Day 27 Santa Maria di Leuca and Otranto - 1 May 2025 - May Day Public Holiday

Today began with an eclectic breakfast. I had two cheeses, sundried tomato, artichoke, yogurt, boiled egg, and toast with cherry jam. Of course there was cappuccino. Johnny had the more conventional fare. We had had our fill of stone streets and buildings and so we set off for the seaside and Santa Maria di Leuca, which is at the southern most point of the heel of Italy.

The journey to Leuca was through an area that alternated between agriculture and light industry. The road we took also took us through some dusty strips of towns that looked sleepy and a bit sad. But suddenly it all changed as the sea glinted in the distance. There was a tumble of white buildings that fell down to the seafront and there it was, a wide sweep of beach that curved seductively out to sea.

 

We set off on a walk along the seafront that was still surprisingly quiet. We walked as far as the path that led to the lighthouse would allow and then turned back. The front was lined with old buildings being given new life as hotels and restaurants, but there were also some new structures gong up. Santa Maria di Leuca clearly has aspirations to become something of a tourist drawcard.

We found a café where we struggled to get our order understood, but eventually a fruit smoothie with milk arrived. By now we were used to the exorbitant prices that tourists must pay if they wish to be fed and watered.

We walked the road parallel to the main road back to the car and discovered some very large estates and mansion type houses. Many of these were locked up and in some state of neglect. But there were others that had time and money spent on them, and they showed how marvellously they could be brought back to life. The sea was a  glorious turquoise and the marina was full of boats just begging to be taken out for a spin.

With it being a public holiday today, people must have taken the opportunity to sleep in, and by the time we had reached the car, the front strip was buzzing with family groups and the tour guides offering snorkelling trips and visits to the grotto were in full swing. Long streams of motorcyclist wearing full leathers, despite the heat, and many carrying pillion passengers, were also roaring through the town.

Before we left Leuca we visited an everything shop for some fruit, fruit juice, biscuits and nuts to take with us.

The road to Otranto began easily we soon got enmeshed in the long trails of traffic going to the seaside. By the time we reached the outskirts of Otrano we were crawling. We had put the main car park into the maps, but by the time we got there, it was full and we began to trawl the streets for a spot. Luckily some enterprising men had set up what looked like an impromptu car park in an open field and like other hot, exhausted drivers, we were happy to pay the ten dollars for a spot.

The seafront was boiling with people. Restaurants were open, the beaches were full of people. The Italians were promenading in family groups and the tourists were heaving through the hilly streets of the old town while their guides tried to maintain their interest. We took our Leuca supplies, down to a little park that fringed the front and also bought a hamburger, chips and spinach pie. There was a St Kilda festival vibe about the place with the people, the carousel, the stalls selling toys and lollies.

The real star of the show was the ocean. The water was crystal clear and the sort of green-blue colour that looked as if it had been photoshopped. We walked along the seafront, up the stone steps that led to enormous walls of the fort. The problem with these views is that they draw you in. You can’t help wondering what is through that gateway and what is that glorious building just beyond it. We found ourselves drawn into the narrow streets of the old town, past the cathedral and up to the castle where some blissful views could be had across the harbour. We had to restore our energy with some cherry ice cream and then headed off again.

Then we dropped down to the shore and walked past the resting dinghies pulled up on the sand and over the bridge, to a wide strip lined with palm trees and fringed with restaurants heaving with people. So this is where the motorcyclists and car drivers were all heading! People lined the sea walk to watch the glorious views and the sight of young women almost wearing bikinis.

It was a lovely day, and being late afternoon we headed back to Lecce for a rest then out to dinner for our last night in Lecce.

And meanwhile in Paris, the fun continues.