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by Giovanni Migliaccio, USA-6
Every couple of years, it is time for a back-to-roots trip to Salento in South Italy, the heel of the Italian boot. As suggested by its slogan in local Italian dialect, “salentu lu sule lu mare lu ientu” (i.e. Salento: the sun, the sea, the wind), this is a paradise for water activities thanks to its white sandy beaches and rocky coves that offer great opportunities for exploring the coast with a SUP or longboard enhanced with snorkeling gear for the local dip. Salento is also a great vacation place for a full-immersive experience in local culture, shopping, food and arts (its pluses).
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Back to Roots
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In the golden age of windsurfing, Salento beaches were a loved location for windsurfers. Punta Prosciutto beach in Porto Cesareo (LE) is where I learned how to windsurf through a combination of practice and observation of others.
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The Sun
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Deeply logged into the Mediterranean, Salento enjoys 200-350 monthly hours of sunshine between April and October, which leads to a quite dry environment where olive tree plantations and red wine vineyards thrive. Its peripheral location requested for fortifications but mostly spared Salento from the major European wars and their destruction, so cities and towns often host up to 1,000 years old castles, churches, and dignitary palaces that can be visited on a windless day or, in summer, after a windy session due to numerous night events and extended visiting hours. In the country-side, fortified farms (masserie) are scattered throughout the peninsula and mostly renovated to offer accommodations and a taste of the local gastronomy. As hungry as a windsurfing crew can be after a windy day in the water, it is always easy to find inexpensive and tasty meals based on land or sea ingredients. Salento’s sunny climate has also shaped the laid back, friendly and hospital behavior of the locals.
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The Sea
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Between the Adriatic and the Ionian seas, the Salento peninsula presents huge variations on coastal colors and landscapes. Overall, the Ionian waters are emerald green due to their coralliferous rocky points, and shallow white sand beaches whereas the Adriatic waters are characterized by deep blues, and darker sand beaches. Salento’s coastal areas are usually scarcely developed and only include few major historical towns that are characterized by castles and fortifications that were built to offer protection against foreign incursions. Its coast offers an alternation of sandy beaches and rocky coves, which is perfect on a breezy day for coastal exploration with a board enhanced with snorkeling gear for a refreshing dip, but can also fire up on a windy day.
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The wind
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One of the most interesting characteristics of Salento is being among the windiest regions in Italy and South Europe. Its predominant winds are northerlies, Maestrale (NW) and Tramontana (N/NNW), and southerlies, Scirocco (SE), and Ponente (WSW). Due to the narrow and curved peninsular shape, it is possible to sail each on-shore, side-shore or off-shore depending on the selected beach. Northerlies offer excellent speed slalom conditions on the Ionian side while they provide rideable swell on the Adriatic side. On the other hand, southerlies are mostly for intermediate to advanced wave riders on the Ionian side with opportunities for longboarding or formula sailing on the Adriatic side. During the hot season (July-August), it is frequent a mid-day on-shore or side-shore thermal breeze in the low- to mid-10s. Excluding recreational windsurfers who are only active in summer months, the local windsurfing crew is mostly composed by hardcore aficionados to wave sailing, which can be practiced year around here in two major launches: Torre Chianca on the Ionian Sea with Scirocco and Frassanito on the Adriatic Sea for Maestrale and Tramontana. Torre Chianca in the town of Porto Cesareo is a good launch for both northerlies and southerlies, but it provides its best with the Scirocco when the sea swell crosses the offshore chest-deep reef creating mast height waves that roll toward the white sand beach. Frassanito on the Adriatic Sea is known for wave riding on Maestrale and slalom or formula riding on southerlies.
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The Pluses (local culture, arts, food, shopping)
Salento has recently risen to the top of Italian summer destinations.[1] This new status has motivated cities and towns to deliver beyond the sun, the sea and the wind, so most of the inland towns offers often at little charge, promotional food and wine tastings, cultural events, and weekly performances.
Besides its newly discovered touristic glamour, Salento bases its economy mostly on the agriculture of wine, olive oil and local food or cheese making. As a result, food is greatly diverse (land and sea options with many traditional vegetarian or vegan recipes) and mostly inexpensive for American standards. It also includes several local fast foods, such as frisa, a hard toasted bread that is soaked with water and garnished with cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and eventually with mozzarella for a quick snack to break down a session, and puccia, bread loaf made with pizza dough that can be filled with a combination of vegetables, cheeses and cured meats.
The larger cities have numerous boutiques and chain stores offering Italian-fashion clothing, jewelry, and leathers. Clearance sales are regulated from the government and usually begins in the middle of July throughout August for the summer season. After a windy session, a relaxing evening and night in the city of Lecce is fulfilling. Lecce offers a beautifully intact old town with its magnificent carved stone church façade of the Lecce Cathedral and its tall bell tower, a couple of large castles, and a Roman amphitheater located in its downtown that is still used for events. For next-day pre-session breakfast, do not miss to stock some of the local custard-filled pastries, “pasticciotti” at Natale’s or Martinucci’s. The other major, and only coastal, city is Taranto, which offers a breathtaking waterfront, few Greek ruins (Tarentum was a major Greek colony in South Italy), a five centuries old castle guarding the entrance to its inner bay, and a medieval old town with a thousand year old perfectly-conserved byzantine church and medieval underground crypt, Saint Cataldo’s Cathedral. Taranto’s pedestrian-only downtown also offers opportunities for inexpensive dining and shopping.
