Nearby beaches
NEARBY BEACHES
Thinking about a summer holiday in Salento means being spoiled for choice on the seaside resort to choose, because the Heel of Italy is fortunately full of beautiful beaches!
The goal we propose is to put some order, so to speak, among the coastal wonders of Salento, with a short but exhaustive overview that allows you to choose YOUR favorite Salento beaches (or cliffs!).
We illustrate them starting from the northernmost on the Ionian coast, then descending towards the head of Santa Maria di Leuca and going up north along the Adriatic coast.
To you the choice!
A glimpse of the wonderful sea of Porto Cesareo
For our coast to coast trip in Salento we want to start from the beaches of Porto Cesareo: Punta Prosciutto, Lido degli Angeli, Torre Lapillo. Legambiente has recognized 3 out of 5 of its renowned Sails in these locations. Not only that: here children can play in absolute safety due to the shallow and crystalline seabed which is the reason for the Green Flag.
Golden sand of Punta Prosciutto
Punta Prosciutto
is the long stretch of coast close to the province of Taranto that extends from Torre Colimena in the north to Torre Lapillo in the south. Among the favorites of both families and children, as well as lovers of water sports, Punta Prosciutto is also an important site from a naturalistic point of view and together with the whole area constitutes the Regional Natural Park of Palude del Conte.
A view of Torre Lapillo
Lapillo Tower, a few kilometers from the town of Porto Cesareo, is a breathtaking scenery. Fine white sand, transparent and clear waters, dunes and luxuriant Mediterranean scrub: it lacks nothing to be defined as a “dream”, even by notable foreign newspapers such as the Guardian.
As well as Lido degli Angeli, after all: a true Caribbean postcard, a very long beach with a wild and still (almost) uncontaminated beauty thanks to the still preserved dunes and up to six or seven meters high.
Sant'Isidoro - Nardò
In locality Sant'Isidoro
there is a well-equipped beach with shallow and sandy bottoms. It constitutes a small bay in itself, guarded by the sixteenth-century coastal tower.
Torre Uluzzo and its sea
For those wishing to escape from the classic 'umbrella / sunbed' situation, here are two suggestions to really enjoy the nature of Salento: Torre Uluzzo and Torre dell'Alto.
Both the first and the second, a little further south, are two stops for lovers of rock and adventure. Arm yourself with comfortable shoes to reach them through the large pine forest of the Porto Selvaggio natural park and get ready for a nice dip!
The bay of Porto Selvaggio
The Regional Natural Park of Porto Selvaggio and Palude del Capitano resides entirely in the large territory of the municipality of Nardò. The small one Porto Selvaggio bay
it is a true oasis of peace and beauty (5 Vele Lagambiente), reachable also in this case only after a beautiful and long descent into the pine forest. A small beach mainly of pebbles will welcome you at the end of the path, framed by tall pines and immersed in a magical atmosphere of the past.
The sandy cove of Santa Maria al Bagno
The marina of Nardò, Santa Maria al Bagno, with its small beautiful beach, which offers unique colors.
There is also the beauty of the small village, with historic villas among the most beautiful in the province and the ancient Torre del Fiume, or the Four Columns as this structure is known in the area due to the fact that today only the four towers remain.
The characteristic beach of Purità - Gallipoli Vecchio
There Purity, or Puritate for Gallipoli, is the small and charming beach that opens up between the walls of the historic city center. With its golden sand and blue green waters, it is a gem set in the heart of Gallipoli. It owes its characteristic name to the presence in the immediate vicinity of the Church of Santa Maria della Purità.
A beach in Baia Verde
Green Bay
by now it needs very few presentations: this wide bay immediately south of the inhabited center extends for about six kilometers and takes its name from the characteristic and suggestive color of its waters. Almost everywhere very shallow waters that are worth the Green Flag, it offers a vast choice of equipped beaches.
Caribbean waters at Punta della Suina
TO Punta della Suina
the landscape becomes a bit more wild and moving a little from the beach of the same name (both sand and rock), you can easily find a corner to relax in absolute relaxation. The beauty of Punta della Suina is unquestionable, the many famous people who love to visit here every summer are well aware of it.
But it is not far behind Punta Pizzo, which closes the great bay of Gallipoli extending into the sea and which is indeed the only one among the beaches of Gallipoli to boast the Legambiente sails, to be exact 3. Here too a natural park and a protected area have been established, beach - partly free, mostly equipped - offers some of the most beautiful sunsets on this stretch of coast, with the tower of the same name on the horizon and the sea that becomes a lake in the days of sirocco.
