What to see in Gallipoli
According to tradition, its name derives from the two Greek terms "Kalè" and "Polis", that is to say "beautiful city”.
The city is divided into new village It is in the old village. The historic center of Gallipoli is comparable to aislet completely lying on the water and connected to the land stop – and to the new area – by a masonry bridge. The old City it is a must visit: full of ancient buildings and churches in Baroque style, it was built by the Greeks as a sort of labyrinth where all the narrow streets cross each other, among the houses with white walls and intense blue cornices, marking paths that all lead to the city walls overlooking the port.
At the beginning of the bridge stands the Angevin-Aragonese Castle which unfortunately is closed to the public except for the “Ravelin”, the upper part of the castle, which in the summer is transformed into a cinema for the visitors and inhabitants of Gallipoli.
Inside the historic center there is a beach which can be accessed by going down the stairs that connect the historic center with the tourist port, which is called Purity beach, from the name of the Church of Purity which is located exactly above the beach. Here is the statue of Santa Cristina, patroness of the city who is celebrated with a procession, illuminations and fireworks displays the 24 July.
The sea of Gallipoli
In addition to history and numerous traditions, Gallipoli is known for its two coasts: the one to the north and the one to the south where the main bathing establishments are located. The coast to the south is the one that connects Gallipoli to Santa Maria di Leuca, and is mostly sandy, except
of the first stretch where they emerge, occasionally, of the rocks which in any case do not make access to the sea difficult.
The coast is very long and is dotted with very fashionable bathing establishments interspersed with small strips of free beach. In the evening each lido turns into a place where you can drink and dance on the beach. Entering the water it is possible to walk for a long time before finding some deep shoals, a bit like in the Maldives. Famous is the Punta della Suina beach, where some scenes were filmed Wandering Mines, last film by Ferzan Ozpetek.