# Salento

The heel of Italy: Lecce and its pale-stone Baroque, Otranto's mosaic, Gallipoli on its island and a coast of towers all the way to Leuca.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/apulia/salento · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## What is the Salento?

The southern tip of Apulia, the heel of the boot: a flat, windy limestone peninsula between the Adriatic to the east and the Ionian to the west. It covers the whole province of Lecce and part of those of Brindisi and Taranto. It's a land of olive trees, dry-stone walls, 15th- and 16th-century watchtowers facing the sea and white villages. In a few inland villages, the Grecìa Salentina, Griko, an ancient Greek dialect, is still spoken.

## What can you see in five days?

Lecce, the capital, is the Baroque of southern Italy, carved in a soft, pale limestone, Lecce stone, which is easy to carve. Start at the Basilica of Santa Croce: begun in 1549 and finished in 1695, with a façade full of animals, grotesque figures and foliage, and a large rose window. Continue to Piazza del Duomo, enclosed like a courtyard, and Piazza Sant'Oronzo, with half a Roman amphitheatre in view. Leave by the Porta Napoli and pass the castle of Charles V. Lecce is the best base: it has a train, restaurants and sits in the centre of the peninsula.

Otranto, on the Adriatic coast, is Italy's easternmost town: the Palascìa lighthouse, about 5 km away, marks the east tip of the peninsula. Its cathedral, consecrated in 1088, has a mosaic floor from 1163 to 1165 made by a workshop led by the monk Pantaleone, with the Tree of Life and scenes covering the whole nave. In a chapel are kept the remains of the townspeople killed by the Ottomans in 1480. Above, the Aragonese castle, rebuilt in the late 15th century.

Gallipoli, on the Ionian, has its old town on a limestone island joined to the mainland by a 16th-century bridge. Inside are the castle, the Baroque cathedral of Sant'Agata and, beside the bridge, the Greek Fountain. Below the wall is the Purità beach, and to the south, the lidos of Baia Verde.

Santa Maria di Leuca, at the tip, is where the two seas are said to meet. On the cape are the 18th-century basilica De Finibus Terrae, joined to the harbour by a staircase of 284 steps, and a lighthouse about 47 m tall. Below, the coast has sea caves and 19th-century villas.

## Which coast should you choose?

The Adriatic, from Otranto to Leuca, is high and rocky, with coves, caves and deep water: for swimming from the rocks and seeing the coast by boat. The Ionian, around Gallipoli, has more sandy beaches and lidos. As they're two seas facing opposite ways, in strong wind one coast is usually calmer than the other: if you stay inland, you can choose each day.

## What is the pizzica?

The Salento's traditional dance, fast and hypnotic, born of the rites of tarantism, which used music to cure the supposed bite of the tarantula. In August it's celebrated by La Notte della Taranta, a travelling festival with about twenty stages in the villages, from Lecce to Galatina via the Grecìa Salentina. It ends with a big concert in Melpignano, which in 2026 was on Saturday 22 August.

## How do you get there and get around?

Fly to Brindisi, the nearest airport, about 39 km from Lecce, or to Bari, further but with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and Valencia. Lecce is also the end of the Adriatic railway line, with trains from Bari and northern Italy. From Lecce, Ferrovie del Sud Est trains reach Gallipoli and other villages, but for the coast and small villages the car is the most practical. In August, traffic to the beaches is heavy: set out early.

## What to eat?

Orecchiette, aubergine parmigiana and potato pitta are dishes of the area. Also order the catch of the day in the coastal villages, and local red wine. In Lecce's pastry shops, breakfast is a pasticciotto, a little custard pastry.

## What to do, where to eat and sleep?

What to do. In Lecce, the Baroque with the LeccEcclesiae ticket, which opens Santa Croce, the Duomo and three more monuments, and the lift up the Duomo bell tower. In Otranto, the cathedral and its mosaic. At the tip, the boat to the Leuca caves, with two swimming stops. On the Ionian, the walk round Gallipoli's old town.

Where to eat. In Lecce, the Osteria degli Spiriti, Salento cooking under stone vaults, open on Sunday lunchtime. Near Otranto, the agriturismo Il Contadino, with handmade pasta and grilled meats, every day. For a special dinner in Otranto, Materia Hostaria, with a tasting menu.

