Brindisi

Brindisi sits on Italy's Adriatic coast at what used to be the end of the Via Appia, the road Roman legions marched down on their way to the eastern provinces. The Roman Columns near the waterfront still mark that ancient terminus. A short walk from the cruise terminal leads into a compact old town of Gothic-Romanesque churches, the Castello Grande and Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, where locals sit under palm trees drinking espresso. A stroll along the Lungomare Regina Margherita, the waterfront promenade, is the easiest way to get your bearings. The Archaeological Museum covers Brindisi's history as an eastern gateway. Day trips to the whitewashed hilltop town of Ostuni or the cone-roofed trulli houses of Alberobello are straightforward by car or organised tour. Back in town, shops along Corso Garibaldi sell handmade ceramics and olive oil, and the local burrata cheese is worth trying at any trattoria near the harbour.