Not only sea and nature but also culture, tradition and history..discover the most important and representative cities of Salento such as Lecce, Otranto, Gallipoli…
Torre dell’Orso an exclusively tourist resort on the Adriatic, halfway between San Cataldo and Otranto. The beach is developed in a coastal stretch that forms a beautiful inlet between two rocky points. Especially characteristic is the southern tip, with two large rocks that the locals call “the two sisters.” In contrast, the northernmost part of the bay is defended by a watchtower, built at the time of Turkish aggression.
Otranto is the easternmost city in Italy. Because of its geographical position it was, throughout the centuries, involved in the historical events that troubled peoples from the Upper Paleolithic to the present day. In the Cathedral, an authentic masterpiece of architecture elevated from 1080 to 1088, large showcases collect the bones of martyrs slaughtered by the Turks. The Crypt is a miniature of the “Blue Basilica” of Constantinople. The Aragonese Castle dates from Charles V (1537), whose coat of arms stands above a plumb line.
The coast, continuing southward, rises slightly, offering a play of small inlets the largest of which is Sant’Andrea, also dominated by the tower of the same name and the small lighthouse that guard a small harbor. Remarkable from here are the stacks and coves, such as Specchiulla, that take us to Frassanito (the name of a well-equipped camping site), where the coast returns low and sandy until reaching Otranto.
Roca, a picturesque place from both a landscape and cultural point of view.Roca is a popular destination for scholars and researchers of archaeology formerly inhabited by primitive people, “the Messapi”; it is said that in that place by the sea there was once a splendid town, with streets to make modern metropolises envious. It is now a fantastic seaside resort with a crystal clear sea and a pleasant smell of saltiness. Of note is the Cave of Poetry, which legend has it was the shrine of the God Taodor, deity of salvation, where a submerged spring made people gain strength and health.
From the Greek kalè polis, beautiful city, it is characterized by its division into two well-defined areas: the “old town” and the “new town.” The old borgo stands on an island, magical for its thousand alleys, houses, palaces, churches, and its people.The old borgo is connected to the new borgo by a masonry bridge along which one encounters the oldest Greco-Roman fountain. The modern “Skyscraper” located at the mouth of Corso Roma divides the new town into the two “sirocco” and “tramontana” sections and is the entrance to the new town. The castle (Rivellino) has a quadrilateral shape reinforced by four towers at the corners consisting of a stronghold expanded with Aragonese works.
Lecce is the capital of Salento extreme southern region of Italy, called “The Florence of Baroque,” with the balconies, portals, and columns of the Historic Center that fascinate the visitor with chromatic effects and suggestions mainly due to the use of a particular building material “Pietra Leccese.” A masterpiece of Lecce Baroque is the Church of Santa Croce, richly decorated, located in the vicinity of Piazza Sant’Oronzo center of the city. Baroque-style decorations characterize the whole way from Piazza Sant’Oronzo to the cathedral and the square of the same name.