MESSAGE CENTER

Puglia's Moment

I ENJOYED Robert Camuto's enticing description of Puglia ["Puglia's Prime," May 22], since my wife and I recently spent two weeks teaching English at a middle school in Cisternino. Indeed, few Americans visit there, but Germans and British have discovered the calm and quiet side of Italy.

For a unique experience to participate in Italian life, contact Global Volunteers ( http://www.globalvolunteers.org ) for information on teaching English in Ostuni. The teachers were supportive, the students enthusiastic and it was a grand opportunity to bring America to southern Italy. No Italian required, and expenses qualify for a charitable tax deduction. We stayed at the Hotel Incanto, with an enchanting view of the Adriatic and the white city of Ostuni.

V. Anthony Cammarota

Rockville

Mississippi Trail

YOUR ARTICLE on following the Upper Mississippi missed an exciting new travel alternative ["Lolling on the River," May 22]. The Mississippi River Trail is being developed for bicyclists to travel from the Twin Cities to the Delta. In Wisconsin, it follows much of the Great River Road route your drivers took. As any experienced bicycle tourist can tell you, bicycling inherently provides a more intimate experience with the land than driving.

Information on the Mississippi River Trail, including links to state-by-state maps, is available on http://www.mississippirivertrail.org .

John Z. Wetmore

Bethesda