All Salento beaches are wonderful, no doubt on that. Since we visited many different places during our holiday, we tried to list our top 5. It was not so easy to choose which ones to exlude but some places literally stole our heart.
Let’s find out which beaches got on our podium!
5th PLACE: GROTTA DELLA POESIA (Cave of Poetry)
Even though Grotta della Poesia is not properly a beach, this place is so beautiful that it easily reaches the podium among the best Salento beaches.
Grotta della Poesia is a natural pool in Roca Vecchia, Melendugno. Leave your car in one of the big parkings next to the street so that you can reach this place by foot (only a few minutes). Water inside the cave is crystal clear. You can jump from the rocks above or enter the water through a natural stone stair.
Only downside of this heavenly place is constant sun exposure. Don’t forget beach umbrellas, tents and sunscreen to enjoy your stay at Grotta della Poesia!
Walking near Grotta della Poesia you can also visit the archaeological site of Roca Vecchia. The whole area is on the sea and the view is amazing. You can see the old village with church, houses and towers.
Archaeologists are still working on this site so we might admire new discoveries soon!
4th PLACE: PUNTA DELLA SUINA
Let’s move to the opposite coast to visit our fourth best Salento beach: Punta della Suina.
Not far from the beautiful city of Gallipoli, you will find this white sandy beach delimited by jagged rocks. We visited this place in a cloudy and windy day but, as you can see in the picture, the landscape is wonderful. On the background you can see Gallipoli, which is definetely worth a visit!
Punta della Suina can be easily reached by foot. It’s perfect both for beach and rocks’ lovers. If you want to walk or play on the rocks we recommend you to bring apposite shoes since, as you can see, rocks are pretty jagged.
3rd PLACE: TORRE SPECCHIA (Specchia Tower)
This beach is not usually mentioned among the best Salento beaches but it’s definetely worth the bronze medal.
The peace of this place helps it to quickly rise through the ranks. Torre Specchia is made of a series of coves which belong to Melendugno’s Marina. The beach can be easily reached by foot after leaving the car in one of the parkings next to the road.
The feature that stroke us the most is crystal clear water which allows you to see the seabed. Like all the Salento beaches, Torre Specchia let you admire the beauty of Mediterranean Sea.
2° PLACE: BAIA DEI TURCHI
Not far from Otranto you can find this natural beauty which wins the silver medal. Legend say that the Turks landed on this bay during the assault to Otranto. Now this beach is one of the most visited places of Southern Italy.
The beach is surrounded by a pinewood. You’ll have to leave your car in one of the nearby parkings and reach the beach by foot.
Like many other Salento beaches, Baia dei Turchi has a long sandy beach surrounded by jagged rocks. We decided to built our sea tent on the rocks to enjoy the quiet of this place but for beach lovers there’s an infinite stretch of fine sand.
1st PLACE: PUNTA PROSCIUTTO
Maybe obvious, but Punta Prosciutto really is the best Salento beach and it gets the golden medal.
You can find this beach at Porto Cesareo, in the province of Lecce. Fine sand, crystal clear water and shallow water. This beach truly represents Salento’s Maldives.
Punta Prosciutto is one of the most visited beaches. During high season it can be difficult to find parking and space on the beach, though it’s huge. If you get the chance to visit this place off-season you’ll be amazed.
This is a well-deserved golden medal! 🙂
This is our top 5 of Salento beaches but we’re going to post soon the complete list of the places we visited!
If you’re touring Italy, don’t miss our trip to Florence and Tremiti Islands.
Keep following us on Instagram and Yotube to find out everything about our travels!
Thansk for reading and see you soon!
Sara&Loris _ TravellingMeerkats
