The old town on an island and the sunset over the Ionian Sea
On the Ionian coast of the Salento, Gallipoli is one of the most beautiful and lively towns in Apulia. Its name comes from the Greek "Kalè polis", beautiful city, and its old town stands on a limestone island connected to the mainland by a seventeenth century bridge, enclosed by walls overlooking the sea. Its narrow white lanes hide over thirty churches, baroque palaces, courtyards and old oil mills: in the past Gallipoli was one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean for lamp oil, exported all over Europe to light the streets of London and Paris, and many underground oil mills dug into the rock can still be visited.
At the entrance to the old town stands the Angevin-Aragonese Castle, rising from the sea, and the Greek fountain, decorated with reliefs. The baroque Cathedral of Sant'Agata is full of paintings, and the church of Santa Maria della Purità, on the walls, has an interior entirely covered with paintings and a majolica floor. The walk along the walls, the "Riviera", is beautiful at sunset, when the sun sinks into the Ionian Sea. Around the town extend long beaches of fine sand, such as the Baia Verde and Punta della Suina, and Gallipoli is known for its nightlife in summer.
Tip: taste the red prawns of Gallipoli, the "gamberi rossi", raw at the fish market at the foot of the bridge; avoid August if you are looking for peace.
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