Weekend in Puglia: things to see in the Ionian Salento in two days

admin26 December 20212 Mins read135 Views

You have chosen Salento for a weekend getaway, but the 150 km of coast put you in crisis on the choice of places to see in just two days. Here are some tips that will help you spend a relaxing weekend in Puglia. A guide to know what to see in the Ionian Salento in two days.

If you can’t do without golden sandy beaches and the sea, choose the Ionian side of Salento. On our tour we will spend two days in two of the most famous locations in Salento: Porto Cesareo and Gallipoli.

FIRST DAY

Have breakfast with pasticciotto and coffee on ice and go stright, “armed” with sunscreen and beach towel, to the beach. Porto Cesareo offers white beaches protected by majestic dunes. Take a long swim to the Isola Grande or the “Dei Conigli”, or alternatively, if you are not too athletic, reach it by boat. The entire area of Porto Cesareo has been a Protected Marine Area since 1997, one of the largest in Italy (16,654 hectares), with over 40 diving spots and various “Blue Paths”.

In the late afternoon, we recommend a stop at the Parenzan Museum of Marine Biology, with 900 exhibits, the malacological collection and an area dedicated to deep-sea fish and sea monsters.

In the evening, you cannot fail to taste a tasty dinner based on local fish. You can stop in Porto Cesareo, in one of the numerous fishmongers that become delicious restaurants in the evening, or move to the nearby Sant’Isidoro. You will be spoiled for choice!

SECOND DAY

For the second and last day of your weekend in Puglia we cannot fail to visit Gallipoli, the “Pearl of the Ionian”. The “Città Bella”, in fact, offers a mix of beaches, culture, architecture that satisfies all tastes. Then spend the morning by the sea, choosing from numerous beaches: the beach of Gallipolini is the beach of “Purità”, but the beaches from Baia Verde to Punta della Suina, connected by a cycle / pedestrian road, are also worth a stop. Here tongues of sand and coves are protected by dunes and gradually alternate with the Aleppo pine forest, where nature becomes wild.

In the late afternoon we recommend a visit to the city, gathered on an island connected to the mainland by a stone bridge. The imposing Angevin Castle, which hosts large exhibitions, marks the entrance to the ancient village: a labyrinth of alleys where small characteristic shops alternate with churches of the Confraternities, up to the magnificent Cathedral Basilica of S. Agata, a triumph of the Baroque.