A pearl by the Ionian Sea - Holiday homes and holiday apartments at Gallipoli

The original part of the town, which, according to legend, was founded by King Idomeneus of Crete, is nowadays called the Old Town and lies on a limestone island like a white ship made of stone.

In the 18th century, the sale of lamp oil produced from olives brought some prosperity to the town and it expanded onto the narrow headland. The Old Town is linked to the so-called borgo (village) by an arch bridge, the only link to the mainland.

During the last decades, the town has sprawled, out of control, into the hinterland. Do not, however, let the less elegant suburbs put you off. The original part of Gallipoli has preserved its age-old charm to this day.

At the harbor, you can watch the incoming cutters and the fishermen mending their nets. To the side of the Old Town bridge, which was built in 1603, Castello Angioino is reflected in the waters of the harbor, in the Old Town you can drift through the picturesque maze of alleys.

Saint Cristina and Saint Agata are the town’s patron saints. If the stories are to be believed, the former relieved the town of a dreadful plague epidemic in 1867. For the great festivities in her honor from July 23rd to 26th, the whole town is decorated with chains of colorful lights.

Easter festivities at Gallipoli are a big event, too. Numerous processions are led by Gallipoli’s brotherhoods clad in robes, faces covered by hoods.    

Festivals and festivities apart – from a cultural and culinary point of view Gallipoli is always worth a visit.