Italy
PUGLIA – LECCE AND SURROUNDINGS
- 4 days
- couples
- spring, summer, fall
A relaxing few days in beautiful Puglia. Ideal for relaxing or taking a break from everyday worries. Spend three nights in the beautiful city of Lecce, full of Baroque monuments. Make short excursions to the surrounding towns, cities or villages. See the shores of two seas, the Adriatic and the Ionian. And taste lots of local food! You will visit many sights, especially beautiful churches and majestic cathedrals, but also several castles! You can take a short trip to the countryside along the seashore. Puglia is simply a place where you can slow down and let time pass. The ideal time to travel to Puglia is spring and autumn.
Tour the medieval town of Otranto, walk along the Adriatic coast. The beautiful Basilica di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria in Galatina. Tip for dinner in Lecce.
On the morning of the third day, drive to Otranto, a seaside town, this time on the Adriatic Sea. Again, there is a nice historical centre. The drive is about 40 minutes long (route). Visit the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Annunziata and the Aragonese Castle of Otranto. Then take a walk along the coast – the route there and back is the same. The views of the sea and cliffs here are truly photogenic and there are watchtowers lining the coastline. You can also go on a beautiful walk for less than 2 hours (TRIP Otranto). If you’d like you can make the trip longer by going to the small lake in the Cava di Bauxite quarry surrounded by red rocks (full walking route here). It is good to take some sandwiches for the walk and have lunch along the way somewhere on the coast. Alternatively, stop for a late lunch on your return to Otranto, but be warned, many of the restaurants are touristy.
In the afternoon, drive to the town of Galatina. The route is here. Here you will find the smaller church of Chiesa Madre dei Santi Pietro e Paolo and the Basilica di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria, beautifully decorated. To get a good view of the paintings in the basilica you can control the lighting, there is a controller to the right of the entrance. Parking is available for a low fee in Piazza Gioacchino Toma (here). Coordinates for parking: 40.1720431N, 18.1732878E. And if you park there, stop for a coffee at the place where time stands still – Caffé S.Antonio. You'll find it right on Piazza Gioacchino Toma. It’s a charming little place and the lovely kind of establishment that regrettably seems to be dying out. The transfer to Lecce is 30 minutes (route).
Dinner in Lecce – Try the 400 Gradi Lecce restaurant. Their pizza is absolutely delicious! It’s not that kind of restaurant where you sit for two hours, eating, drinking, and talking. Rather, you order quickly, eat, pay, and other guests are already taking your table. Without a reservation, you'll probably be standing in a long line outside until a spot opens up. We walked around for three days, and I always thought this wasn't for me, but then we tried it and the pizza was really good! We'll definitely go there again.
Otranto is the easternmost city in Italy. It lies on the Adriatic coast. In the historic centre you will find the Aragonese Castle and the magnificent 11th century cathedral. South of the city is an ideal location for walks or treks along the coast.
The cathedral is especially famous for the huge mosaic covering almost the entire floor of the cathedral. The mosaic floor, dating back to 1165, was created by the priest Pantaleon. It is the only mosaic floor from the Norman era that has survived intact in Italy.
The castle is bordered on all sides by a deep moat. The current appearance dates back to the 16th century. The castle is very carefully maintained. The tour is nice, you can climb up to the top, from where there are wonderful views.
A beautiful walk along the sea. Beautiful rocky cliffs. Along the way, there is also the ruins of an observation tower. Length 4.8 km. Ideal to have a picnic here. Possibility to extend the path to Cava di Bauxite.
A beautiful town to wander the old streets. Not usually so many tourists. Don't miss a visit to the Basilica di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria – the frescoes here are truly magnificent.
Very nice church in a beautiful square. Inside you will find nice ceiling frescoes. The construction of the church started in the middle of the 14th century. The church got its present appearance in 1770.
You shouldn't miss this place. Incredible interior decoration. It's really unbelievable. Beautiful paintings. The basilica was built between 1369 and 1391. If you want to turn on the lights inside, use the machine on the right side of the entrance.
You rarely find a restaurant with a line of people outside waiting for a table. It's the rule here, so be sure to have a reservation. It's a restaurant popular with young people. They have great pizza, really great pizza! The service is very fast and the turnaround at the table is fast. Very interesting concept and a very good restaurant indeed.
Niky Malečková
17.07.2024
1770
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