Tramontana — from the north
Cool air and a clear sky. The sea on the Ionian coast usually stays swimmable, but you feel the wind on the open beaches — the sheltered bays are the better choice
Salento, the way we'd
show it to a friend
A little guide made by our family: beaches, villages, good things to eat, and the days we'd love our guests to have
What kind of day are you after?
Pick how you're feeling today. We'll tell you where we'd go — not every spot in Salento, just the right ones for this kind of day
If today all you want to do is swim
Shallow, clear water over a sandy seabed.
It's even calmer with wind from the east
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Torre Lapillo
A wide, sheltered bay — you can walk for ages with the water at your knees
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Torre Chianca
Fine sand and few waves, good even in the early afternoon
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Punta Prosciutto
At its best when the sea is flat. Get there early
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Porto Cesareo, island side
Still water facing Isola dei Conigli, an easy fit for a mid-afternoon
If you want fewer beach clubs and more nature
Bring water and a hat:
there's little to no facilities out here
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Punta Prosciutto, the dune side
Walk north and the umbrellas run out, leaving just the dunes
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Porto Selvaggio
You walk down through the pine forest and swim among the rocks. Cold, very clean water
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Torre Inserraglio
Small coves among the rocks, good for a quiet morning
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Palude del Conte
Sand and Mediterranean scrub, the least built-up stretch near home
If the sea's enough for one day
You head out around 7pm and eat late.
In high season we book the table for you
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Nardò
Piazza Salandra at sunset, then dinner in the centre
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Gallipoli, old town
A walk on the walls and fish for dinner. A longer evening, but worth the trip
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Porto Cesareo, seafront
The simplest evening: boats, ice cream, no car needed
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Lecce
Worth doing once, unhurried, staying out late
If you're travelling with small children
Sand, shallow water and amenities close by.
Best in the morning, before 11am
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Torre Lapillo
The water stays shallow for dozens of metres. Our first choice with kids
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Porto Cesareo beach
Equipped lidos, toilets and ice cream close by: handy when you're travelling light
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Torre Chianca
Less crowded mid-morning, same shallow water
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Sant'Isidoro
A cosy bay you can keep an eye on from a single umbrella
If you head out late, for the light
The Ionian coast faces west: the sun sets
into the sea almost everywhere. Arrive 40 minutes early
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Sant'Isidoro
Tower, rocks and the sun sinking straight into the sea. The closest to home
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Punta Prosciutto
Empty sand after 6pm, the best colour of the summer
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Punta della Suina
Pines down to the rocks, an aperitivo with your feet in the sand
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Porto Cesareo pier
If you don't want to drive: just walk out of the house at 7:30pm
Beaches
In Salento, the right beach depends on the wind
Our recommendations
The places we really recommend
A few places, well explained. The ones we tell our friends when they ask where to go
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Punta Prosciutto
Very long white sand, shallow clear water, dunes behind you. It's the place we choose when the sea is the only thing that matters
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Porto Selvaggio
You walk in through the pine forest and down to a rocky cove. Cold, clean water — our pick when sand isn't enough
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Nardò, Piazza Salandra
A baroque square where you can sit for hours. It's the evening we suggest once you've had enough sea for the day
Perfect days
Porto Cesareo, the way we live it
Not a list of sights to see: a whole day, hour by hour, the way we'd spend it in August
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08:00
Coffee and a pasticciotto
Breakfast at the bar we always go to: a warm pasticciotto and iced coffee if it's already hot
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09:00
The beach, depending on the wind
With a flat sea we stay at Torre Lapillo or Porto Cesareo. With a Scirocco wind we change plans and go towards the Adriatic
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12:30
A light lunch
A puccia or some simple fish at one of the beach kiosks nearby. Lunch doesn't need to be complicated
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15:30
Home, with the shutters closed
The middle of the day is spent in the shade: the pool, the garden, or simply resting. That's how you get through summer here
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18:30
A walk down to the harbour
A stroll along the seafront as the boats come in, ice cream, and time to relax
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20:30
Dinner
Dinner in the centre of Porto Cesareo, with plenty of choice and typical Salento cuisine absolutely worth trying
If you're staying at Loft Muratori...
