Gallipoli

The Church of the Purità, built in 1664, is an excellent example of the Baroque style typical of Gallipoli. Since Lecce stone was not available for construction, the Baroque architects had to express their creativity using carparo, a material notoriously more difficult to work with. The result is a church that seems carved by hand, with a roughness that makes it more real than perfect things. The Cathedral of Sant'Agata, at the highest point of the island, is the standout: an elaborate façade, an interior worth the journey on its own, and the moment of recognition when you understand why some cities build their most beautiful churches in the hardest places to reach. Beauty needs time to be admired.

Even today in Gallipoli you can visit the hypogean oil mills, evocative underground structures now fallen out of use that were once used to store and press olives. Descending into the hypogean oil mill of Palazzo Granafei means understanding what Gallipoli was before tourism: a commercial, industrious city that exported lamp oil throughout Europe through that port which today you admire at sunset with an aperitivo in hand.

Every day fishermen dock in the harbours, tipping their precious catch onto the pier. Visiting the fish market in Gallipoli is one of the experiences to have during a holiday in Salento. At sunset the quays of the ancient harbour fill with tourists and locals waiting for the fishermen's colourful fishing boats to return: it is the hour of aperitivos with the freshest seafood.

The golden bastions rising from the water, the majolica domes emerging between the rooftops, the city's silhouette against the sunset: everything takes on a different dimension. Gallipoli from a boat is another city. The excursion is worth it, the cost is worth it, getting up early is worth it.