Let's go South: S. Maria di Leuca and Otranto!

Santa Maria di Leuca is famous for its iconic lighthouse. With its height of 47 metres, and position at 102 metres above sea level, is the second most important lighthouse in Italy, after Genova. Next to the lighthouse is the large Sanctuary, or Basilica, De Finibus Terrae ("End of the Land", 1720-1755), built to commemorate the passage of St. Peter here during his travel to Italy. It is devoted to Saint Mary (from whom the town gets the name Santa Maria di Leuca). It lies on the former site of a Greek temple dedicated to Athena. The edifice has a fortified structure, and during its existence it sustained several assaults by Algerian pirates. In the same site, a Corinthian column was erected in 1939 to celebrate the construction of the Apulian Aqueduct (Acquedotto Pugliese). The basilica is connected to the port through a 284-step staircase.
Panorama Punta Meliso promontory (the ancient Promontorium lapygium or Sallentinum) is the southeastern extremity of Italy — traditionally considered the lowest point of the geographical "heel" of Italian peninsula, as well as the meeting point of the waters from the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea. But Leuca is a bay so there's another promontory called Punta Ristola challenging this geographical particularity. According to Google Earth, Punta Ristola, at 39° 47′ 22.96″ N, is approximately 440 meters south of Punta Meliso, at 39° 47′ 37.73″ N.
After World War II the town hosted Jewish Holocaust survivors for two years (1946-1948), giving them warm hospitality.
Since October 2006 its territory is part of the Regional Park "Costa Otranto - Santa Maria di Leuca e Bosco di Tricase". Santa Maria di Leuca's littoral is marked by numerous grottoes with Latin and Greek inscriptions. Also famous are the 19th century patrician villas (c. 43 in number).
Not far off Punta Ristola, at c. 85 m of depth, lies the shipwreck of the Italian submarine Pietro Micca, sunk during World War II with its crew of 58 men.

The first church was built at the dawn of Christianity, on the ruins of a pagan temple dedicated to the Goddess Minerva. Due to its geographical position, the Sanctuary was subject to continuous destruction and looting by the Turks and Saracens. The current building is the sixth and was built in 1700. Along with the Sanctuary were built the attached buildings to offer hospitality to the faithful. The interior is a Latin cross with baroque decorations. The visitor’s attention is focused on the high altar, in fine marble with the painting of the Madonna by the painter Giacomo Palma Junior. From the numerous tombstones, mostly in Latin, it reconstructs the history and events of the church in the centuries from 1 August 343. The Church of San Marino. Since 7 October 1990 the Sanctuary of Leuca has been elevated to the rank of Minor Basilica.

It is the southernmost point of Salento, in a land once dominated by the Greeks, which fascinates millions of tourists every year: it is the resort Punta Ristola, which together with Punta Meliso marks the borders of Santa Maria di Leuca. The promontory of Punta Ristola is the most important place for the discovery of archaeological finds related to primitive man and his habits, which does not stop giving new discoveries. Punta Ristola is also known for being the access point for the so-called devil’s cave, a space that extends in length for 40 meters and 17 in width, leading directly to the sea. Inside were found important finds that suggest the presence of man in this place from the Neolithic. The name of the cave is due to its particular characteristics: it is located below the floor, is full of ravines, has poor lighting, but above all lends itself to the rumble of noise; all this has suggested the current toponym to the common imagination. The beach of Punta Ristola, famous for being the meeting point between the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic Sea, is also very well known. Rich in ravines and caves, it is ideal for lovers of rocks that drop down into the crystal clear waters, but you can also find small sandy coves where you can refresh and relax. Very appreciated are also the depths of Punta Ristola, rich in marine fauna, and in whose waters you can admire the wreck of the submarine of Pietro Micca sunk during the Second World War: a unique opportunity for lovers of diving.

Stroll in Lungomare S. Maria di Leuca.

