Apulia & Veneti

Apulia is a region in southeastern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its southern portion known as Salento, a peninsula, forms the heel of the Italian "boot". The region comprises 19,345 km² (7,469 square miles). Apulia is mostly a plain its low coast, however, is broken by the mountainous Gargano Peninsula in the north, and there are mountains in the north central part of the region. The Veneti were an ancient people who inhabited north-eastern Italy. The north-eastern portion of Italy was also once home to an indigenous group known as the Euganei. They superseded and later mixed with the group that came to be known as the Veneti. From the earliest times the Veneti appear to have been a peaceful people, chiefly engaged in commercial pursuits, the ancient Veneti traded metals and in particular gold.