The Salentinian peninsula is located on the extreme south-est of Italy, at the end of the Apulia region.
Salento, Apulia in South Italy extends its territory from north Lecce to Santa Maria di Leuca.
This Italian sub-region is well-know for its cultural, artistic and landscape patrimony.
Salento (Salentu in local dialect) in South Italy offers enchanted coloured countrysides, crystal-clear sea, white sandy beaches, olive groves, towns reach in history, sun, relax and it's the ideal place for your holidays.
Important to visit is the provincial Capital Lecce, the Florence of the South Italy, reach in monuments, churches, palaces and buildings in baroque style.
We suggest you Otranto, Gallipoli, Santa Maria di Leuca, Porto Cesareo, all directly on the sea.
Salento, Italy is represented by the Gastronomy, local traditions, festivals and events.
You can taste local specialities and typical flavours, like the wine (Negroamaro), the extra-virgin olive's oil, friseddha (local product of wheat) and famous dishes that you can admire and eat during many summer food festivals.
The summer in Salento, Italy offers also many musical festivals, important is the “Notte della Taranta” in Melpignano, Salentinian Greece .
From Lecce - San Cataldo to Otranto - Porto Badisco:
San Cataldo is 10 km far from Lecce, diretcly on the Adriatic sea.
The landscape is rich in wild and Mediterranean vegetation, the sea here is shallow and clear.
Pasting San Caltaldo and then the WWF protected Le Cesine oasis, you come to San Foca.
San Foca is well-know specially for its large harbour and for its waters.
From there to south, direction Otranto, the coast becomes rocky and the waters deeper.
After few kilometres, you reach Torre dell'Orso, a wide sandy cove enclosed between tall cliffs.
The sand is white and fine and the sea crystal-clear and shallow, ideal for children.
Torre dell'Orso is an important tourist centre, with hotels, villages and apartments.
In two kilometres you find Sant'Andrea, suggestive to see here the “faraglioni” along the coast.
Then you reach the Laghi Alimini, coastal lakes joined to the sea.
Otranto is the most important coastal city on the Salento Adriatic sea.
The city is reach in art and culture, you can visit beautiful churches, the cathedral, the castle, the harbour and all beaches, such as Baia dei Turchi and Alimini.
In few minutes you reach Porto Badisco.
From Porto Badisco to Santa Maria di Leuca:
The suggestive coast from Porto Badisco to Leuca is the point where the Adriatic sea meets the Ionian sea.
We start from Porto Badisco, where the story told that Enea arrived after Cartagine.
The little beach is defended by an inlet that cuts for 500 mt. An oasis of peace without winds.
Porto Badisco is famous to be the capital of the sea urchin, infact in August there is the characteristic village festival.
From there we reach direction south Santa Cesarea Terme, well-know for its caves, such as Solfurea, Fetida, Gatulla and Bagno Marina caves, from which gush sulphurous water.
The town for this reason is the thermal centre of Salento.
Going on you find Porto Miggiano with the little harbour. Near this location, between Poggiardo and Vasto, there is a bauxite quarry and some caves.
Before to reach Castro there are the Zinzulusa cave with stalactites and stalagmites and tracks os pre-historical civilizations. Castro's ancient center is still intact and it keeps the atmosphere of the old fishermen's villages.
By car we arrive at the Ciolo channel, after that we will find Santa Maria di Leuca “finis terrae”.
From Leuca to Gallipoli:
Santa Maria di Leuca is very suggestive: here we can observe luxurious villas, caves reachable only by boat, strengthened Farms called Masserie, the sanctuary, a beautiful harbour and the limpid see with its colours from blue to green.
Leuca is the ideal place to make diving excursions along the rich coasts with the marvelous marine flora and fauna.
After Leuca in direction Gallipoli, we find Torre San Gregorio, an ancient messapic place in which restaurant you can taste typical sea dishes.
The Salento coast is characterized by Towers in italian “Torre”), typical constructions for the service of look-out and for defend the peninsula: there are about 80 towers totally along the coast.
From Torre San Gregorio, after 4 km we find Torre Vado, an important tourist place, well-know especially for its clear see.
Here we can see famous beaches, like “Pescoluse”, the “Maldive del Salento”, “Posto Vecchio”.
This part of the coast has sand dunes, Mediterranean bushes, sources of sweet water and clean sea.
From there up to Gallipoli, we find many location with towers and sand beaches like Torre Pali, Torre Mozza, Lido Marini and Torre San Giovanni.
In these places there are many tourist buildings, such as hotels, villages, apartments, camping and so on.
After Torre San Giovanni, Ugento there is a 20kms long line of low coast, where crossing Torre Suda and Mancaversa we can see the “Baia del Pizzo”, a wonderful naturalistic reserve.
And then we arrive in Gallipoli.
Gallipoli is called the pearl of the Ionian sea: reach of art and beauty for the sea. Called “Kalé Polis” (beautiful city), Gallipoli has an old part situated on a little island connected with the land through a bridge.
Interesting to visit is the Castle, the Cathedral of Sant'Agata, many old churches and palaces (Palazzo Romito, Palazzo Senape de Pace, Palazzo Tafuri..), a Greek fountain.
In Gallipoli you can admire local fishermen, that clean and plot the nets and that sell their fished fish.
Gallipoli is also famous for its sandy beaches, like Baia Verde, Lido, Rivabella and many others.
From Gallipoli to Porto Cesareo:
Near Gallipoli, in direction Porto Cesareo, you find important tourist resorts, such as Rivabella, Lido Conchiglie, Santa Maria al Bagno (to visit Le quattro Colonne, old towers' ruins) and Santa Caterina. All this little marine centres can be visited also by foot, for the closeness.
Northward a single Tower, the Torre dell'Alto, marks the start of the Porto Selvaggio nature reserve. Then Torre Uluzzo, where thousand-year-old caves spring up along the cliff walls.
Keep going and pasting the “Palude del Capitano, you reach Sant'Isidoro: here you can swim in a clear sea with shallow water, ideal for children.
Five kilometres far there is Porto Cesareo: a very important commercial and tourist port.
The coast in this zone is very low and sandy, famous beaches are: Torre Lapillo, Torre Castiglione, Lido degli Angeli.
Important to see are the Conigli and Mogliuso islands.
Porto Cesareo is well-know for the crystal blue water and its restaurants that offer to the tourist fresh and typical dishes of fish.
One of the best things about Salento is the number of beautiful towns and villages and if you are coming to Salento to look for a house, we recommend the following places to stay:
Lecce
Otranto
Gallipoli
Santa Maria di Leuca