Where to sleep. In Lecce, the Patria Palace Hotel, a five-star opposite Santa Croce. In the countryside near Otranto, the Masseria Montelauro, with a pool. On Gallipoli's island, the Palazzo Mosco Inn, to get everywhere on foot.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: Itria Valley (a 84.1 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Lecce's Baroque with the LeccEcclesiae ticket: Santa Croce, the Duomo and three more churches** (2 h 30 · Everyone; the centre is flat and pedestrianised · Desde 11 € per person): Lecce is the city of the Baroque in southern Italy. Its churches are carved in Lecce stone, a pale, soft limestone that could be worked almost like wood, and which turns golden at sunset. The LeccEcclesiae ticket opens for you, in a single route, the five jewels of that Baroque, a few minutes' walk from each other.
What the ticket includes

Basilica of Santa Croce. The city's most famous facade: begun in 1549 and finished in 1695, it is covered in animals, grotesque figures, garlands and a great rose window. Inside, the white of the stone and the carved side altars.
Duomo, in the square of the same name, which closes like a courtyard with the bishop's palace and the Old Seminary. Beside it rises the bell tower.
Old Seminary, with its cloister, the chapel of San Gregorio and the MuDAS, the diocese's Museum of Sacred Art.
San Matteo and Santa Chiara, two smaller Baroque churches in the historic centre, a few minutes' walk away.

