Salento (Salentino: Salentu) is a peninsula and cultural region in the south-eastern part of Apulia, and it forms the "heel" of Italy's boot-shaped outline.

Map of Salento (Italy)

• 40.63559717.9423861 Brindisi — elegant seafront on the Adriatic Sea, Roman age remains and two castles situated in front of the sea.
• 40.05555617.9916672 Gallipoli — Fishing port city renowned for its seafood restaurants, a large old town on a walled island, miles of beaches and vibrant nightlife.
• 40.35233518.1728543 Lecce — called the "Florence of the South" for its magnificent baroque churches and buildings, it also has Roman theater and amphitheater.
• 40.17972218.0333334 Nardò — Cultural centre of Salento during the Renaissance it is a true pearl of the Baroque architecture, also rich of museums, seaside villages and Nature Reserves such as Porto Selvaggio.
• 40.517.6333335 Oria — home to a 13th-century castle, it was once an important Jewish community.
• 40.73252317.5780566 Ostuni — magic locality known as the "white town" for the color of its historical centre's houses.
• 40.14782518.4859337 Otranto — The easternmost town of Italy boasts a well preserved old city with an imposing castle, several coves and a high cliff coastal road with a stunning view.
• 39.85894218.2565238 Salve — Small picturesque town surrounded by a pleasant countryside, with miles of sea resorts including the "Maldives of Salento".
• 39.80118.3569449 Santa Maria di Leuca — Southern extremity of the region, it is a relevant religious tourism centre and is full of 18th-19th centuries villas built in eclectic style and sea caves to explore.
• 39.938118.298410 Specchia — Small inland town with several noble palaces and churches to visit and lively festivals.
• 40.47310917.23606711 Taranto — ancient Greek city with a relevant National Archaeological Museum (MArTA) and many sights of different ages.
• 39.83388918.27416712 Torre Vado — Lively village on the Ionian Sea rich of activities you can do related to sea and a promenade very vibrant at night.

Salento represents not only a peninsula but a historical and cultural region, with some significant differences compared to the rest of Apulia.

Italian is the official language and it's known by everyone, but if you walk along the streets of every city and village you will probably ear that most of inhabitants born before 1990 normally speak the Salentino dialect (salentinu), which represents a single linguistic group along with the dialects of Sicily and central and southern Calabria, that has evident differences with the rest of Apulian dialects.

In the city of Taranto and its surroundings people speak a peculiar dialect known as Tarantino (tarandìne), that sounds radically different from Salentino due to its ties with Bari dialect. In few towns located in the very north of Salento like Ostuni, you can appreciate dialects of transiction from Salentino to Apulian varieties.

In nine towns located south of Lecce people speak the Griko, a local variety of Greek language that is a residue of the Magna Graecia age. Today few thousands people can speak this language fluently and they represent an ethnic and linguistic minority officially recognised and protected.

One of the most appreciated drinks is caffè leccese, a cold coffee served in a glass with ice and almond milk. This refreshing beverage can be tasted virtually in every restaurant and bar, especially in the province of Lecce.

Salento has become famous for its wines, now appreciated worldwide, of which it is impossible to not mention the Primitivo di Manduria, characterized by intense aroma and taste. This red wine is made from the "Primitivo" grape variety, also known abroad as Zinfandel, cultivated in the southeastern part of Taranto Province and few neighbouring municipalities of Brindisi Province, also the area of the origin of Negroamaro (meaning "black [and] bitter" in Salentino) variety from which we get wines like Lizzano DOP and Salice Salentino DOC.

Along with the rest of Southern Italy, limoncello is produced here, and this lemon liqueur is very much appreciated and usually taken as an after-dinner digestif.

• Alberobello – hundreds of white trulli to admire or to sleep in. (45 min from Ostuni and Taranto)
• Martina Franca – excellent typical wine, cold cuts and cheese and a large old town rich of Baroque buildings. (20 min from Ostuni, ½ hr from Taranto)
• Matera – the suggestive scenario of its "sassi" is definitely worth visiting. (1 hr from Taranto)
• Monopoli – pictoresque fishing old town on the Adriatic sea with several coves to take a bath. (½ hr from Ostuni)
• Polignano a Mare – a characteristic town built on the cliffs overlooking the Adriatic sea. (40 min from Ostuni)