What to see in Gallipoli?
What to do a day in Gallipoli?
Looking for things to do in Gallipoli, where to stay, how to get there – or just trying to figure out if it’s a place you’d like to visit on your trip to Puglia? Then this brief guide to Gallipoli should have you covered!
In the southwestern corner of Puglia lies the ancient island city of Gallipoli. Reachable only by sea or via a 16th-century bridge, it was once a strategic center of influence for maritime trade. These days, however, it is more of a summer beach getaway for vacationing Italians and a growing number of Europeans attracted by the fabulous setting.
What to see in Gallipoli
Church of Santa Maria della Purità
The church of Santa Maria della Purità was built between 1662 and 1665 by the confraternity of Bastasi, the dockworkers. The facade, bordered on either side by two pilasters and terminated by a slightly projecting cornice on which rests a tympanum with two side pinnacles, has two small windows placed in axis with the two entrance portals. The facade is embellished with three majolica panels representing the Madonna of Purity, St. Joseph and St. Francis of Assisi.
Gallipoli waterfront: promenade on the Riviera.
The Galilei Promenade runs along the entire northwest side of the city and in summer is the evening promenade for tourists and Gallipolians alike.
The Angevin-Aragonese Castle
The Angevin Aragonese Castle of Gallipoli, originally surrounded by the sea, is the result of a series of modifications and transformations over the centuries. The original structure was quadrangular in shape. Watchtowers were added to this main nucleus.
Gallipoli has always taken the form of a fortified city, so much so that, throughout its history, the defensive system has been increasingly developed. Thus, in the first half of the 16th century, the Rivellino, a large keep separated from the city walls and the castle, designed by the Sienese architect Francesco Martini, was built as an outpost to protect the City.
Historic Center of Gallipoli.
The historic center of Gallipoli has many treasures hidden within its ancient walls, narrow alleys and whitewashed houses. There are buildings and structures, some ancient others more recent that are extremely interesting to visit and learn about and will enrich your vacation.
Cathedral of St. Agatha.
In the heart of Old Gallipoli, Gaddhripuli, as the old Gallipoli fishermen who fought almost a century against the sea say, there is a splendid treasure of immeasurable value: the cathedral of St. Agatha, a virgin and martyr from Catania. The facade built by Giuseppe Zimbalo (the father of Salento Baroque ) is made of carpa, a typical Salento stone that takes on a color with golden highlights.
The interior is rich, baroque, nontrivial and never predictable. Rich in paintings.
It may sound strange to hear, but in Gallipoli, such a unique concentration of art in this incredible architectural masterpiece has never been seen before.
Emanuele Barba Civic Museum.
Founded in 1878 by Emanuele Barba, the museum is structured into collections from different sections. The art history section includes paintings by Salento artists working in the 19th and 20th centuries, collections of period clothing and accessories, a fine collection of ceramics and glassware, and firearms and sitting weapons. Peculiarities of this museum are the heterogeneous collections from a variety of fields. The science section also has some undoubtedly interesting pieces ranging from mineralogy to oceonography, zoology to fossils, with the huge fossil of a whale, the museum’s symbol. Here was an ancient book collection, with incunabula, cinquecentine and manuscripts on the Gallipolian upper middle class, now kept at the municipal library.
Greek Fountain.
Although the history of this fountain cannot be traced back to a specific year, it was believed that this fountain was built in the 3rd century BC. This was considered one of the oldest fountains in Greece until architectural scholars, after studying the drawings, came to the conclusion that it may have been built in the Renaissance period. Greek Fountain has three slabs of equal height. The base of the fountain consists of the sculptures of mythological characters Byblis, Dirce and Salmacis while the central part consists of four sculptures of women. The upper facade of this fountain is believed to have been added in 1700 and is the emblem of Spanish King Charles III.
Frantoi ipogei.
“Mines of green gold” are hiding in the Salento subsoil. No, this is not a bizarre piece of news of the last hour; on the contrary, it is very ancient and refers to the network of those underground oil mills that produced the prized olive oil from the exclusive fruits of the majestic centuries-old olive trees, sacred and legendary trees in the various epochs of human history.
Gallipoli is home to the only one of the 35 oil mills dating back to the 1600s, entirely renovated, housed by the underground of Palazzo Granafei (named after its 19th-century owners, but of Renaissance workmanship) on Via Antonietta De Pace, among the narrow streets of the historic center, and it stands with its imposing structure, entirely hand-carved out of the carparo.