Mancaversa, Torre Suda and Posto Rosso
there are three small marinas that follow one another separating the great Gallipoli fiefdom from that of Ugento. They belong respectively to the municipalities of Taviano, Racale and Alliste and in general this whole stretch of the coast is made up of low flat cliffs, from which it is easy to enter the water.
However, in Mancaversa for example, it is still possible to come across some small sandy coves. Rather frequented by locals, but increasingly popular with tourists who are looking for a refuge from the chaos of Gallipoli, is the small beach known as Mancaversa dei Cavalli.
The coast of Torre Suda
The coast of Torre Suda
it is a set of small natural bays, all made up of smooth white rock, due to the smoothing action of the sea. This makes it possible to spend a pleasant day at the beach even for those who are not used to or do not like the rocks too much.
Transparent backdrop - Posto Rosso
A little more "wild" is the nature of Red place, which for this very reason is suitable for those looking for a more peaceful and genuine stay, given that even in high season the influx of tourists is modest.
Dunes and posidonia along the Ugento coast
Once in the territory of Ugento, you come across the localities of Torre di San Giovanni, Torre Mozza and Lido Marini, awarded as a whole by Legambiente with 3 Sails.
From the characteristic black and white checkered construction of the Tower of San Giovanni, in the small fishing port, almost 7 kilometers of wide beach begins, a coastline so wide that it allows you to easily escape the crowded, but comfortable, beaches.
Torre Mozza beach
Torre Mozza
it is with good reason considered one of the most beautiful beaches of the Ionian Salento and it too takes its name from the nearby and relative sighting tower of the sixteenth century. Choose it if you are looking for a lively 'place in the sun', but not chaotic.
Lido Marini
it closes and best represents the so-called shallows of Ugento: this whole stretch of sea is characterized by particularly shallow waters, which has caused numerous shipwrecks since ancient times, of which some traces remain.
With the Blue Flags of the marine of Salve, the only ones on the Ionian side and from 2009 onwards always reconfirmed, the scenario changes little.
Pali Tower, with its ruined tower now surrounded by water just a few meters from the shore, it offers a suggestive scenario with a melancholy charm.
The calm waters of Pescoluse
Pescoluse, which is also the Green Flag, has long been referred to - erroneously but not too much - with the nickname of Maldives of Salento. An exaggeration? We believe not! In any case, beauty is beyond question, also given the 3 Sails.
100% Mediterranean: Torre Vado
In the areaof the municipality of Morciano di Leuca, the low cliffs and the easily accessible sea of Torre Vado
they give the name to this famous seaside resort (Vado, in fact, derives from the Latin “vadum”, that is ford), which is also home to a small port. Here you can enjoy incredibly crystalline waters and one of the most beautiful Salento coastal towers.
A beautiful sunset on San Gregorio
And how to avoid making a stop also a San Gregorio? A tiny hamlet of Patù, the smallest town in the province of Lecce, deserves to be mentioned for the particular beauty of the natural bay, not surprisingly also 3 Vele here, surrounded by high cliffs.
After admiring the infinite beauty of the city, the port and the sanctuary of Santa Maria di Leuca, with its famous and imposing lighthouse watching the Adriatic and the Ionian sea join together, we begin to go up the Adriatic coast, where the cliff dominates practically everywhere but there are still some long beaches.
The Ciolo cove seen from the bridge
To begin with, you cannot fail to stop at the Ciolo Bay, even if only to watch from the bridge overlooking the inlet the many brave people who love to dive from these steep and high cliffs. But fear not, a tiny, easily accessible "beach" allows everyone to swim in this unusual setting. Two very respectable sails also for the Ciolo.
Rock labyrinths and crystal clear water in Marina Serra
Numerous caves and small inlets can be found along the entire Tricasina coast, mainly low and rocky, about 8 kilometers long.
A swim in Marina Serra
it is highly recommended if you arrive here armed with the right shoes and early in the morning, in high season, to avoid not finding a free corner. The clear and transparent water, surrounded by high sheer rock walls and the inevitable tower, attract many people from all over and have earned it the recognition of 3 Vele.
The castle and the small beach of Tricase Porto
Tricase Porto should be visited instead for the beauty of the ancient port and the whole village. But even here it is possible to swim, if desired, thanks to the presence of a small beach.
Next and obligatory stop in the Marina di Andrano, where the Green Grotto is to be visited at all costs. The marina itself is similar to the others nearby, but what makes it special is this cave of incomparable beauty, little known and perhaps for this reason even more fascinating. It can be easily reached once in the water, after a short swim and after crossing another cavity that precedes it. The name, easy to imagine but nevertheless this place will leave you speechless, is a clear reference to the green reflections that the little filtering sunlight gives to the rocky walls and to the water itself, reflecting on the seabed. A real gem, from the 3 Legambiente Sails.
