Anda
Our day trip takes you to Gallipoli, a small town on the coast of the Ionian Sea in Italy.
But first, breakfast
Don’t leave Lecce before a typical breakfast. Italian breakfast is usually sweet. My choice is a typical sweet pastry from Salento called pasticciotto. The pasticciotto is a baked oval cake filled with custard cream, one of the best dolci I have ever tasted.
Day trip to Gallipoli, Italy
To get to Gallipoli, I recommend renting a car for one day. The public transport system beyond Lecce is incomprehensible. The bonus is that you’ll be able to visit some of the beaches on the Ionian Coast.
I rented a Fiat 500 from the rental company inside the train station, TargetRent. It was very convenient since I was able to drop it off at night without having to search for a parking spot close to the center of Lecce. The deposit though was on the high side, so read the terms carefully before booking the car.
About Gallipoli, Italy
The old town of Gallipoli is an island in the Ionian Sea, linked by a bridge to the new part of the city. You can visit the castle and maybe sunbathe for a while, as there is a small sand beach right on the island. It is a popular spot for tourists, especially during the weekends. Try to get there on a weekday to fully enjoy the small island.
Also, the restaurants have adapted and many of them have touristic fixed menus. However, if you get lost on the streets towards the center of the old town you’ll find a few small family restaurants.
Take advantage of the rest of the day and drive south to explore the coast for a while. You’ll find a few more beautiful spots and beaches on the Ionian side of Salento. You might even get to the southern tip of the heel in Santa Maria di Leuca.
If you do get there in season, there are a few options to take a boat tour and see the caves in the area.
Our day trip to Gallipoli ends back in Lecce. Get back at the full itinerary to explore the beautiful region of Puglia here.
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Wow – incomprehensible is not a word you want to read when reading about a transport system, yet in Italy it is 1000% accurate, I don’t doubt! Gallipoli looks so pretty and completely charming. As for breakfast, the pasticciotto sounds delicious! I haven’t been to Italy for many years now but what I seem to recall from my last trip was so much of the breakfast being Nutella based! I’m heading back to Italy in February, I will have to re-investigate! ♥
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I still have a few places and breakfasts to investigate in Italy too. Where are you going next?