indian Mail.

[*] at the time Puglia was called Calabria

For more info:
wikipedia: Brindisi
wikipedia: colonne romane di Brindisi
wikipedia: monumenti di Brindisi

Thanks to our friend Massimo for the permission of publishing his images