Gallipoli and the Ionian Sea

In the shade of Gallipoli’s bastions, a fisherman mends his nets on the sea wall while the scent of just-opened sea urchins drifts up from Porto della Purità. You cross to the island on the 17th‑century bridge, skim the Aragonese fortress, and weave into chalk-white lanes toward the 1696 Cathedral of Sant’Agata, carved in Lecce stone. The afternoon shifts to the Ionian: a city dip at Spiaggia della Purità, then crystal water at Punta della Suina or Baia Verde, chosen according to wind and swell.

Hotel pickup in Lecce and a smooth Mercedes ride down the SS101, about 45 minutes. The car stays at your disposal: coffee and pasticciotto stop, visits while your driver handles traffic, lunch by the water with no parking stress. In Gallipoli, your private chauffeur in Lecce tweaks the route to Rivabella or Punta Pizzo, times swims to avoid crowds, and keeps towels dry. The way back can loop via Alezio for a Negroamaro tasting or through Tuglie as the sun drops over century-old olive groves.