Welcome to Salento - Salento for vacation

Maps territory  of  Salento. 

The Salentine coast
From Casalabate to Otranto
Casalabate, Torre Rinalda, Torre Chianca and Frigole are fishing-villages on the stretch of coast from Casalabate, where the Salentine Coastline ends, and San Cataldo, where the Brindisi coastline begins.
Between Casalabate and Squinzano stands the fine church of Santa Maria delle Cerrate with its small Baroque well and frescoes which reveal Byzantine and French influences.
The ancient church contains the remains of Roman funeral monuments.
The portal arch is very beautiful; its six ashlars show the Archangel Michael, the Visitation, the Nativity, tlie Adoration of the Magi, the Baptism of Christ, and a monk in prayer.
Santa Maria di Cerrate was the property of cardinals and in 1711 was violently sacked by the Turks.
The wild beauty and dark green of the pinewoods and copses here is very striking.
The vegetation is so luxuriant because of the underground streams which eventually form the River Idume near Torre Chianca; its waters are icy cold. A thick network of inland roads connects even the remotest farm-houses. If you reach one of these houses, you can buy sheep's milk cheese, local wine.
Some of these farm-houses have been changed into ' trattorie '„ where you can enjoy a meal of kid cooked over a charcoal fire or of freshly-caught fish just taken from the basket, under a pergola.
Casalabate, Torre Rinalda, Torre Chianca and Frigole also have bathing establishments with sandy stretches, Frigole camping-site has a wonderful pine-wood overlooking the sea in the background.
The whole coastline from San Cataldo to Torre Specchia is lined with pinewoods.
San Cataldo is the bathing resort of the inhabitants of Lecce.
The coastline stretches uniformly as far as San Foca, the first village of fishermen, with a partly- natural harbour, just in front of the tower of Charles V.
One side of the little port there is the beautiful beach of «the brigantines», and on the other the beach of «the oranges».
There is a hotel, too, and also a good number of restaurants where you can eat very fresh fish at a reasonable price.
The whole area is never overcrowded because it offers a lot of coves, creeks, little walks for everyone: there you can isolate yourself and bathe without having to share your part of the beach with the crowd, as happens in more popular holiday resorts.
A taste of ancient times can still be felt in Roca Vecchia — with less than a hundred inhabitants — containing the remains of p re-historic settlements and numerous tombs with precious Apulian vases.
The most impressive village of Torre dell'Orso takes its name from an ancient square tower and its wide inlet and long beach are overhung by an inviting pinewood. Torre Santo Stefano is a charming little place with its deep blue sea, raild countryside.
Otranto is an awesome village of fishermen and peasants: it is surrounded by a wall running along the seaside for two hundred yards and by the mainland for three hundred yards. The castle over-Hooking the town was built by Alfonso of Aragon as soon as the Turks left the town. In the old part of the town everything appears as it was during the siege of the Turks: the narrow roads going up to the ramparts, the tiny staircases leading to the wee squares, the stone balls launched by the Turkish bombards.

Municipalities of the Salento: Acaya,   Acquarica del Capo,   Acquarica di Lecce,   Alberobello,   Alessano,   Alezio,   Alliste,   Andrano,   Aradeo,   Arnesano,   Bagnolo del Salento,   Baia Verde,   Bisceglie,   Borgagne,   Botrugno,   Calimera,   Campi Salentina,   Cannole,   Capilungo,   Caprarica di Lecce,   Carmiano,   Carpignano Salentino,   Casalabate,   Casarano,   Castri di Lecce,   Castrignano del capo,   Castro,   Castro Marina,   Cavallino,   Collemeto,   Collepasso,   Copertino,   Corigliano d'otranto,   Corsano,   Curs,   Cutrofiano,   Diso,   Felline,   Fontanelle,   Frassanito,   Frigole,   Gagliano del Capo,   Galatina,   Galatone,   Gallipoli,   Gemini,   Giuggianello,   Giurdignano,   Guagnano,   Lecce,   Lequile,   Leverano,   Lido Conchiglie,   Lido Marini,   Lido Pizzo,   Lizzanello,   Lucugnano,   Maglie,   Mancaversa,   Mare Verde,   Marina di Andrano,   Marina di mancaversa,   Marina di Novaglie,   Marine di Ugento,   Marina Serra,   Martano,   Martignano,   Matino,   Melendugno,   Melissano,   Merine,   Miggiano,   Minervino di Lecce,   Monopoli,   Montegrappa,   Monteroni di Lecce,   Montesano Salentino,   Montesardo,   Morciano di Leuca,   Muro Leccese,   Nardo,   Neviano,   Nociglia,   Novoli,   Ortelle,   Ostuni,   Otranto,   Palmariggi,   Parabita,   Patu,   Pescoluse,   Poggiardo,   Polignano a Mare,   Porto Badisco,   Porto Cesareo,   Positano,   Posto Rosso,   Posto Vecchio,   Presicce,   Presicce,   Pulsano,   Racale,   Rivabella,   Roca Vecchia,   Ruffano,   Ruggiano,   Salice Salentino,   Salve,   Sanarica,   San Cassiano,   San Cataldo,   Sacesario di Lecce,   San Donato di Lecce,   San Foca,   San Isidoro,   Sannicola,   San Pietro in Bevagna,   San Pietro in Lama,   Santa Caterina,   Santa Cesarea Terme,   Santa Maria al Bagno,   Santa Maria di Leuca,   Sant'Andrea,   San Vito,   Scorrano,   Secli,   Sogliano Cavour,   Soleto,   Specchia,   Spongano,   Squinzano,   Sternatia,   Struda,   Supersano,   Surano,   Surbo,   Taormina,   Taurisano,   Taviano,   Tiggiano,   Torre Chianca,   Torre dell'Orso,   Torre del Pizzo,   Torre Inserraglio,   Torre Lapillo,   Torre Mozza,   Torre Pali,   Torre Rinalda,   Torre San Giovanni,   Torre San Gregorio,   Torre Santo Stefano,   Torre Specchia Ruggeri,   Torre Squillace,   Torre Suda,   Torre Vado,   Trepuzzi,   Tricase,   Tricase Porto,   Tuglie,   Ugento,   Uggiano la Chiesa,   Vanze,   Veglie,   Vernole,