Holidays in Salento for the sea and fun

The holidays in Salento, in the various villages and hotels, are now the choice of many Italian and foreign tourists looking for sea and guaranteed fun.

Salento is called "the heel of the boot" and extends, therefore, in the southernmost part of Puglia. When we talk about Salento, everyone will have heard the famous dialectal saying "Lu sule, lu mare, lu ientu" which sums up in three simple words the true essence of this wonderful area of Italy. The Salento, in fact, presents enchanting landscapes, where white cities stand out in the scorched countryside from the scorching sun and many beaches of fine sand guarantee access to the crystal clear sea and make the area a perfect destination for everyone's holidays: great and little ones.

The main cities, such as Lecce, Otranto, Gallipoli, Porto Cesareo and Taranto, are developed on the coast, but also the hinterland offers small hidden treasures that can be appreciated only to the most attentive and adventurous eyes.

In fact, if it is true that the holidays in Salento are the perfect destination for holidays in the name of the sea and fun, it is also true that they are also for art lovers and lovers of typical cuisine, extremely rich and varied in this area.

Lecce

In the hypothetical route of Salento, the first city that meets on the Adriatic coast is Lecce. In recent years it has become a no longer a summer destination only, but a real art city that can be visited throughout the year.

The historic center, the Roman Amphitheater, the Castle of Charles V or the wonderful Piazza Sant'Oronzo are the triumph of Baroque art that has been integrated perfectly with the many works of art from the previous era.

Otranto

Continuing the route in a southerly direction, we find Otranto, a marvelous city, much appreciated as a summer destination, but which offers an inestimable heritage of artistic treasures.

It is the easternmost point of Italy and has always been considered as the bridge between the West and the East and the territory, as well as having paradisiacal beaches, it is a place rich in history and culture.

Like many cities of Salento, the historic center is enclosed in a fortress whose remains are clearly visible, but it is only a few kilometers away from the town that there are two mysterious and enchanting points: one in the north of the city, Baia dei Turchi and one placed in the south, Porto Badisco. Both coves, in addition to being incomparable access to the sea, have a thousand-year history in which myths and legends are intertwined. The former is the protagonist of numerous landings by the Turks in the fifteenth century, while the latter granted shelter to Enea fleeing from Troy.

Santa Maria di Leuca

One of the main towns of Salento is certainly Santa Maria di Leuca, an important seaside and tourist resort located in the southernmost part of the area.

A particularity that makes this area famous is the meeting between the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea. Given the different salinity, the two seas take on different colors and their meeting provides tourists with an incomparable spectacle. Those who have been lucky enough to capture this phenomenon have taken marvelous photographs.

Santa Maria di Leuca, moreover, marks a deep dividing line of the two sides of Salento and this is evident from the conformation of the two coasts: the east coast, for example, is high and rocky and offers suggestive caves dug by violent and perennial sea storms, such as the Grotta delle Cazzafre.

Gallipoli and the Maldives of Salento

Going back to the Ionian side, we find Gallipoli, the tourist city of Salento par excellence. In addition to the splendid sea, the old town, the Castle and the Greek Fountain, the city offers, and for this reason much appreciated by young people, the nightlife. Precisely for this reason, Gallipoli, over the years has earned the reputation of "Ibiza of Italy" or "Riccione of the South".

Along the coastline located south of the city there are numerous nightclubs, even on the beach, which offer throughout the season a program of entertainment full of musical events. Just think of the Lido Samsara or the Zen Lido.

Around the city there are numerous paradisiacal seaside resorts. Fine white beaches and turquoise and crystalline sea have made the area known as the "Maldives of Salento". You can mention the beach of Baia Verde or Punta Pizzo, the famous beach of Punta della Suina, or Torre Suda, Torre San Giovanni, Torre Mozza and finally Marina di Pescoluse.

Around all these places have arisen in recent years many hotels and villages that every year offer an excellent tourist service to all tourists who choose to spend their holidays in this paradise on earth.

Porto Cesareo

Also on the Ionian coast, just north of Gallipoli, is Porto Cesareo. Like the other cities mentioned, it is an important tourist center. One of the main beaches, which certainly needs no introduction is the Punta Prosciutto beach. The beach is of fine white sand, is surrounded by unspoilt nature and the crystal clear waters that make it a small place a corner of paradise in the heart of Salento.

The night of the Taranta in Melpignano

Beyond all the beauties of the Salento area, certainly the Taranta dance has helped make this land famous all over the world.

For over twenty years, in Melpignano, in the heart of Salento, a few kilometers south of Lecce, there is a festival able to attract thousands of tourists from around the world entirely dedicated to dance, music, folklore and tradition Salento.

The summer of Salento is able to satisfy all tourists. The architectural beauties are there, the landscapes are enchanting, the sea is exceptional, the nightlife is not lacking. You just have to leave, stay in one of the many villages or hotels scattered around the Salento, then leave with the promise to return. Without forgetting to taste the pasticciotto and a glass of Negramaro.