Portoselvaggio

: The nature conservation area of Portoselvaggio is attractive due to its untouched landscape and extremely clean water.

Oasis of nature with spotlessly clean beaches

In the southeast of the province of Lecce, near Nardò, lies the regional park Portoselvaggio with its over 400 ha of nature conservation area. The beaches in this section of the Ionian coast have, for years, received high grades by the Italian environmental organisation Legambiente.

Surrounded by such an impressive natural landscape of bizarre rocky cliffs, fragrant maquis, sandy bays and a sea like a diamond, you can enjoy carefree, wonderful holidays.

Besides beachwear and goggles, you should take along hiking shoes: there is much to discover, for example, the Baia dell'Uluzzo with its three grottos. Here, 40 000 year old traces of settlements from the times of the Neanderthals have been discovered.

: Gallipoli, the beautiful city at the Ionian coast, juts out into the sea like a ship.

Gallipolis – the beautiful city

Not far from the regional park Portoselvaggio lies Gallipoli. Greeks called the town that was founded over 2 500 years ago kale polis, in English: the beautiful town. Like a ship made of stone, the enchanting Old Town on the narrow headland juts out into the sea.

In the 17^th and 18^th centuries, Gallipoli was considered the most important oil harbour in the Mediterranean. Apulian olive oil was, at that time, used for oil lamps. Cities like Amsterdam, London and St. Petersburg were literally illuminated by the town on the Ionian coast – a highly interesting chapter of European economic history. Nowadays, you can do some retracing in the frantoio ipogeo, an underground oil mill, which is now a museum.