0049 941 / 56 76 460

Apulia - Excursions in the Salento

The Salento, the 'heel of the Italian boot', stretches from Taranto in the north to Otranto in the very south-east.

Nature is characterized by picturesque beaches and wild-romantic steep coasts, rich architecture, art and culture certainly add to fascinating travelers from all over the world.

 

Apulia - Excursions in the Salento

The Salento, the 'heel of the Italian boot', stretches from Taranto in the north to Otranto in the very south-east.

Nature is characterized by picturesque beaches and wild-romantic steep coasts, rich architecture, art and culture certainly add to fascinating travelers from all over the world.

Destinations for excursions in the Salento

Otranto

While on holiday in the Salento you should not miss out on visiting Otranto, Italy's south-easternmost town. The roots of Italian way of life grow very deep there.

Tourists may become aware of this when they realize that the break at lunchtime really is rather long. In the evening, however, the town comes alive again. Otranto’s Norman town wall and "Santa Annunziata", the Norman cathedral dating from 1088 and adorned with thousands and thousands of tesserae, are fascinating.

Finibus Terrae (Where the world ends)

Not only Italy’s easternmost town lies in the Salento, so does the southernmost point of the Italian boot, which is at Santa Maria di Leuca, to be precise. It is at Punta Ristola, the southern cape, that the Adriatic and Ionian Seas meet.

And not only this spectacle of nature makes the place so fascinating and special, so do the numerous grottos you can visit and, of course, the myths it is shrouded in. According to an Old Greek legend, Siren Leucasia lived there and she is said to have given Leuca its name.  

Furthermore, tradition has it that Saint Peter set foot on land there. It is thanks to him that basilica Santa Maria de Finibus Terrae was built right next to the majestic lighthouse on the cape. Visitors should linger in the large church square for a while and take in the scenery: the impressive building with the "faro" in the background and the fascinating setting of sea and land.  

The Virgin Mary is said to have saved shipwrecked seamen from drowning and that is why "Santa Maria" precedes the name of "Leuca".

The owner of holiday home Casa Finis Terrae told us that Europe’s longest aqueduct, "acquedotto pugliese" (244 km in length), ends at the cape. Several times per year it is opened to reduce water pressure and the water then cascades over and down the rocks. Should you be in the area, do not miss out on this spectacle.

Tarantella – dance tradition in the Salento

The music festical "La Notte della Taranta" has been taking place in the Salento since 1998. It centers on the "pizzica", a rapid and rhythmic folk dance of the tarantella dance tradition, as well as on the characteristic music of the Salento and its fusion with other music styles, ranging from jazz to classical, world and rock music.  

Every day from August 8th to 27th, there are concerts and dance performances by traditional groups, but also by the international world music scene in different places in the Salento.

The closing act of the festival takes place in the small town of Melpignano: a great final concert, at which local and international music stars perform on stage. Every year, thousands of visitors listen to the sounds of the tambourines filling the air of the Apulian summer night.

Taranto

Settlement of the port on the Ionian Sea in the northern Salento dates back to times before Christ. The main attraction of Taranto is, without doubt, impressive Castello Aragonese, a castle built by the Byzantines in 900 AD.

In the centro storico, which is located on an island and accessible via Ponte Girevole, you find remains of Greek monuments, such as the columns of a Doric temple.

The National Archaeological Museum, the Greco-Roman necropolises and the Crypt of the Redeemer are also worth a visit.

Other towns worth visiting in the Salento

Gallipoli
Lecce
Nardò/Porto Selvaggio