Among other coastal towns, it is worth visiting Otranto and Gallipoli. Gallipoli’s castle is open until midnight, and its fortified old town is perfect for an evening/night shopping & dining trip. Otranto offers much more massive remains of fortifications mostly rebuilt after its two-week long siege by the Ottoman Empire, which was concluded with a slaughter of the locals.
Outside from its major cities and towns, driving along the coast will offer long traits of single-story beach houses and villas, dunes and occasional wetlands. A few additional places to visit on windless days include the natural reserves of “Salina dei Monaci” for its inner salt-water lagoons that host flamingos and other exotic wildlife and thick sand coastal beach, “Palude del Conte” for its fine sand beaches and snorkeling opportunities on the natural reef of the ham-shaped rocky point, “Punta Prosciutto”, which was the local windsurfing mecca in the 80s, “Torre Guaceto” for its turtle reservoir and coastal lagoons, and “Porto Selvaggio” for its rocky cliffs and coastal snorkeling. However, if you plan to spend a quiet day on the renowned main beach of Punta Prosciutto, schedule your trip outside from July or August or bring your own inflatable SUP to cruise along the coast as its open-to-public beaches may be too crowded as most Italian companies shut down from mid-July to mid-August forcing employees to take their vacations. On the other hand, June and September are ideal to enjoy the local beaches while having more chances to encounter windy days.
[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/articles/The-top-10-beach-holidays-in-Italy/
Besides its newly discovered touristic glamour, Salento bases its economy mostly on the agriculture of wine, olive oil and local food or cheese making. As a result, food is greatly diverse (land and sea options with many traditional vegetarian or vegan recipes) and mostly inexpensive for American standards. It also includes several local fast foods, such as frisa, a hard toasted bread that is soaked with water and garnished with cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and eventually with mozzarella for a quick snack to break down a session, and puccia, bread loaf made with pizza dough that can be filled with a combination of vegetables, cheeses and cured meats.
The larger cities have numerous boutiques and chain stores offering Italian-fashion clothing, jewelry, and leathers. Clearance sales are regulated from the government and usually begins in the middle of July throughout August for the summer season. After a windy session, a relaxing evening and night in the city of Lecce is fulfilling. Lecce offers a beautifully intact old town with its magnificent carved stone church façade of the Lecce Cathedral and its tall bell tower, a couple of large castles, and a Roman amphitheater located in its downtown that is still used for events. For next-day pre-session breakfast, do not miss to stock some of the local custard-filled pastries, “pasticciotti” at Natale’s or Martinucci’s. The other major, and only coastal, city is Taranto, which offers a breathtaking waterfront, few Greek ruins (Tarentum was a major Greek colony in South Italy), a five centuries old castle guarding the entrance to its inner bay, and a medieval old town with a thousand year old perfectly-conserved byzantine church and medieval underground crypt, Saint Cataldo’s Cathedral. Taranto’s pedestrian-only downtown also offers opportunities for inexpensive dining and shopping.
Among other coastal towns, it is worth visiting Otranto and Gallipoli. Gallipoli’s castle is open until midnight, and its fortified old town is perfect for an evening/night shopping & dining trip. Otranto offers much more massive remains of fortifications mostly rebuilt after its two-week long siege by the Ottoman Empire, which was concluded with a slaughter of the locals.
Outside from its major cities and towns, driving along the coast will offer long traits of single-story beach houses and villas, dunes and occasional wetlands. A few additional places to visit on windless days include the natural reserves of “Salina dei Monaci” for its inner salt-water lagoons that host flamingos and other exotic wildlife and thick sand coastal beach, “Palude del Conte” for its fine sand beaches and snorkeling opportunities on the natural reef of the ham-shaped rocky point, “Punta Prosciutto”, which was the local windsurfing mecca in the 80s, “Torre Guaceto” for its turtle reservoir and coastal lagoons, and “Porto Selvaggio” for its rocky cliffs and coastal snorkeling. However, if you plan to spend a quiet day on the renowned main beach of Punta Prosciutto, schedule your trip outside from July or August or bring your own inflatable SUP to cruise along the coast as its open-to-public beaches may be too crowded as most Italian companies shut down from mid-July to mid-August forcing employees to take their vacations. On the other hand, June and September are ideal to enjoy the local beaches while having more chances to encounter windy days.
[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/articles/The-top-10-beach-holidays-in-Italy/
Where to get windsurfing gear
- Carmine Rental gear for wave and freeride windsurfing or standup paddleboarding email
- Surf in Salento Rental gear, charters, and/or classes for most watersports, including windsurf, sailing, kitesurf, and standup paddleboarding
- Locals Salento Rental gear and classes for windsurf, kitesurf, and standup paddleboarding
