Salento is the southernmost part of the splendid Puglia and represents theheel of Italy”. Today it is one of the favorite destinations for Italian and foreign holidaymakers who can't wait to enjoy a crystal-clear blue sea and sand so white and fine that it recalls that of the Caribbean.
This area is bathed by both Adriatic Sea and from Ionian Sea and it is one of the perfect places for those who want to experience moments of relaxation and fun in an uncontaminated and evocative area. In addition to enchanting beaches, Salento also has to offer beautiful, ancient villages founded at the time of Magna Graecia and country farms that produce excellent agricultural and food products.
To admire the cultural and historical heritage of Salento you can visit the small one Ostuni, also known as the white city as many of the houses in the historic center are covered in white lime. Here you can admire the Co-Cathedral, the Bishop's Palace or the Museum of Preclassic Civilizations of the Southern Murgia.
It is equally unmissable Toast, known as the Gateway to the East, which boasts 2 medieval castles and was one of the main commercial ports on the Mediterranean for centuries. Always in Salento it is possible to see Otranto, a small village that houses an Aragonese fortress and the Cathedral containing the relics of 800 martyrs killed by the Turks in the 15th century.
The Salento peninsula is also an excellent destination for those who love architecture and archaeology. An obligatory stop is certainly the city of Lecce, renowned for its Salento Baroque style buildings, the Roman Amphitheater and the Castle of Charles V.
The Adriatic and Ionian coast of Salento offers tourists a vast choice of beaches and seaside villages of rare beauty. On the Adriatic side there are jagged and rocky beaches such as Cala dell'Acquaviva, Santa Cesarea Terme, Castro and Badisco, but there is no shortage of sandier and more regular coasts such as Torre dell'Orso and the Bay of the Turks in Otranto.
The Ionian coast, on the other hand, is mostly sandy and linear, with a clear sea and shades of blue and green. Among the main beaches and seaside attractions we have Santa Maria di Leuca, Porto Cesareo, Pescoluse (Maldives of Salento) and Gallipoli.
