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.