The Duomo's bell tower is not included: with the full ticket, at €21, you also go up by lift to its balconies at 43 metres (see the bell tower climb).
Price, hours and how to buy
The ticket costs €11; ages 12 to 17, €5; and there is a family ticket for €24 for two adults and their children aged 12 to 17. It is valid for 15 days and allows one entry to each monument, so you can see Santa Croce one day and the Duomo another.
The monuments are open every day: from 9:00 to 18:00 in the winter period and from 9:00 to 21:00 in the summer. Entry is until 15 minutes before closing. During Mass there is no visiting: the website publishes the calendar of services.
Buy on the LeccEcclesiae website or at the ticket offices in Piazza del Duomo, inside the Old Seminary, and at Santa Croce.
Where to start
Start at Santa Croce, first thing, when the light hits the facade from the side and there are fewer groups. Cross Piazza Sant'Oronzo and continue to Piazza del Duomo: in about ten minutes on foot you are at the second monument. Leave San Matteo and Santa Chiara for the end, on the way to Piazza Sant'Oronzo and the amphitheatre. Taking your time, allow two and a half hours.
On Friday evenings, I Misteri di Santa Croce opens the basilica in the dark for 30 people, with light, music and access to the rose window balcony: one hour, €20, or €12 if you already have the LeccEcclesiae ticket.
- **Otranto cathedral and its 12th-century mosaic: the Tree of Life and the Chapel of the Martyrs** (45 min · Everyone; it is a church in use, so dress appropriately): Otranto cathedral, dedicated to the Annunciation, is at the top of the old town, a few minutes' walk from the castle and the harbour. From outside it is sober, in pale stone with a rose window. What you come to see is on the floor.
Pantaleone's mosaic
The cathedral was consecrated in 1088. Between 1163 and 1165, a workshop led by the monk Pantaleone covered the floor of the nave, the aisles, the presbytery and the apse with a mosaic of coloured stones. The axis is a great Tree of Life that runs along the nave from the entrance. Beside it are episodes from the Old Testament, animals from medieval bestiaries, scenes from chivalric romances and an Alexander the Great flying carried by griffins, with the inscription “ALEXANDER REX”.
Walk slowly from the door towards the altar, following the trunk of the tree: the mosaic reads like an open book. Part of the floor was covered for centuries by later works, and the nave was restored between 1986 and 1992. When it was lifted, remains of an early Christian church appeared, a late Roman mosaic of the 4th and 5th centuries and two Messapian tombs.
The Chapel of the Martyrs and the crypt
At the end of the right aisle, the Chapel of the Martyrs keeps in seven large display cases the bones of the people of Otranto whom the Ottomans killed on 14 August 1480, when they took the city. Behind the altar is the stone on which, according to tradition, they were executed. It is impressive, and with small children it is best to warn them before going in.
Beneath the presbytery is the crypt: 48 bays supported by more than seventy columns and pillars, brought from older buildings. In the 1950s its original stairs were reopened. Above, in the nave, fourteen granite columns each have a different capital.
Hours and the visit
The cathedral is open from 8:30 to 12:00 and from 15:30 to 18:30, according to the archdiocese's website. It is a church in use: it cannot be visited during Mass and you should enter with shoulders and knees covered. The website does not publish an admission fee.
Otranto's old town is pedestrianised; park outside the walls, by the harbour or in the car parks at the entrance to the town, and walk up.
- **Boat to the Santa Maria di Leuca sea caves: three hours along both coasts of the cape, with swimming** (3 h · Anyone who is not prone to seasickness; suitable for young children, who pay less from 4 to 11 · Desde 30 € per person): Santa Maria di Leuca is at the tip of the heel of Italy, where the Adriatic and the Ionian are said to meet. Its coast is limestone, high and full of cavities that the sea has gradually opened: there are dozens of caves, many accessible only by boat. The easiest way to see them is a guided excursion from the port.
The full excursion
It is organised by Blue Marine, from Molo I of the tourist harbour. It lasts three hours and covers both coasts of the cape. You set out towards the Punta Meliso lighthouse and round it to the Adriatic side, about 5.5 km of cliffs, with a first stop to swim at the Grotta dello Spruzzo, known for its play of light. Then the boat heads back towards the Ionian side, another 4 km, passing Punta Ristola, with a second stop for a swim.
Along the way, the skipper names the caves: the Terradico, triangular like a tent; the dei Gabbiani, with stalactites and gulls; the della Vora, more than 60 metres long, with a hole in the roof through which the sun enters at certain hours; the del Presepe, with shapes reminiscent of a nativity scene; the delle Tre Porte, with three mouths over the sea; the dei Giganti, where remains from the Middle Palaeolithic have been found; and the del Drago, about 60 metres deep, with rocks that look like a dragon's head.
It includes a guide, the swimming stops and music on board.
Price, departures and season
It leaves at 10:00 and 14:00. It costs from €30 per adult and from €20 per child aged 4 to 11; depending on the date, the price rises to €40 per adult in high season. Children under 3 do not pay. On its calendar, departures run from late March to late October.
Book on the Blue Marine website, choosing the date and time. If you prefer something shorter, they have a departure along the Adriatic coast only from €20.
Getting there and parking
Leuca is about 80 km from Lecce, around an hour and a quarter by car. Park near the seafront and walk to the tourist harbour with time to find the pier. Above, on the cape, are the De Finibus Terrae basilica and the lighthouse: climb up to them before or after the boat.
- **Climbing the Lecce Duomo bell tower: lift to 43 metres and a view as far as the Adriatic** (20 min · Everyone; you go up by lift · Desde 12 € per person): Lecce is a flat city: from the street you see no further than the next facade. That is why it is worth going up the Duomo bell tower, which rises on a corner of Piazza del Duomo. There are no stairs to climb: since a lift was installed, you reach the third level of the tower effortlessly.
What you will see
At the top there are four balconies at 43 metres, one on each side. You see the flat roofs and domes of the historic centre, Piazza del Duomo just below like a closed courtyard, the facade of Santa Croce between the houses and, around the city, the flat olive country of the Salento. The organisers say that, with good visibility, the view reaches the Adriatic and the coast of Albania.
There are interactive totems and viewers that help you identify what you see, and staff on the balconies during the shift.
Price, time slots and hours
The climb, called UP! il Campanile del Duomo, costs €12. It runs in time slots every 20 minutes, with a maximum of 15 people, so in high season it is wise to buy your slot in advance. The timed ticket can be bought on the website up to two hours before.
It is open every day: from 10:00 to 18:00 in the winter period and from 9:00 to 21:00 in the summer.
If you are also going to visit the churches, buy the full ticket (€21), which combines the bell tower with the LeccEcclesiae ticket for the Duomo, Santa Croce, Santa Chiara, San Matteo and the Old Seminary (see Lecce's Baroque).
When to go up
The best times are the last hour of the afternoon, when Lecce stone turns golden, and the first hour of the morning, with the air cleaner for seeing the sea. At midday in summer the light is harsh and flattens the facades. It works well with children: the lift avoids the stairs and the visit is short.
- **Walking Gallipoli's old town: the island, the castle, Sant'Agata and Purità beach** (2 h · 2.5 km · Everyone; flat, with narrow alleys · Free): Gallipoli is on the Ionian coast of the Salento, about 40 km from Lecce, three-quarters of an hour by car. Its old town occupies a limestone island joined to the mainland by a 16th-century bridge. Inside are white alleys, courtyards, Baroque churches and, all round, the wall with the sea at its feet. It is a free, flat walk that needs no booking.
The route
The Greek Fountain. Start on the mainland, beside the bridge. The fountain has mythological bas-reliefs; for a long time it was believed to date from the 3rd century BC, but it is from the 16th century.
The castle. Cross the bridge: the Angevin-Aragonese castle closes the entrance to the island. Its origin is 13th-century and the Angevins and Aragonese rebuilt almost all of it. Beside it is the harbour, with the fishing boats.
Sant'Agata cathedral. Go up the main street to the centre of the island. The cathedral is Baroque, from the 17th century, with a richly worked local stone facade. Inside, the high altar in coloured marbles is by Cosimo Fanzago.
La Purità. Continue to the end of the island along the wall walk, the Riviera, with the Ionian beside you. You reach the church of Santa Maria della Purità, from 1661, with a canvas by Luca Giordano on the altar. Just below, at the foot of the wall, is Purità beach, a small sandy beach within the city.
Back along the wall. Complete the ring along the Riviera to the castle. At sunset, the sun sets over the sea from this side of the island.
When to go and how to get there
It can be done all year. In July and August, the old town and the beach clubs fill up at midday: go early or from six in the evening. Gallipoli has a train from Lecce run by Ferrovie del Sud Est. By car, park in the new part, before the bridge, and cross on foot. If you stay on the island, as at the Palazzo Mosco Inn, ask the hotel how to leave the car.
With children and with a dog
It is a flat, short walk: with a pushchair it is possible, though some alleys are narrow. Purità beach is the reward at the end. With a dog, on a lead in the streets; for churches and the beach, ask first.

