Itinerary
Gallipoli and its hinterland still retain traces of the ancient wealth generated by the trade in lamp oil.
First stop is in Alezio (ancient city of Messapian origin, where there is an interesting museum of Messapic Art, which we can visit, and which collects unique pieces of this pre-Roman civilization that inhabited these lands in the first millennium BC) for a short stop in a dairy, where we see the processing of mozzarella and ricotta.
Second stop in Tuglie for the amazing Radio Museum (whose specimens, including telegraphs, are all functional!) or - optionally - for the Museum of Rural Life.
In Sannicola we visit a small underground oil mill, where olives were once squeezed and olive oil was obtained, exported up to the mid-nineteenth century as a “lampante” oil (for lighting)
So we head back to the sea: to the Porto Selvaggio Natural Park we will have a packed lunch in the shade of the pine forest and those who also want a refreshing bath in the fresh spring waters.
On the way back, do not miss a stop in Santa Caterina, a peaceful seaside village whose inhabitants and visitors seem to have no other activity than to eat excellent ice creams (the best in the region!).
Opportunity to visit the museum of memory and hospitality (which tells the story of the Isrealian refugees who were encamped in these parts at the end of the Second World War) and the municipal aquarium.
Return to Gallipoli before sunset