Itinerari per visitare il basso Salento

The best way to enjoy a holiday in Salento is to get on a motorbike or car and travel the roads that cross the huge red earth fields dotted with prickly pears and dry stone walls. Even the most holiday-makers in search of relaxation will not be able to give up these Three Itineraries to visit the lower Salento to better explore the Salento coast, basing themselves in Otranto for the Adriatic coast and in Santa Maria al Bagno for the ionic. As they say, the beauty of the journey is the journey, not the destination. But after taking a look at these, you might not be so sure anymore.

From Otranto to the north

Based in Otranto, you can travel along the Adriatic coast and head north towards the Baia dei Turchi, the large inlet of crystalline water preceded by a thick pine forest, which owes its name to the landing of the Ottoman soldiers who besieged the city of Otranto in 1480. Not far away, you will find the “stacks” of Torre Sant’Andrea, the large rocky outcrops opposite the coast.
Torre dell’Orso, a little further on, has a long coast where you will find private lidos (renowned “L’Orsetta”) and vast, but crowded, free beaches. An obligatory stop also deserves the famous Grotta della Poesia, rightfully included among the most beautiful natural pools in the world. A few kilometers further on, in San Foca, you can stroll along the seafront and enjoy wide (although often windy) beaches. Finally, Roca Vecchia is known above all for its historical and cultural heritage, with its archaeological sites from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages.

From Otranto to the south

Always starting from Otranto, you can still follow the Adriatic coast heading south, to the extreme tip of the heel of Italy. Veering slightly inland, it is worth visiting the suggestive bauxit e quarry, whose bright colors give life to a surreal and almost “Martian” landscape. Returning to the coast, you will encounter a series of stupendous caves, of which we point out in particular those of Porto Badisco and Zinzulusa. Between these two stages, do not miss the town of Santa Cesarea Terme, strong> with its Arabic architecture and high cliffs overlooking the sea. In addition, you can unwind in the Baths, due to the presence of four sulphurous caves. In the immediate vicinity of Santa Cesarea Terme is Castro, which offers in the upper part (Castro Superiore) architectural works of great value such as the sixteenth-century castle and the twelfth-century cathedral; while in the lower one (Castro Marina), a beautiful tourist port. Here too, there are few beaches and many cliffs, so the destination is not suitable for children. Finally, reach the southernmost point of Capo Santa Maria di Leuca, also known as De finibus terrae, the extreme edge of our peninsula.