## Dónde comer
- **Osteria degli Spiriti** (Restaurant, Lecce). Qué pedir: the vegetable antipasto and focaccias, the spelt spaghetti with cheese, aubergine and small tomatoes, and the salt cod on potato foam; for dessert, the homemade sweets
- **Il Contadino** (Restaurant, Frassanito (Otranto), €€). Qué pedir: the Contadino antipasto to share, the orecchiette with turnip tops or the ciceri e tria, and for a main course the mixed grill or the fish of the day from the display case
- **Materia Hostaria** (Restaurant, Otranto, €€€). Qué pedir: the 4-course (€45) or 6-course (€72) tasting menu, for the whole table; à la carte, the lamb turcinieddhri or the whipped and fried salt cod with celline olive cream

## By plane: Fly to Bari and take a car or train to Lecce
To get to the Salento from Spain, the airport with direct flights is Bari: according to Geocalia's route table, there are non-stop flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and Valencia. Brindisi is closer to Lecce, about 39 km, but from Spain you get there with a stopover. From Bari to Lecce it is about two hours by car, some 150 km, or a little under two hours by train.
### Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Patria Palace Hotel Lecce** (Hotel): A palace opposite Santa Croce
The Patria Palace occupies an 18th-century palace on Piazzetta Riccardi, in the heart of Lecce's historic centre, right next to the Basilica of Santa Croce. It was the residence of the noble Petrarolo D'Anna family, then an orphanage and then the city's first inn; after Italian unification it was renamed Locanda Patria. In 1997 it became the first five-star hotel in Apulia. Today it is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World.
Inside it mixes Lecce stone, Art Nouveau details and contemporary design furniture. It is the option for a treat in the city: you walk out the door and in two minutes you are in front of the Salento's most famous Baroque facade.
The rooms
There are nine types of room, from 24 m² to 60 m², all with marble bathroom:

Superior and Design Deluxe, of 24 and 26 m², facing inwards.
Deluxe Barocco View, of 24 m², with a view of Santa Croce: ask for this one if you want to wake up facing the basilica.
Deluxe with terrace, of 25 m², with a private terrace over the city.
Junior suites of 34 and 35 m²; the Santa Croce Junior Suite has a double view of the basilica and a bathtub.
Ernesto Barba and Tito Schipa Suites, of 55 and 60 m², with a terrace.
Terrace Suite, of 45 m², with a large private terrace with a hydromassage tub and views of the city and Santa Croce.

