Beaches
– The Dunes of Campomarino, in a southerly direction, with the beautiful beach of Monaco Mirante.
– San Pietro in Bevagna, just south of Campomarino.
– The Salina Dei Monaci nature reserve, in Torre Colimena. A magnificent and wild place, where you can also admire the beautiful flamingos.
– Punta Prosciutto
– Torre Lapillo
– Porto Cesareo (about 40 minutes)
– Gallipoli (1.5 hours.) I personally do not recommend the Gallipoli beach, especially a July or August, but if you are brave it could be a fun experience. The historical center of Gallipoli is very nice (see ‘countries’).
– Torre Guaceto Nature Reserve: it is located on the Adriatic coast (an hour and a half of the road and a few hundred meters on foot) a wild place with a beautiful beach. You park outside the reserve and then either you walk or you take a little train that takes you to the beach.
– If you have time and desire you can get to Pescoluse, where you will find the famous ‘Maldives of Salento‘, but they are always rather crowded.
– Santa Maria di Leuca is quite distant, but feasible with a day trip. It is the point where the Adriatic and Ionian seas meet. There are no longer the long beaches but small coves.
Towns and cities
– Manduria, with its beautiful old town and its cellars. At the Consortium of Primitivo you can taste excellent wines, and buy bottles to take home. To dine in Manduria, we recommend the Terrazze Borromeo (www.corteborromeohotel.it/terrazze- borromeo), in an old and fascinating tuff palace, or the Masseria del Sale (www.masseriadelsale.it), just outside the town, in a context elegant and
excellent value for money.
– Oria: a city entirely built in tuff, off the beaten track but very interesting and fascinating to visit.
– Grottaglie, with the interesting district of ceramics. Some shops may be a bit too much for tourists, so we recommend the nicer shop, that of Cinzia Fasano. Nicola Fasano’s shop is even nicer, a bit expensive and Nicola Fasano’s wife is very unlucky. They are all called Fasano because they are all more or less relatives, but we do not believe they get along very well.
– Lecce with its incredible baroque architecture (just over an hour’s drive). Piazza Sant’Oronzo is a masterpiece, and the surrounding alleys are fabulous for a walk before dinner.
– Gallipoli and its historic center (an hour and a half way). The historic center of Gallipoli stands on a sort of isthmus, which can easily be reached on foot in a quarter of an hour. Do not miss an aperitif based on raw fish at local fishmongers at the entrance to the center.
– Otranto (1.5 hours)
– Polignano a Mare (1.5 hours)
– Matera and the stones (1.5 hours)
– To reach the extreme south, with Castro and Santa Maria di Leuca the road is a bit longer, but if you have time it is a beautiful ride.
– Ostuni, the charming white city (about an hour’s drive). Worth the trip and the evening. There is a beautiful walk that takes you to the top of the village where you can enjoy a unique panorama.
The best non-tourist place to dine is in a small street on the right just after the pedestrian climb, from Pantagruel (+39 347 106 8224)
– Valle d’Itri (1 hour), Alberobello with its wonderful trulli, Martina Franca, elegant city, and the picturesque Cisternino and Locorotondo.
If you want to visit the cellars
– Manduria: we recommend the Primitivo Consortium (www.cpvini.it), the Racemi Academy, Cantolio Winery
– Lizzano: Cantina Due Palme
– San Marzano: Cellars of San Marzano
– Leporano: Varvaglione Winery
– Maruggio: Le Fabriche Winery (www.lefabriche.it)
To buy oil and typical local cheeses we recommend
– the Olivaro Dairy, not far from home. For information: 349 066 6531
– Tenute Bruno 099 675799 www.tenutebruno.it
If you want to eat real Apulian fish, we recommend the following restaurants
– La Barca da Ciro in Marina di Pulsano: with 40-45 € we guarantee a dinner to remember
– Also excellent at the Court of Laurito (near Laurito Park), 329 662 4507, on the Manduria – Francavilla road. If you want only fish, call and agree directly the Menu with Chef Mr. Dino.
Diving
If you like diving, in Torre Lapillo (less than 20 minutes by car, in a southerly direction) there are the nice and talented guys of the Orca Diving Center www.orcadivingcenter.it – 349 5701717. In Salento there are some dive sites wonderful and still little known.
Salentine cooking stage
In season will be available courses and stages of Salentine cuisine with Chef Alessandra Ferramosca:
– Cooking experience: laboratory of fresh pasta and traditional dishes of Salento about 4 courses lasting about 3 hours and dinner or final lunch.
– Food.tour: visit to fruit and vegetable markets or manufacturing companies to discover authentic Salento products. Expected tastings during the tour.
– Menu for tasting local dishes for lunch or dinner a gastronomic journey through traditional dishes in a revisited key.
Walking tour
Lastly, we recommend a walk to Masseria Maviglia, a majestic and impressive masseria of 1600. Now the farm is uninhabited and can be visited. It’s for sale, we hope that someone can buy it and fix it and bring it back to its original splendor.
Romantic night
If you want to enjoy a romantic night, you can ask for a private chef service. A lady will come home and cook typical Apulian dishes for you. You can choose between two menus: the traditional Apulian menu and the fish menu. Ask us for more information!
Cleaning and baby-sitter
You can also ask for a cleaning service during your stay, laundry service or babysitting service. We will provide you with details and costs.
