Itinerary Salento road trip
1 week in Salento: the sun, the sea, the wind
Why visit Salento?
If you are wondering what are the reasons to visit Salento by car, read my itinerary about what I think are the main stops of the "Salento road trip".
A tour of Salento by car will allow you to admire one of the most popular places for vacationers during the summer holidays thanks to a splendid sea, a special welcome and lots of fun and obviously there will be sun, sea and wind.
March to November is the best time to visit Salento.
Salento road trip in 7 days
DAY 1
- Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city called the capital of Magna Graecia and for this reason it has a remarkable historical heritage as well as an enviable coastline.
DAY 2
- Taranto - Brindisi (73,4 Km/45,6 mi)
Brindisi has been an important port city since Roman times who called it the "Gateway to the East".
- Brindisi - Lecce (39 Km/24,2 mi)
Lecce is the most important city of Salento also known as "the Florence of the South".
DAY 3
- Lecce - San Foca (24 Km/15 mi)
San Foca is the beginning of a splendid stretch of coast that includes places and attractions such as the Grotta della Poesia, Torre dell'Orso, Torre Sant'Andrea and Baia dei Turchi.
- San Foca - Otranto (21,5 Km/13,4 mi)
Otranto is the easternmost point of Italy and is one of the most beautiful and loved places in Salento.
DAY 4
- Otranto
- Otranto - Bauxite quarry (2 Km/1,3 mi)
The Bauxite quarry is a small lake characterized by a singular coloring of the surrounding area precisely because of the mineral.
- Bauxite quarry - Santa Cesarea Terme (17,4 Km/10,8 mi)
Santa Cesarea Terme is a graceful elegant village with an atypical aspect in the Salento context.
DAY 5
- Santa Cesarea Terme - Castro (6,4 Km/4 mi)
Castro is a village of white houses that develops on a hill near the sea.
- Castro - Santa Maria di Leuca (29 Km/18 mi)
Santa Maria di Leuca is the southernmost point of Puglia where the Adriatic and Ionian seas meet.
DAY 6
- Santa Maria di Leuca - Presicce (16 Km/10 mi)
Presicce is a beautiful village characterized by the presence of numerous underground oil mills and for this reason it is called the "City of the Hypogea".
- Presicce - Specchia (7 Km/4,3 mi)
Specchia is an excellently preserved village and boasts awards such as the Orange Flag of the Touring Club as well as being one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.
- Specchia - Gallipoli (35,5 Km/22 mi)
Gallipoli is a lively tourist town called "the Pearl of the Ionian"
DAY 7
- Gallipoli - Nardò (17 Km/10 mi)
Nardò is one of the most interesting towns in Salento from a cultural point of view.
- Nardò - Porto Cesareo (16,5 Km/10,3 mi)
Porto Cesareo is the beginning of a stretch of white sand coast and very beautiful wild beaches.
- Porto Cesareo - Punta Prosciutto (12,5 Km/7,8 mi)
Punta Prosciutto with its fine sand dunes is defined as the most beautiful beach in Salento.
- Punta Prosciutto - Taranto (57,4 Km/35,7 mi)
Suggest other interesting stops within this itinerary by commenting the article.
What to do in Salento:
- Eat the typical pasticciotto.
- Take a boat trip to explore the many caves of the Salento peninsula.
- Dancing the pizzica during the evenings in the square of Salento villages.