Around 40 km (25 miles) southwest of Brindisi, the town of Francavilla Fontana is known for the numerous palatial mansions built by local aristocrats during the Baroque period. The most striking of these, the Palazzo Imperiale on Via Municipale now houses municipal offices. The town also boasts a treasury of Baroque churches, notably the Chiesa Matrice, dating back to 1759, which houses the allegedly miracle-working icon of the Madonna della Fontana, patron saint of the town.

In the late 1800s, a passionate collector Fritz Mayer van den Bergh amassed an amazing art collection. He purchased paintings by Peter Brueghel for a pittance, and managed to beat major museums purchasing stunning medieval sculptures. Mayer van den Bergh had an eye for the best quality in almost every genre. After his death, his mother finally managed to make her son’s dream come true: she built a museum, which showcased his collection. Today, the museum stands largely uncharged: it is still a museum of one man... and his mother. Highly recommended in the Great smaller museums of Europe.

Saarbrücken has plenty to offer to the lovers of architecture, and one unmissable landmark is the city's town hall, built at the turn of the 20th century in neo-Gothic style and designed by Georg Von Hauberrisser, whose works also include the town hall in Munich.