Ionian Coast South

Gallipoli, from greek kalè polis, meaning beautiful city, overlooks the Ionian Sea. Legend claims the founder was the Cretan hero Idomeneus, but it's likely to have been settled by the Messapians. The city is divided into the Old Town, built on a limestone island, accessible only by bridge, and the Village. It is reachable from Lecce by highway 101 or train. Beyond the summer season, several events like the famous Carnevale, or the Procession of the Mysteries for Easter, occur. The city's treasures are the Aragonese Castle and the fountain belived an Ellenistic building.
Large, white beaches and resorts appear that are known mainly by the watchtowers dotted along the coast. The area between Leuca and Gallipoli belongs administratively to the municipalities of Patù, Morciano di Leuca, Salve, Ugento, Racale, Alliste and Taviano. Follow the state road 101 by car from Lecce to Gallipoli and continue on the 274 leading to Santa Maria di Leuca.