SALENTO

Salento is the southernmost part of the heel of Italy, starting around the end of the hills of the Itria Valley. Starting from there, the land becomes a long tongue that laps two seas: the Adriatic to the east, the Ionian to the west.

Salento includes some of the most beautiful cities in Italy, certainly worth a visit, such as Gallipoli and Otranto, or the refinement of the Baroque of Lecce and the luxurious Liberty villas of Santa Maria di Leuca. Salento is full of small inland towns that are off the tourist trails, yet very interesting to visit thanks to their unspoiled historic centers and genuine food. For example, Specchia and the Greek cities of Calimera, Carpignano Salentino, Castrignano dei Greci, Corigliano d`Otranto, Cutrofiano, Martano, Martignano, Melpignano, Soleto, Sternatia and Zollino. These towns, within about 20 km at the south of Lecce, retain strong historical links with Greece. The local dialect, called `Grika`, and many of the gastronomic, cultural and religious traditions of the area have evident Hellenic roots, which are celebrated with frequent festivals, including the very popular and overwhelming Notte della Taranta.

Salento's hinterland plays a crucial role within the Italian agricultural economy, producing huge quantities of excellent olive oil and robust wines. Lecce, a real Apulian baroque gem, is located about 7 km from the sea, yet is connected to it by a road towards the Adriatic, which ends in the small town of San Cataldo and its sandy beaches. An authentic natural reserve facing the sea. From this point, the coast becomes limestone cliff, the transparent waters and the sandy beaches of Torre dell'Orso are not to be missed... unless, you choose to keep going a few miles south towards the two Alimini lakes, immersed in an amazing Mediterranean pine forest. The largest one is connected to the sea via a small channel, and the beaches are just breath-taking.

A few steps away to the south, you can find the delightful port town of Otranto, another highlight of this area of the Adriatic coast. In addition to its historical and architectural interest, Otranto also features several lovely beaches, one of which is right in the city centre. About 2 miles from Otranto, in Capo d'Otranto, you'll reach the easternmost point of Italy and from here on - up to the tip of the heel - where the Adriatic and Ionian rivers meet and mix in Santa Maria of Leuca, the coast presents some rocky cliffs, such as that of Porto Badisco, which heads inland for about 400 meters, and small, yet beautiful cities like Castro, which rises to peak on the sea. Continuing our tour on the coast, heading to the west from Santa Maria di Leuca, with its strategically located lighthouse and sumptuous Art Nouveau villas, you will soon arrive at one of the most enchanting traits of sandy beach in Italy: about 6 km running along Marina di Salve, through Marina di Pescoluse and up to Torre Pali. A brief interruption of the rocky coast paves the way to more spectacular sand and turquoise waters at Torre Mozza and Marina di Ugento.

GALLIPOLI

A few steps away to the south, you can find the delightful port town of Otranto, another highlight of this area of the Adriatic coast. In addition to its historical and architectural interest, Otranto also features several lovely beaches, one of which is right in the city centre. About 2 miles from Otranto, in Capo d'Otranto, you'll reach the easternmost point of Italy and from here on - up to the tip of the heel - where the Adriatic and Ionian rivers meet and mix in Santa Maria of Leuca, the coast presents some rocky cliffs, such as that of Porto Badisco, which heads inland for about 400 meters, and small, yet beautiful cities like Castro, which rises to peak on the sea. Continuing our tour on the coast, heading to the west from Santa Maria di Leuca, with its strategically located lighthouse and sumptuous Art Nouveau villas, you will soon arrive at one of the most enchanting traits of sandy beach in Italy: about 6 km running along Marina di Salve, through Marina di Pescoluse and up to Torre Pali. A brief interruption of the rocky coast paves the way to more spectacular sand and turquoise waters at Torre Mozza and Marina di Ugento.

The urban layout of the Old City features some extremely narrow and winding streets, according to a scheme that dates back to the first half of the 20th century a.C., when the city was conquered by the Saracens. This older side is divided into two areas separated from the main road, via Antonietta De Pace. The island on which the historic center stands was once joined to the mainland by a strip of natural land, called the isthmus, which was the one and only way to access the city. Gallipoli has just over 22,000 inhabitants, but as of today it has become a famous destination, thanks above all to the scenic beauty typical of the Mediterranean scrub and thanks to its coasts: both on the rocky side and on the sandy one. According to tradition, its name derives from two Greek terms: “Kalè” and “Polis”, literally “beautiful city”. 

The city is divided into the new village and the old village (Borgo Nuovo and Borgo Antico). The Old City of Gallipoli is comparable to an island completely lying on the sea and connected to the mainland - and to the new area - by a stone bridge. This side is absolutely worth a visit: full of ancient palaces and churches in Baroque style, it was built by the Greeks as a sort of labyrinth, where all the streets cross one into the other, between the houses with white walls and blue cornices, all marking paths that all lead to the city walls overlooking the port. At the beginning of the bridge that connects the Borgo to the Old City stands the "Rivellino", an Angevin-Aragonese Castle. Inside the historic center, there is also a small beach, called Spiaggia della Purità, named after the Church located exactly above the beach, which is accessible via a flight of stairs that connects this side of the town with the port. Here is preserved the Statue of Santa Cristina - patron saint of the city - which is celebrated with a religious procession, lights and fireworks on July 24th.  

However, Gallipoli is not just about history, culture and art. We have the sea (and it is no coincidence that the other name of the city is that of "Pearl of the Ionian"): a sky blue, velvety mantle that covers the south coast, mainly sandy, for about twenty kilometers and also extends to the north, along an area called Rivabella. We have nature: pine forests and plants typical of the Mediterranean scrub frame all the shores. You can also admire the Greek Fountain - a 16th century piece of artwork - located at the beginning of the stone bridge that connects the new with the old side of the town. Recently renovated, this fountain depicts the metamorphosis of mythological characters in bas-relief. Moreover, Gallipoli has several churches (each of these belonging to a single arts and crafts confraternity that represented the city: fishermen, carpenters, nobles...) including the Cathedral of Sant'Agata, the highest expression of Baroque architecture, and the church of San Francesco d'Assisi, where the statue of the "Malladrone" (as it is called in Gallipoli dialect) is kept in the altar of the crucifixion; literally the "bad thief", crucified next to Jesus, it is a wooden statue of great artistic value, whose face features a mocking grin, which appears so incredibly realistic that the statue was defined by Gabriele D'Annunzio, in one of his writings, as a masterpiece of "horrid beauty". Today, Gallipoli has become one of the most important tourist attractions in Salento and in the whole Italy. The town has learned a lot and is improving itself, giving more and more importance to tourism, without ever neglecting the history and traditions of its people.