Now pampered thanks to a boat trip through the turquoise waves to admire the beautiful caves of Leuca. According to some nautical conventions this place is the point of separation between the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea. The place is also home to the meteorological station of Otranto-Punta Palascia, officially recognized by the World Meteorological Organization, currently of automatic type DCP.
The lighthouse there, recently renovated, is one of the five lighthouses of the Mediterranean Sea protected by the European Commissionwithout source. It is often a destination for tourists and curious, thanks to the tradition that, annually, every night of New Year’s Eve attracts a multitude of people waiting for the dawn of New Year’s Eve at the foot of the lighthouse, being the first dawn of the new year in Italy.

Your b&b for today!

Otranto is a town and comune in the province of Lecce (Apulia, Italy), in a fertile region once famous for its breed of horses.
It is located on the east coast of the Salento peninsula. The Strait of Otranto, to which the city gives its name, connects the Adriatic Sea with the Ionian Sea and separates Italy from Albania. The harbour is small and has little trade.
The lighthouse Faro della Palascìa, at approximately 5 kilometres (3 miles) southeast of Otranto, marks the most easterly point of the Italian mainland.
About 50 kilometres (31 mi) south lies the promontory of Santa Maria di Leuca (so called since ancient times from its white cliffs, leukos being Greek for white), the southeastern extremity of Italy, the ancient Promontorium Iapygium or Sallentinum. The district between this promontory and Otranto is thickly populated and very fertile.
The area that lies between Otranto and Santa Maria di Leuca is part of the Regional Natural Coastal Park of "Costa Otranto - Santa Maria di Leuca e Bosco di Tricase" wanted by the Apulia Region in 2008. This territory has numerous natural and historical attractions such as Ciolo, which is a rocky cove.

Capo d'Otranto or Punta Palascìa is the easternmost point of Italy; the tip, stretched out into the Otranto Canal, is located in the municipal area of Otranto, a town in the province of Lecce, 40. 06' 26" north latitude and 18. 31' 14" of east longitude, 6 km from the city and 40 km from Lecce.

The quarry of Bauxite is a must see in Salento because it is so beautiful to seem surreal. In fact, as soon as we set foot in this place, we felt teleported to Mars: we were welcomed shades of red and orange soil that embraced an emerald green lake. We haven’t felt this way since our road trip through American West Coast parks. It is a former quarry in disuse for more than 45 years, used to extract Bauxite for the production of aluminum. To date, it remains one of the unusual attractions that amaze all visitors who decide to shake her hand.

Important bridgehead towards the East, the city of Otranto has been equipped since ancient times with defense systems and fortified works, updated over the centuries by the dominations that have taken place there. The siege suffered by the city in 1067 severely damaged the fortress, which was repaired and strengthened a few years later at the behest of Robert Guiscard. Of the reconstruction promoted in 1228 by Frederick II of Swabia, however, there are evident traces of the tower of the cylindrical median body, incorporated in the spearhead bastion, and in the curtain wall of north-east. An analysis of the basement suggests that the Castle was set on a plan with a central quadrangular core, punctuated at the corners by cylindrical towers. After the Sack of Otranto in 1480, the year in which all of southern Italy was the object of the Turkish attack, the castle had to be rebuilt, which Alfonso of Aragon Duke of Calabria did. At the end of the century, when the city was pledged to the Venetians, the structure was further enhanced with the addition of artillery and bombs. Of the Aragonese phase only a keep and part of the walls remain.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Annunziata is the most important place of Catholic worship in the city of Otranto, mother church of the homonymous archdiocese. In July 1945 Pope Pius XII elevated the cathedral to the dignity of a minor basilica. The cathedral, built on the remains of a Messapian village, a Roman domus and an early Christian temple, was founded in 1068 by the Norman bishop William. It is a synthesis of different architectural styles including Byzantine, early Christian and Romanesque elements. It was consecrated on 1 August 1088 during the papacy of Urban II by the papal legate Roffredo, archbishop of Benevento.
In August 1480, the cathedral was the scene of a terrible carnage; the Turks captured the city after a few days of siege and entered the church exterminating the clergy and civilians who had taken refuge there. It was transformed into a mosque and all the frescoes from the 13th century were destroyed. In 1481, after the liberation of Otranto by the troops of Alfonso II of Aragon, it was heavily rebuilt.

Have a nap!

Seafood, fish, pasta and gluten-free dishes in a convivial restaurant with a terrace on the beach.

Goodnight!