The State, the region, the province: Salentum
Part 1:
The Italian Region and the Italian State
Part 2:
Identification of the region: the aspects of the territory and the means of communication
Part 3:
The Salentum: natural and economic aspects
THE ITALIAN REGION AND THE ITALIAN STATE
The Italian Region, considering the physical aspect, occupies a territory (324 000 square kilometers) larger than that of the Italian State (301 302 square kilometers): as a matter of fact while the Italian Region is considered the territory defined in the North by the Alps as a watershed and comprising the islands near the coasts, the Italian State is considered that part of the territory the boundaries of which are recognized by international treaties.
The outermost points of the Italian Region are: in the North the Vetta d’Italia in the Adige Alps, in the South the Archipelago of Malta, in the West the Rocca di Chardonnet in the Cottian Alps and in the East the Cape of Otranto.
Since June 2, 1946 the Italian State has been a Parliamentary Republic:
Italy is subdevided into 20 regions.
The regional autonomy was achieved by most regions said of ordinary statute only in 1970; earlier it was achieved by the regions said of special statute which were given larger powers, such as Sicily, Sardinia, Trentino-Alto Adige, the Aosta Valley, Friuli Venezia-Giulia.
The Provinces are at present 102.
The Provinces are local bodies between the municipalities and the regions.
The Comune (municipality) is the smallest local body: it allows a more direct participation of the people in public life and is concerned with the problems they are more directly interested in.
COMPETENCES AND COMPETENCES AND
FUNCTIONS OF THE REGION FUNCTIONS OF THE
MUNICIPALITY
Museums, libraries Public works
Transports of regional interest Town-planning
Local police Metropolitan police
Vocational and handicraft education Social assistance
Handicrafts Educational assistance
Agriculture and forests Tourism and sports
Hunting and fishing Trade
Tourism Health
Public assistance General Register
Health Culture
Public works Transports
Town-planning Companies taken over by the
municipality
The three sectors into which the activities carried on by the Italians are:
The Primary Sector including farming, the exploitation of the soil, the forests, cattle-breeding and fishing.
The Secondary Sector including mechanic, iron and steel, metallurgical, chemical, textile, food industries, and so on.
The Tertiary Sector including transports, advertisment, banks and tourism.
Pictures of the different sectors
APULIA: IDENTIFICATION OF THE REGION
Apulia is situated at the utmost South-East of the peninsula; in the West it borders of Molise, Campania and Basilicata and devides the Adriatic Sea (North-East) from the Ionian Sea (South-West).
From a geographic point of view Apulia can be devided into five parts:
The Garganic Peninsula, a wide mountain promontory.
The Tavoliere, the widest plain of Central and Southern Italy.
The Murge, a not very high karst plateau.
The Terra di Bari, particularly fertileand densly popolated.
The Peninsula Salentina, a calcareous farmland.
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Being the Territory of Apulia chiefly plain it favoured the development of comunication. The road-net is one of the best in the South and includes motorways (A 14 Bologna-Taranto and A 16 Naples-Canosa) as well as highways (Brindisi-Lecce) and national roads.
The railway-net is for one third run by private companies.
The sea-transport is rather important and concerns in particular the ports of Bari, Brindisi and Taranto.
The most important airports are Bari-Palese and Brindisi-Casale.
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Agriculture in Apulia is characterized by the work of many farmers who usually own rather small farms.
As concerns industry in the last decades there has been a considrable industrialization sustained directly or indirectly by the State.
Trade is rather lively and regards in particular agricultural produce (table wines, grapes, vegetables, olive-oil etc.) sent to other Italian regions and abroad.
Tourism is increasing and exploits the natural beauties and the numberless places of historical and artistic interest.
SALENTUM: NATURAL AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS
The territory of Salentum is rather varied: plains swept by the wind and characterized a low-growing plants; in other parts centuries-old olive-trees. But you’ll also find fertile areas with cultivation of grapes, an authentic banner of the skilful work of generations of farmers.
Also the buildings spread in the country-side have different forms: skilfully built dry walls, farmhouses of varied architectonic solutions and simple but noble annexes (dovecots) or practical ones (threshing-floors, oil-mills, palm-groves and sheep-folds) pretentious villas, witnesses of the local aristocracy.
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The coasts of the Salentum have different aspects: sandy shores and rugged reefs follow on by turns interrupted by grottoes and cosy creeks
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In the country-side wild areas of Mediterranean maquis and wise palins cultivated with grapes and tobacco alternate as well as streches covered with trees, in particular olive-trees and oaks.
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The economy of the Salentum is represented mainly by the production of durum wheat, grapes, wine, olives and olive-oil, tomatoes and salad. Sheep and goats are bred and one of the most tasty dishes in the restaurants of the area is fresh sheep chees, giuncata (a lean cheese preserved in wicker rushes), and mild or hot sheep and cow ricotta.