Holidays in Santa Maria di Leuca

The desire for sea and wild nature finds a fantastic place in Santa Maria di Leuca, down, down, on the extreme eastern tip of Apulia, at the very bottom of the heel of the Italian boot.
Here, on a promontory whipped by the waves, there is a lighthouse and the Basilica of Santa Maria de Finibus Terrae. Beyond, only sea and more sea.
According to legend, this was the antechamber of Paradise and tradition says that Saint Peter, on his way to Rome, landed right here and began his evangelization of Salento.
The famous Santa Maria di Leuca is therefore this extreme piece of land and belongs to the municipality of Castrignano del Capo.
Along the coast, there are steep cliffs, sea caves, and white sand coves; a wild landscape that has become since the 19th century a destination for elite tourism, as evidenced by the elegant liberty style villas lined up on the Castrignano seafront.
The best way to enjoy all this bounty of nature is naturally by boat, sailing along the coast, exploring the caves, stopping now and then for a swim or a picnic on a small beach. Those who want to travel back up the coast from Capo to Santa Cesarea have the privilege of exploring wonders such as the Castro Caves or the unmissable Zinzulusa Cave, whose name was given by the first fishermen who explored it. “Zinzuli”, in dialect, means rags, and to their eyes, this is what the limestone stalactites hanging from the cave’s interior must have looked like.