Otranto and the tip of Italy’s heel

Today I made a day trip out of Lecce down to the very tip of Italy’s heel. I drove a short distance east to reach the coast, and then headed south. At first the road was not especially scenic as it went through a series of seaside resorts, some of which were so shabby that even the backdrop of the deep blue Adriatic Sea could not make them attractive. After an hour things improved when I reached the historic city of Otranto. This has Roman origins but is most noted historically for a particularly bloody event in 1480, when an Ottoman force laid siege and eventually captured the city after a fierce struggle. Much of the population was slaughtered in the aftermath of the battle, including the bishop, who was sawed in half. Surviving women and children were sold off into slavery, but eight hundred male survivors also remained. They were offered a choice – execution or conversion to Islam. All chose the former and were martyred on the spot.

Otranto is now a pretty town with an imposing castle and an interesting looking duomo (cathedral). Seeing a large tour group enter, I opted to explore the winding streets of the old town first, but on returning found that the duomo had closed for a two-hour lunch break.

I continued my drive and the scenery became more beautiful and the seaside towns smarter, some with some interesting Moorish-style buildings.

My final destination St Maria de Leuca was a pleasant enough place, located at the very tip of Italy’s heel. I stopped for a coffee to celebrate reaching one of the extremities of Europe.

One my drive back to Lecce I discovered what was probably the highlight of the day – Presicce, yet another beautiful small Italian town where time seems to have stopped. I arrived in the late afternoon to find the place almost deserted and all of the shops and cafes shut, except for one bar in front of the town’s ancient church. The hot sun and somnolent town risked sending me to sleep, so I ordered a gelato and coffee to wake me up before exploring a bit more.

The town was exceptionally beautiful but seemed to be not only completely off the tourist trail but also slowly dying as native people left; I noticed several houses with “for sale” signs on them. This depopulation of small rural areas is a big problem in Italy’s south, so much so that the government offers tax breaks for people to go to live in small municipalities. But although Persicce was a wonderful place to visit for an hour so, it was so quiet that I wondered how I could possible live there, and headed back to enjoy the relatively busy street life of Lecce for my last evening there.

Previous post: Lecce

Next Post: Ostuni and Cisternino