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Salento

The Penisola Salentina, better known simply as Salento, is hot, dry and remote, retaining a flavour of its Greek past. It stretches across Italy's heel from Brindisi to Taranto and down to Santa Maria di Leuca. Here the lush greenery of Valle d'Itria gives way to flat, ochre-coloured fields hazy with wildflowers in spring, and endless olive groves.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Salento.

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Cathedral
Mosaics, skulls, crypts and biblical-meets-tropical imagery: Otranto's cathedral is like no other in Italy. It was built by the Normans in the 11th century, incorporating Romanesque, Byzantine and early Christian styles with their own, and has been given a few facelifts since. Covering the entire floor is its pièce de résistance, a vast 12th-century mosaic of a stupendous tree of life balanced on the back of two elephants. The mosaic was created by a young monk called Pantaleone in 1165, whose vision of heaven and hell encompassed an amazing (con)fusion of the classics, religion and plain old superstition, including Adam and Eve, Diana the huntress, Hercules, King Arthur, Alexander the Great, and a menagerie of monkeys, snakes and sea monsters. Beguiled by the well-preserved floor, most people forget to look up at the beautiful wooden coffered ceiling. The beauty of the floor contrasts sharply with the ghoulishly fascinating Cappella Mortiri (Chapel of the Dead), where the bones and skulls of 813 Otranto martyrs beheaded by the invading Turks in 1480 peer out of seven tall glass cases. The stone upon which the grisly deed was allegedly carried out is preserved behind the altar. If the bones haven't freaked you out, the church also has a dungeon-like crypt to explore.
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Basilica di Santa Croce
It seems that hallucinating stonemasons have been at work on the basilica. Sheep, dodos, cherubs and beasties writhe across the facade, a swirling magnificent allegorical feast. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, a team of artists under Giuseppe Zimbalo laboured to work the building up to this pitch. The interior is more conventionally baroque, and deserves a look. Spare a thought for the expelled Jewish families whose land the basilica was built on. Zimbalo also left his mark in the former Convento dei Celestini, just north of the basilica, which is now the Palazzo del Governo, the local government headquarters. Look for his profile on the facade of the basilica.
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Museo Faggiano
Descend through Lecce's rich historical strata in this fascinating home-turned-museum, where sewerage excavations led to the chance discovery of an archaeological treasure trove. The deepest finds take you all the way back to the Messapii culture of the 5th century BC; you then ascend through Roman crypts, medieval walls, Jewish insigna and Knights Templar symbols in the rooftop tower. The house itself dates to Templar times (12th century) and was used for a period as a convent. Underneath are tombs, a granary, a well, cisterns, and underground escape routes, all laid open to the modern visitor, and most accessible. It's a must for history buffs, amateur archaeologists and cave rats.
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Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Taranto
Sitting unassumingly in a side street in Taranto's new town is one of Italy's most important archaeological museums, chiefly dedicated to the archaeology of ancient Taras (Taranto). It houses, among other artefacts, the largest collection of Greek terracotta figures in the world. Also on display are fine collections of 1st-century BC glassware, classic black-and-red Attic vases and stunning gold and jewellery from Magna Graecia, such as a 4th-century BC bronze and terracotta crown.
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Tempio di San Giovanni al Sepolcro
This 12th-century church, a brown bulk of Norman stone conforming to the circular plan the Templars so loved, is a wonderfully evocative structure, austere and bare. You'll see vestigial medieval frescoes on the walls, and glimpses of the crypt below. The church was a popular stop for Crusaders travelling to and from the Holy Land. Don't miss the expansive gardens at the rear of the building.
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Cathedral
Giuseppe Zimbalo's 1659 reconstruction of Lecce's original 12th-century cathedral is recognised as being among his finest work. Zimbalo, Lecce's famous 17th-century architect, was also responsible for the thrusting, tiered bell tower, 72m high. The cathedral is unusual in that it has two facades, one on the western end and the other, more ornate, facing the piazza. It’s framed by the 17th-century Palazzo Vescovile (Episcopal Palace) and the 18th-century Seminario, designed by Giuseppe Cino.
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Museo Ebraico
This fascinating museum outlines the Jewish history of Lecce and the greater Salento region. Entry is by 30-minute guided tour only, running every 45 minutes from 10am to 1pm and 3pm to 6.15pm. Excellent maps (€1.50) covering other nearby Jewish heritage sites are a good option for self-drive travellers. On Thursday evenings at 6.30pm the museum hosts Sarah's Stories (€12), a poignant spoken-word and audiovisual performance by Italian actor, Giustina de Iaco. Booking ahead is recommended.
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Chiesa dei Santi Nicolò e Cataldo
The beautiful church of Saints Nicolò and Cataldo, located in the monumental cemetery outside the city walls, was built by the Normans in 1180. It got caught up in the city’s baroque frenzy and was revamped in 1716 by the prolific Giuseppe Cino, who retained the Romanesque rose window and portal. The 16th-century fresco cycles inside tell stories from the saints' lives.
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MUST
The beautifully restored 15th-century Monastery of Santa Chiara houses this civic museum and gallery, and has a great view of the Roman theatre from the back window. Exhibits focus on the history of Lecce, from the Messapians of 2500 years ago to the present day, while the work of modern Leccese artists hangs in the ground-floor gallery.