Eating, spa and services
The restaurant Atenze has a terrace, and the Sira rooftop is a bar with Santa Croce so close it feels as if you could touch it. The Idume spa is beneath stone vaults, with a sauna. There is a gym open 24 hours, laundry and private transfers for a supplement, which are requested at the concierge.
Arriving by car
The hotel is inside the limited-traffic zone of the centre: on arrival, give your number plate at reception. The hotel advises putting Viale Felice Cavallotti into the satnav and following its directions from there. A valet leaves your car in a private garage for €35 a day; electric car charging costs €15 a day. From here you are about 45 minutes from Otranto and Gallipoli.
- **Masseria Montelauro** (Country house): A masseria among olive trees, a step from the sea
Masserie are the fortified farms of the Apulian countryside. Montelauro is on the outskirts of Otranto, on the road towards Uggiano, surrounded by olive and almond trees and close to the beaches of the Otranto coast. According to the house, it was founded around the year 1000: it was a meeting place for monks of the nearby abbeys and then a herbalist's, until in the late 19th century it took a shape similar to today's. In 2001 it was renovated by Elisabetta and her daughters, Caterina and Mercedes, who have run it since. It is part of the Dimore Storiche and received the “La Fabbrica nel Paesaggio” award from the Unesco Club.
It is the rural option in the Salento: countryside, pool and silence, with Otranto's old town a few minutes by car.
The rooms
There are 29 rooms of four types: Classic, Superior, Junior and Suite. None is like another, because the original spaces were respected: whitewashed walls, Lecce stone vaults and floors of chianca, the local stone slab. The beds, canopies, bedside tables and lamps are of wrought iron, handmade by local craftsmen, and the wooden wardrobes and chests come from old houses. Some have a terrace and others a small patio with sofas.
The courtyard, the table and breakfast
The centre of life in the house is the rural courtyard, with open-air lounges, a pool and wisteria pergolas. Massages are offered on request, individual or for couples.
Breakfast is a buffet that changes with the season: warm focaccia, sourdough bread, frise, their own jams, yogurt and fresh cheeses, cured meats, fruit and vegetables from the house's organic garden and eggs from its hens.
The restaurant Fimmine (“women”, in dialect) is also open to non-guests. The menu changes often: vegetables, fruit and oil from the garden, and cereals, cheeses, meat and fish from small nearby producers. Tables are booked on WhatsApp at +39 351 558 1375.
Getting there
It is on provincial road 358, between Otranto and Uggiano la Chiesa. You need a car: to go to Otranto's old town, the cathedral and the coves to the south. Lecce is about 45 minutes away.
- **Palazzo Mosco Inn** (Small hotel): A 19th-century palace on the island
Palazzo Mosco Inn is a small hotel in a 19th-century palace in Gallipoli's old town, the city on a limestone island in the Ionian. It is on Via Micetti, behind the cathedral of Sant'Agata, among the alleys and courtyards of a district that is still a fishermen's one. From here you do everything on foot: the cathedral, the wall, the castle and Purità beach (see the old town walk).
It is the option for sleeping inside the city, without a car, with the sea round the corner.
The rooms
Each room is different, with furniture that follows the building's 19th-century style. Some face the old town's alleys and others the inner courtyard. There are two types:

Double Standard, from 15 m²: small and well kept.
Double Deluxe, from 20 m²: some have a four-poster bed, and others keep the original mosaic floor or frescoes.

All have adjustable air conditioning, wifi, satellite television, minibar, safe, hairdryer and a marble bathroom with shower.
The terrace and services
The best of the house is up above: a terrace over the sea and the Gulf of Gallipoli, with the white walls and bougainvilleas of the old town around, for a drink at sunset. There is a small wellness room where treatments and massages are booked.
The hotel belongs to the same group as the Palazzo del Corso, a five-star in Gallipoli with a rooftop restaurant, the Relais Corte Palmieri and the Relais Valle dell'Idro in Otranto. From the Palazzo del Corso, yacht outings for up to four people are organised, with a swim at Sant'Andrea island.
Getting there
Gallipoli has a train from Lecce run by Ferrovie del Sud Est, about 45 minutes by car. If you come by car, ask the hotel before you arrive where to leave it: the old town is a maze of alleys.

## By car: By car, from one coast to the other
The Salento is flat and distances are short: from Lecce you are about 45 minutes from Otranto and Gallipoli, and a little over an hour from Santa Maria di Leuca. With a car you choose each day the coast with less wind and reach the coves and the masserie inland. In return, Lecce's centre is a limited-traffic zone, and in Otranto and Gallipoli the convenient thing is to park outside the old town and go in on foot.
Presupuesto orientativo: 100–220 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Patria Palace Hotel Lecce** (Hotel): A palace opposite Santa Croce
The Patria Palace occupies an 18th-century palace on Piazzetta Riccardi, in the heart of Lecce's historic centre, right next to the Basilica of Santa Croce. It was the residence of the noble Petrarolo D'Anna family, then an orphanage and then the city's first inn; after Italian unification it was renamed Locanda Patria. In 1997 it became the first five-star hotel in Apulia. Today it is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World.
Inside it mixes Lecce stone, Art Nouveau details and contemporary design furniture. It is the option for a treat in the city: you walk out the door and in two minutes you are in front of the Salento's most famous Baroque facade.
The rooms
There are nine types of room, from 24 m² to 60 m², all with marble bathroom:

