AROUND PUGLIA -

When landing in Bari for the summer vacation, we rented a car to reach Galipolli and to have a transportation for exploring the region. We visited several local towns and cities, including some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. According to my opinion.

OTRANTO
Named one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, I borghi più belli d’Italia, Otranto is a coastal town on the Adriatic side of the Apulia region.

Otranto is home to the 15th-century Aragonese Castle and 11th-century Otranto Cathedral, with a rose window and ornate mosaic flooring.

The 5000 inhabitants village is located on the east coast of the Salento peninsula.

The Strait of Otranto, to which the city gives its name, connects the Adriatic Sea with the Ionian Sea and separates Italy from Albania.

Small in the size, the village was a perfect for an late afternoon walk with a stop for some refreshments before heading to the smallest most amazing beach in the region.

Spiaggie dei Gradoni is a pubblic free beach, just in th emiddle of the city, next to the small port. Its shalow waters alows it to keep the pleasant warmth during the day so we soaked up like in the bathtub.

Got to chat with some locals from Brindisi, that came for a swim, before heading for a dinner to a homestay in the country side as per recommendation of the lady selling some souvenirs. Yup, Debeli made contact with the locals in the search for a place to eat and it was no mistake.

LECCE

Called Florence of the South (or Firenze del Sud) due to its stunning concentration of rich, decorated Baroque architecture carved from local limestone, Lecce was incredible hot but beautiful that day.

We arrived late in the morning just for the 2hours free walking tour with other crazy enthusiast, looking for some knowledge on their summer tour. Not that I remember any of it now, two years after, sitting in cold Oslo reminiscing the summer of 2024.

*Lecce Cathedral originally built in 1144, rebuilt in 1230, then totally restored in the 1659–70 by Giuseppe Zimbalo. Five story 70m tall bell tower stands next to it*

The city was founded in 200 b.Ch during the Romans, from which time an ancient theater and an amphitheater are situated in the city center.

The emblem of Lecce shows a black she‑wolf passing before a green holm oak with golden acorns. Granted in 1942, it forms a visual pun: the wolf refers to the ancient name Lupiae, while the oak represents the region’s Latin name

Roman column topped with a bronze statue of the city’s patron saint, and the sunken Roman amphitheater

Orontius of Lecce, patron saint of Lecce, locally called Sant’Oronzo, is considered to have served as the city’s first Christian bishop

SANTA MARIA LEUCA

Famous for its iconic lighthouse, with its height of 47 meters, and position at 102 meters above sea level, St Maria Leuca is the second most important lighthouse in Italy, after Genova.

*The lowest point of the geographical “heel” of Italian peninsula is well noted for being the meeting point between the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea* and ‘’swiming’’ horizontaly one would arrive to Albania, and moving to the south, one can easily reach Greek islands. Metaphorically speaking .

Next to the lighthouse is the large Sanctuary, or Basilica, De Finibus Terrae (End of the Land ), built in the first half of 1700 to commemorate the passage of St. Peter here during his travel to Italy.

Devoted to Saint Mary (hence the name Santa Maria di Leuca) it lies on the former site of a Greek temple dedicated to Athena.

We drove 40 minutes from Gallipoli to this site, grabbed a lime stone lighthouse souvenir, and headed toward one of the many beautiful beaches of the Apulia region.

AROUND PUGLIA

You may also like

VALENCIA

TRIPPA ALLA MILANESE

THE SALVATORE FERRAGAMO MUSEUM