Cala dell'Acquaviva
Really a few kilometers further north, in the marina of Marittima, it is located Cala dell'Acquaviva. Another enchanting cove between the rocks and the high cliffs, with crystal clear turquoise waters and surrounded by the greenery and scents of the Mediterranean scrub, very present here. It is part of the Regional Park of the Costa d'Otranto - Santa Maria di Leuca and is a small but comfortable cove, and above all also easily accessible thanks to the stone stairways placed on both sides. It boasts 3 sails but it is not recommended if you have too young children with you.
Castro Marina seen from above
After a few more kilometers along the SP358, you will arrive at Castro Marina, another Blue Flag seaside resort, from 2009 to today. Beautiful emerald green waters, inlets, coves and caves (the most famous of which is undoubtedly the Zinzulusa cave) have always made Castro a renowned and particularly fascinating destination.
The cobalt blue waters of Porto Miggiano
Porto Miggiano
it is the natural swimming pool par excellence of Salento. Unfortunately the view is marred by an old building site abandoned halfway through construction and placed under seizure, but nevertheless the changing colors of this sea remain very enjoyable.
Santa Cesarea and its charm
Don't miss the chance to visit also Santa Cesarea Terme, which among historic villas with Arabian atmospheres and stacks that rise into the transparent sea, will leave you speechless. Located right at the entrance to the Canale d'Otranto, it is a renowned hydrothermal station, as it is easy to guess from its name. Santa Cesarea Terme, with its natural sulphurous pools, was awarded the 5 Sails of Legambiente, the highest score.
Boats moored in Porto Badisco
Porto Badisco, with the nearby underground complex called Cave of the Deers
(among the most important in Europe) is another of the pearls of the Salento sea. Cited by Virgil as the landing place for Aeneas fleeing Troy, it was named by the English newspaper Telegraph as one of the most beautiful beaches in all of Puglia. Not surprisingly, it has been awarded both with the 5 Sails of Legambiente, the highest score, and for many years with the Blue Flag.
Baia dei Turchi - a glimpse of the beach
There Bay of the Turks, a few kilometers north of Otranto and Blue Flag from 2011 to today, it owes its name to the tradition according to which it is here that the Turks, protagonists of the siege of the city of Hydruntina and the subsequent massacre of its inhabitants, landed here in 1480. The beach , part of the important protected oasis of the Alimini Lakes, retains an unmistakable charm, still uncontaminated.
Alimini - aerial view of the beach and lake
Lido degli Alimini, separated from the two lakes of the same name by a strip of pine forest and dunes, it is one of the longest and most beautiful sandy beaches, here particularly white and fine, in the whole province. The picture is completed by a mirror of calm and clear water, with green-blue tones. Not only 5 Sails by Legambiente, but also Blue Flag and Green Flag.
Both the Baia dei Turchi and the Alimini lakes area, with its beach, are also classified as a Site of Community Importance (SIC).
We want to close our tour of the most beautiful beaches of Salento with the fantastic and enviable ones marine of Melendugno, which since 2010 have always reconfirmed to be Blue Flag. We are talking about Torre Sant'Andrea, Torre dell'Orso and Roca Vecchia.
The rugged coast of Torre Sant'Andrea
Torre Sant'Andrea, another location 5 Vele, with its imposing stacks is one of the most beautiful views of the coast of Salento. It is really worth stopping at least on the coast road to take some beautiful photos of these wonderful architectures of nature, but if you have the chance do not miss the opportunity to take a dip here.
The stacks of the Two Sisters - Torre dell'Orso
Torre dell'Orso, Green Flag 2016, is another of the slightly exotic views of Salento. Not only are the sea and the sandy beach beautiful, but everything is made even more enchanting by the stacks. The Two Sisters, two large separate but close rocks, are among the most characteristic and famous of the Adriatic coast of Salento.
Dives in the natural pool of Grotta della Poesia
And finally: a bathroom is also essential
Roca Vecchia, where the coast becomes rocky again and diving enthusiasts will have plenty of fun. This is where the suggestive is located
Cave of Poetry, considered without surprise one of the ten most beautiful natural pools in the world, as well as an important archaeological site due to a Messapian place of worship recently discovered inside the cave.
There is no denying it… there is something for everyone!
If our journey to discover the most beautiful and evocative beaches of Salento has left you eager to give up everything and leave, you just have one last thing to do: call us to book, organize your holiday and come to discover and experience in first person what Salento has to offer.
In conclusion: come and enjoy a summer by the sea of Salento!
