SALENTO

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1° Day

Late afternoon arrival in the province of Lecce. Accommodation and evening meal in hotel.

2° Day Lecce

Breakfast in hotel then departure for a tour of Lecce. A whole day along the streets of this town is like being plunged into a reality of brightly lit up pavements that are so typical of these narrow lanes made of the white limestone that comes from Lecce. The bricks have been so skillfully placed one on top of the other that they have given birth to beautiful buildings like Palazzo dei Celestini, or the façade of the Church of Santacroce, and the Dome itself. You will visit: the di Cerrate Abbey, the Roman Amphitheatre, the Basilica di Santa Croce, the Steeple of the Dome, the Castle of Carlo V, the Church of San Niccolò and Cataldo, the Church of Gesù or del Buon Consiglio, the Church of Saint John the Baptist, the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista, the Church of San Matteo, the Church of Sant’Irene ai Teatini, the Church of Santa Chiara, the small Church of San Marco, Piazza Sant’Oronzo, the Dome, Ipogeo Palmieri, Piazza Sant’Oronzo e Sedile, Piazza Duomo, Porta Napoli, Piazzetta Arco di Trionfo, the Roman Theatre and the Torre del Parco. Stop for lunch during the tour. Return to hotel, evening meal and accommodation.

3° Day Otranto - Santa Maria di Leuca - Gallipoli

Breakfast in hotel then departure for Otranto. You will visit the truly beautiful old part and the magnificent Cathedral where inside a very beautiful mosaic of Byzantine origin is kept. After this you will set off along the beautiful eastern coast and head for Santa Maria di Leuca. Guided tour of the Villa La Meridiana stables (with their original stone floors, the ancient mangers, the bread cart) plus a cookery lesson held inside the stables entitled (“le mani in pasta”: you will be shown how “sagne torte”, “orecchiette”, “minchiareddhi”, “maritati” and “tria” are made) plus liquor tasting of “rosoli” and “ratafia” (made from prickly pears, rose petals and mandarins) selected from the “Dispensa di Caroli”; guided tour of exhibitions- if any – of the stables in Villa La Meridiana. Depending on availability, special opening and guided tour on request of the gardens and major floors with the mosaics, the ancient “stove” that still works perfectly, the “scale degli amanti” (“lovers’ stairs”), the round terrace, the sun clock, the birds’ water trough, the dovecote, and the “bagnarola”. Lunch in a restaurant in the area then departure for a tour of the famous town of Gallipoli. Return to hotel, evening meal and accommodation.

4° Day

Breakfast in hotel.