This day is spent entirely on foot: the village is right outside and the beach is a few minutes away. The car can sit still until your next trip out
Eating
What to eat at least once
Ten things, not a hundred. What they are, and when we'd eat them
- Pasticciotto
- Shortcrust pastry with custard, served warm. At breakfast, fresh out of the oven
- Puccia
- A round filled bread, the ultimate beach lunch. A quick midday meal
- Frisella
- Dry bread dipped in water, with tomato, oil and oregano. On the terrace, when it's too hot to cook
- Rustico leccese
- Puff pastry with béchamel, tomato and mozzarella. Mid-morning, standing at the bar
- Pittule
- Fried balls of leavened dough, plain or with vegetables. An aperitivo, meant for sharing
- Orecchiette
- Handmade pasta, with turnip tops or in a sauce. Sunday lunch
- Raw fish
- Red prawns and langoustines, just lemon and oil. At dinner, near the harbour
- Gelato
- At our trusted gelato spot, the stop on the evening stroll. After dinner, while walking
- Salento olive oil
- Green, bitter, sharp. Something to take home. On everything, every day
- Primitivo · Negroamaro
- The two local reds: the first softer, the second drier. At dinner, never too cold
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Pasticciotto
Shortcrust pastry with custard, served warm. At breakfast, fresh out of the oven
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Puccia
A round filled bread, the ultimate beach lunch. A quick midday meal
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Frisella
Dry bread dipped in water, with tomato, oil and oregano. On the terrace, when it's too hot to cook
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Rustico leccese
Puff pastry with béchamel, tomato and mozzarella. Mid-morning, standing at the bar
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Pittule
Fried balls of leavened dough, plain or with vegetables. An aperitivo, meant for sharing
-
Orecchiette
Handmade pasta, with turnip tops or in a sauce. Sunday lunch
-
Raw fish
Red prawns and langoustines, just lemon and oil. At dinner, near the harbour
-
Gelato
At our trusted gelato spot, the stop on the evening stroll. After dinner, while walking
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Salento olive oil
Green, bitter, sharp. Something to take home. On everything, every day
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Primitivo · Negroamaro
The two local reds: the first softer, the second drier. At dinner, never too cold
FAQ
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If you're staying at Loft Muratori or on Via de Santis, no — not for the village or the beach. For Punta Prosciutto, Porto Selvaggio or dinner out, yes. If you're staying between Sant'Isidoro and Torre Inserraglio, you'll always want one. Not sure? Write to us — we'll tell you whether it's worth renting for the whole stay or just a few days.
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Brindisi — it's much closer, about an hour or so from us versus over two from Bari. Send us your flights and we'll tell you if our transfer service makes sense for you.
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Street parking in the villages is easy to find, except on peak-summer evenings. If you'd rather have a reserved spot, mention it in your request and we'll arrange one where we can.
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Lovely but busy: beaches are more crowded and restaurants are worth booking a few days ahead. Evenings stay pleasant. If you want more quiet, June and September are the same coast with fewer people.
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The house, first of all — it fills up early in high season. For August, also any restaurant you particularly want to try. Everything else you can decide day by day.
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On Sundays everything is open and available: bars, restaurants, beaches and the nearest supermarket all keep their usual hours, mornings included.
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There's a supermarket a few minutes from every house — it's also marked on the map on each house's page. For fruit and vegetables, the local markets in nearby villages are a great option.
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Sunscreen, a hat, and water shoes for the rockier stretches. For the rest, umbrellas and sunbeds — or if you'd rather a private beach club, we'll recommend where to go.
Our houses
Start from your own house
Every house has its own best day. Here's what we'd do starting from each one
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Casa Nonno Nanni
Grandpa's house, among the old olive trees
ExploreThe ideal day from here
A slow morning in the garden, the beach in the afternoon, dinner in the village.
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Villa Turchina
The sea three hundred metres away, and quiet all around
ExploreThe ideal day from here
A swim before breakfast, a walk to Porto Selvaggio in summer, sunset at Sant'Isidoro
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Loft Muratori
The village right outside, the beach three minutes away
ExploreThe ideal day from here
A whole day on foot: coffee at the bar, the beach, the harbour, ice cream
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Via de Santis 1/A
The extra space, and a terrace for summer evenings
ExploreThe ideal day from here
A day at the beach on foot, dinner on the terrace watching the sunset.
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Via de Santis 1/B
Quiet, bright, a stone's throw from everything
ExploreThe ideal day from here
A morning swim, a walk through the village, drinks a few steps from home.
Book your ideal Salento holiday
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