- Bari Land, Beach & Coast, Daunia Mountains, Gargano, Itineraries, Itria Valley, Salento, Top 10 To See
Places to visit in Puglia: Top 10 not to miss
Puglia, also known as the heel of the Italian boot: such a splendid region offers charming towns and villages, marvellous architecture, tasty food, plenty of traditions and folklore. Here we want to present you with what we consider to be the top 10 places to visit in Puglia and among the most beautiful in Italy. Otranto Otranto is a town in the province of Lecce and is part the Salento area. It is located in a harbour along the east coast on the Adriatic Sea and is the easternmost town in Italy. Its small seaport is mostly used for fishing activity and tourism, especially for the ferry services to Greece.…
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The 5 most beautiful places to visit in Salento
Lecce Lecce may be called the Florence of the Baroque. In this artistic tendency in Italy there is nothing that can be compared. This is how that the historian Gregorovius described Lecce. Lecce is the capital of the Lecce province and of the Salento sub-region. Located just 11 Km far from the Adriatic Sea and 23Km from the Ionian Sea, it lies in the middle of fertile plain, surrounded by attractive countryside, seashore and small towns. The city can easily be reached from Brindisi airport and it makes the perfect destination for a weekend break or a holiday as it’s a great base for exploring the Salento Peninsula. More Gallipoli Gallipoli…
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Otranto
Otranto is a town in the province of Lecce and is part the Salento area. It is located in a harbor along the east coast on the Adriatic Sea and is the easternmost town in Italy. Its small seaport is mostly used for fishing activity and tourism, especially for the ferry services to Greece. The city also gave its name to the Strait of Otranto, which separates Italy from Albania. The old town of Otranto has been declared by UNESCO as “Heritage witness to a culture of peace”. Otranto is strategically located along the coast and is therefore always been considered a natural bridge between East and West. Especially during the Roman…
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Zinzulusa Cave
Just a couple of miles north of Castro, there is the phenomenal Zinzulusa Grotto, the most famous Karst cave along the Puglian coastline and considered to be one of the most important examples of this geologic phenomenon in Italy. The name comes from the word zinzuli, meaning rags. In fact the extensive collection of stalactites and stalagmites that fill this cave look like rags hanging from the ceiling. The cave was discovered in 1793 but has only been explored and open to the public for about 50 years. During its exploration, many vases and votive axes dating back 5,000 years were discovered. The excavated part is huge but only a…
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Torre Guaceto
Located about 10 miles Northwest of Brindisi is the WWF Natural Reserve of Torre Guaceto, its name comes from the Arab Gawsit meaning “land of fresh water”. Since 1975 it has been declared a wetland of international interest and in 1991 a protected marine area has also been constituted. The reserve covers an area of nearly 22 km2 and 8 Km of coastline spread around the ancient fortified tower and is one of the best preserved stretches of coast along the Adriatic coast. Photo Credits: Flickr-NEVILLE ROSSI The whole area is characterized by the different environments that include wetlands, marshes and dunes that rise up to 10 meters, the Mediterranean…
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The Fòcara of Novoli
Can you imagine a giant bonfire that reaches a height of 25 meters and a diameter of 20? It is the Fòcara (dialect word simply meaning bonfire), an unmissable event for believers and folklore lovers that takes place in Novoli, the province of Lecce every January. The origin of Fòcara presumably dates back to the 17th century: some historians attribute its birth to the Venetians who at that time were very active in Puglia producing and selling wine, oil, cotton as well as breeding horses. Others claim that it has pre-Christian origins, and used to mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Today it is an event…
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Taranto
Taranto is a big city and capital of the namesake province of Taranto. Located on the coast it overlooks the Ionian Sea. It is called city of two seas as it lays on an isthmus that divides the Great Sea (Ionian Sea) from the Small Sea (an inner basin). The city consists of three different parts: the old town situated on a low rocky island between the two seas (here is where the oldest buildings are located), it is connected to the Borgo via a bridge and to the new city via the swing bridge (Ponte Girevole). The Borgo is mainly an industrial and commercial area, the new city is…
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Santa Maria di Leuca
Santa Maria di Leuca, often simply called Leuca, is a small village which is situated at the bottom of Puglia, in a stunning bay between Punta Ristola and Punta Meliso (where the 49 meters lighthouse was built in 1866). The presence of several archaeological remains in its caves proves the human presence in this area as early as the Paleolithic age. The village was named Leukos, literally illuminated by the sun, due to its beauty and brightness. Later, as the story goes, San Pietro chose the town as location from where to initiate his evangelical work, and thus added the Virgin’s name and for the Christians the village became the…
