Around Us
We are just 2 km away from Otranto, the pearl of Salento and the gateway to the East.
A UNESCO Cultural Heritage site since 2010, Otranto is the easternmost city in Italy: here, you can watch the first sunrise of the year, and every morning the first sunrise in Italy. Overlooking the blue of the Adriatic Sea and kissed by this powerful natural alchemy, Otranto has always fascinated its visitors with its millennia-old history. Quiet and serene in winter, when it is swept by the Mistral wind within the walls of its bastions, castle, and cathedral, and vibrant and lively in summer, when tourists and bathers fill the outdoor areas of cafes and restaurants and adorn its beautiful sandy beaches, Otranto will enchant you with its magic in every season of the year.
Red like the earth, white like lighthouses, blue like the sea. The spectacle of nature outside the Masseria
Very close to our Masseria are two lesser-known but unmissable locations. The small bauxite quarry lake south of Otranto will bewitch you with its otherworldly landscape: the fiery red earth, rich in minerals, reflects in the emerald green waters of the small lake, offering you a natural spectacle of rare beauty. On the Adriatic Sea, your breath will be taken away by a bright spot perched on the edge of the sea: it is the Punta Palascìa Lighthouse, the easternmost point in Italy. From its white terrace amidst the waves, overlooking the deep sea, you can enjoy a spectacular panorama: you can watch the sunrise or see the stars light up, and on windy days, you might even spot the mountains of Albania on the horizon, rising from the blue.
A trip to Lecce: The Baroque, pasticciotti, and other wonders
The Masseria is strategically located. Just 35 km away, you will find Lecce, the famous capital of Salento, with its worldwide reputation. One day will be enough for you to fall in love with it, but not enough to explore it fully: Lecce is many cities in one. There is the Baroque Lecce, so rich and refined that it has earned the nickname “Florence of the South”; the Messapian and Roman Lecce, playing hide-and-seek beneath the buildings of the historic centre; and the popular Lecce, the casbah of streets and alleyways in the shadow of the Cathedral, adding colour to the most authentic and welcoming part of the city. Finally, there is the more elegant and contemporary Lecce, welcoming you with tree-lined avenues and squares, shopping streets, trendy restaurants, and bars where you can enjoy the inevitable pasticciotto with a “caffè leccese” (coffee with ice and almond milk), a Salento-style puccia, or a “rustico” pastry.