Superior and Design Deluxe, of 24 and 26 m², facing inwards.
Deluxe Barocco View, of 24 m², with a view of Santa Croce: ask for this one if you want to wake up facing the basilica.
Deluxe with terrace, of 25 m², with a private terrace over the city.
Junior suites of 34 and 35 m²; the Santa Croce Junior Suite has a double view of the basilica and a bathtub.
Ernesto Barba and Tito Schipa Suites, of 55 and 60 m², with a terrace.
Terrace Suite, of 45 m², with a large private terrace with a hydromassage tub and views of the city and Santa Croce.

Eating, spa and services
The restaurant Atenze has a terrace, and the Sira rooftop is a bar with Santa Croce so close it feels as if you could touch it. The Idume spa is beneath stone vaults, with a sauna. There is a gym open 24 hours, laundry and private transfers for a supplement, which are requested at the concierge.
Arriving by car
The hotel is inside the limited-traffic zone of the centre: on arrival, give your number plate at reception. The hotel advises putting Viale Felice Cavallotti into the satnav and following its directions from there. A valet leaves your car in a private garage for €35 a day; electric car charging costs €15 a day. From here you are about 45 minutes from Otranto and Gallipoli.
- **Masseria Montelauro** (Country house): A masseria among olive trees, a step from the sea
Masserie are the fortified farms of the Apulian countryside. Montelauro is on the outskirts of Otranto, on the road towards Uggiano, surrounded by olive and almond trees and close to the beaches of the Otranto coast. According to the house, it was founded around the year 1000: it was a meeting place for monks of the nearby abbeys and then a herbalist's, until in the late 19th century it took a shape similar to today's. In 2001 it was renovated by Elisabetta and her daughters, Caterina and Mercedes, who have run it since. It is part of the Dimore Storiche and received the “La Fabbrica nel Paesaggio” award from the Unesco Club.
It is the rural option in the Salento: countryside, pool and silence, with Otranto's old town a few minutes by car.
The rooms
There are 29 rooms of four types: Classic, Superior, Junior and Suite. None is like another, because the original spaces were respected: whitewashed walls, Lecce stone vaults and floors of chianca, the local stone slab. The beds, canopies, bedside tables and lamps are of wrought iron, handmade by local craftsmen, and the wooden wardrobes and chests come from old houses. Some have a terrace and others a small patio with sofas.
The courtyard, the table and breakfast
The centre of life in the house is the rural courtyard, with open-air lounges, a pool and wisteria pergolas. Massages are offered on request, individual or for couples.
Breakfast is a buffet that changes with the season: warm focaccia, sourdough bread, frise, their own jams, yogurt and fresh cheeses, cured meats, fruit and vegetables from the house's organic garden and eggs from its hens.
The restaurant Fimmine (“women”, in dialect) is also open to non-guests. The menu changes often: vegetables, fruit and oil from the garden, and cereals, cheeses, meat and fish from small nearby producers. Tables are booked on WhatsApp at +39 351 558 1375.
Getting there
It is on provincial road 358, between Otranto and Uggiano la Chiesa. You need a car: to go to Otranto's old town, the cathedral and the coves to the south. Lecce is about 45 minutes away.

## Consejos

### Sleep in Lecce or inland
From Lecce or from a village in the middle of the peninsula you reach both coasts in under an hour.

### Choose the coast by the wind
Check the forecast in the morning: in strong wind, the sea on the sheltered coast will be calmer.

### Go to Lecce at sunset
The stone turns golden and the centre fills with people strolling.

### Bring water shoes
On the Adriatic coast you mostly swim from the rocks.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How many days do I need?
Four to six. One for Lecce, one for Otranto, one for the coast to Leuca, one for Gallipoli and one or two for the beach.

### Where should I stay?
In Lecce, if you want a city and a train. In Otranto or Gallipoli, if you want the sea at your door. In an inland masseria, if you're going by car.

### Can you go without a car?
To Lecce, Otranto and Gallipoli, yes, by train. For the coves, Leuca and the small villages, a car is almost essential.

### When is the Notte della Taranta?
In August. The festival tours about twenty villages and ends with the Melpignano concert, in the second half of the month.

### Which sea is better for swimming?
The Ionian has more sand and calm water; the Adriatic, rock and very clear water. It depends on the wind each day.

### Where is Griko spoken?
In some inland villages, in the so-called Grecìa Salentina, south of Lecce.