Gallipoli.

Gallipoli sits on the Ionian coast of Puglia, its old town built on a small island joined to the mainland by a bridge. Behind the sea walls, narrow lanes wind past baroque churches and tall pastel houses, opening now and then onto a view of open water. An Aragonese castle guards the harbour entrance, its thick walls recalling the years when Gallipoli was a working port for Mediterranean trade.

Fishing boats return each morning with the catch that fills the trattorias of the old town, where raw seafood and the fresh catch of the day are served alongside local wine.

Outside the old town, the coastline opens into sandy beaches and quiet coves with clear, shallow water. Further along the shore, the Salento countryside of olive groves and dry stone walls runs down to the sea in a string of smaller bays.