Gallipoli and surroundings
Piero: day five: a busy tour! We’ll leave early for Gallipoli, have lunch in Marina di Pescoluse, and close the afternoon in Santa Maria di Leuca.
Angela: Gallipoli is another charming Salento town. It’s a very lively city from a tourist perspective thanks to its enchanting landscape, architectural richness, and cultural heritage. Our tour begins with the castle located in the historic center of the city, near the bridge that connects Old Gallipoli, situated on an islet, to the new part.
Piero: let’s stroll along the walls to enjoy the sea and the island of Sant’Andrea in front. Before entering the central part of the old town, we can admire the small city beach from above.
Angela: the heart of the historic center is made up of cobbled streets, charming squares, local shops, and boutiques where you can admire beautiful local products. To conclude, it’s worth visiting the Cathedral dedicated to Saint Agatha. Be careful with parking and the parking meters; the checks are very strict: a fine for Piero and a fine for Angela… This quick tour ends here, and we set off south.
Piero: we arrive for lunch in Marina di Pescoluse for the famous Maldives of Salento: very white and fine beach, shallow bottoms, particularly clear and fragrant waters, and sandy dunes. It’s practically a paradise!
Angela: after relaxing on the beach, we continue south towards Santa Maria di Leuca, the tip of Salento.
Piero: given the short time available, we head straight to the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Leuca or De Finibus Terrae, which opens onto a bright square.
Angela: the square is dominated by a column topped with a statue of the Madonna and the lighthouse. We then arrive at the Belvedere, which overlooks the point where the Adriatic and Ionian seas meet: on clearer days, you can see the Greek islands and especially the Albanian hills. On the way back, we find the monumental waterfall. The waterfall is part of a grand project like the Apulian Aqueduct and was completed during the Fascist era. The waterfall was inaugurated with great pomp, to the extent that Mussolini had the monolithic Roman column sent directly from Rome, which is still placed at the end of the staircase next to the waterfall. The waterfall isn’t active all year round but is turned on mainly in the summer, allowing visitors to enjoy a show that is as unique as it is unusual.
Piero: from this part of the square, you can see the town of Santa Maria di Leuca from above, with its white houses and the small harbor.
Angela: we’ve kept another half hour to enjoy another natural spectacle, not far away: the Ciolo Bridge.
Piero: the Ciolo Canal is essentially a gorge overlooking the Adriatic, topped by a bridge (the Ciolo Bridge, indeed) over thirty meters high, under which a sandy cove gently slopes down. A small fjord that sometimes offers visitors the thrilling spectacle of a group of divers daring to jump into the sea from a significant height.
Angela: now, tired, we head back! Tomorrow we leave early for Matera (we’ll talk about that separately).
