SALENTO

• We introduce the Salento to you: blue sea, beautiful beaches, uncontaminated nature, good food, sun and fun: welcome to the salento's coast:

It's one of the five regions ( the more southern one ) which constitute Puglia, jointly Murge, Tavoliere, Appennino Dauno, and Gargano. It's the Land of Lecce, spreaded over 2300 km2. It's the Salento, homeland of art, culture, nature. And it welcome and invite You to discover all the places of this wonderful territory, suspended from the Mediterranean Sea and stretched out East. In fact, Occidental civilization and oriental magic live together in this suggestive corner of Italy, in thet one which is the "heel" of the Stivale. A peninsula in the peninsula, a balcony which leans out of the mediterranean limpid water. History and art are interwovwn between two sea, Jonio and Adriatic, which alternate wild and incontaminated seashores and modern tourist villages, green oasis and pleasant small town where life goes on easely and peacefully and where people's spirit gives a tripper a sincere and exquisite hospitality. From Porto Cesareo to Gallipoli, from Lecce / Capital of province) to Nardò, from Otranto to Tricase, from Ugento to Santa Maria di Leuca, towns of Salento offer a very good gastronomy, particular landscape, artistic beauties, fabulous routes, centuries-old traditions and so on. Everything to discover! It's a land which has been recalled in the literary sea voyage in Odissea and Eneide, has been gone through the centuries by maritime and terrestrial courses, has inherited a great concentration of dolmen, menhir, specchie, nemanthol from the prehistoric civilization. From the Mycenaeans to the Greeks, from the Romans to the Byzantines, until the normans and the Spanish. Let's dive into the Salento, in its age-old culture and art, which come here from a far past, in its vegetation, in its coast and sea, in its colours and scents, in its dances and typical atmosphere.

• Environment and territory: nature in Salento:

Salento has got a level round, a sunny landscape, overgrown by almond and orange trees and secular olive trees. With some spurs of Murge. There are many natural parks, such at those ones in Cesine and Torre Guaceto, or in Porto Selvaggio, but also lots of pine woods ( Alimini, Ugento, Torre dell'Orso ) and the ancient Mediterranean maquis. A crystalline sea permitts to see the depth. Coast is a sort of Heaven with its overhanging cliffs and rocks. Finally, there is a type of Salento which is hidden, with its underground " monuments " thet were created by rain of rivers underground, where limestone plasm the ground and creates gorges, dolines, galleries, caves e coves. A world to dicover, up and under the Salento's land.

• Local cousine: let's taste the salento's gastronomy:

The Salento's gastronomy has an ancient tradition and it correspond to the history and culture of a people who continues loving and tasting quality and flavours of the most typical local products, in a technologic era even. That is, those tastes of past ages. Pasta and juice home-made, legumes' purees, lampascioni, horse's chops in ragout, roulade of lamb's trippe, seafaring tielle, pettole, jams, almond pastes, rosoli, winw, olive oil. These recipes are distinctive of the mediterranean cousine. The Salento's cookery is humble and poor, but very nutrient and rich of good and different flavours, because of many dominations in this land. As fist courses, we have tagliatelle with chick-beas, namely " ciceri e tria ". Tagliatelle with tomato's juice, cottage cheese and basil became " sagne 'ncannulate". Orecchiette an maccheroncini (" minchiareddhi") are really appreciated and genuine ( they are often combinated to vegetables and meat). As second courses, we have "pitte" ( thet is chapatti with potatoes and vegetables). "Turcinieddhi" are herbal lam's roulades. "Taieddha" is made by little pumpkins, potatoes, artichokes, onions, tomatoes, and black cozze. "Purcedduzzi" and "corteddhate" are Christmas cakes, made by sweet paste shaped pellets or roses, enriched with anice and honey little dragee. Every dish is supplemented with olive oil and wine. Salento is the region of "Negro Amaro", one of the best red and ruby wine in Italy. (* Fonte Siff)

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