The majority of our time in Puglia was spent soaking up the sun in the beautiful town of Gallipoli and its surrounding beaches.

We nabbed a wonderful apartment in the old town through airbnb which was light, airy and spacious.  The main draw of the apartment, however, was its huge roof terrace – perfect for sunbathing, spritzing and sunsets.

And in the day time boasted this view:

Stunning!

The old town of Gallipoli is located on a limestone island and is linked to the mainland by a sixteenth century bridge.  The old town has a wealth of beautiful buildings…from the Baroque cathedral,

to the Byzantine castle,

to 14th century town walls.

The maze of streets in Gallipoli’s old town boast hundreds of souvenir shops, gelato shops, cafes and restaurants.  And when it was too hot to explore the beautiful beach provided perfect respite.

As well as the beach in town there are some beautiful beaches just a short drive away.  Our favourite was Punta della Suina.

When night falls, both the old and the new town boast an abundance of restaurants.  As Gallipoli is right on the coast and is traditionally a fishing town, the seafood on offer is to die for…our favourite restaurants were Da Olga for its relaxed atmosphere, friendly service and delicious food and the Blue Salento yacht club for a more refined meal. 

Once we had eaten our fill, the lively nightlife in Gallipoli’s new town happily kept us out dancing and drinking in the warm balmy evenings despite our sorry excuses for Italian.

We managed to wile away a week in Gallipoli very happily, settling into the Italian lifestyle of sunbathing, siestas and seafood, but did manage to drag ourselves away from our immediate surroundings for one day to explore the region.  Check back in on Monday for more.