Destination wedding in southern Italy: Salento, a jewel between two seas

If you are thinking of organizing your destination wedding in southern Italy, today we tell you what you can do during your stay in Puglia, and especially in the area of Salento.

When you decide to get married in another country it’s very important to see what that place can offer to all the guests on your big day.

Visiting cities and monuments and enjoying their traditions and culture, will make their stay unforgettable and unique.

So after some posts about the region of Puglia, today we will walk along the Salento, the “land of the sea, the sun and the wind”.

The Salento is an area of the Puglia region, that extends in the southern part between the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most beautiful areas of Italy, where colors, flavors and millenary cultures, merge creating a beautiful land full of history.

Its architectural landscape is characterized by white houses typical of the Mediterranean, and by the “masseria”, rural buildings built in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.

LECCE, THE “FLORENCE OF SOUTHERN ITALY”

In this land, called in antiquity “Messapia”- meaning “land between two seas” – is the city of Lecce, known as the “Florence of Southern Italy”.

Its ancient Messapians origins and the archaeological remains of Roman domination, are mixed with the richness and exuberance of the Baroque churches and palaces of the center. Its style and the use of the local stone,  a type of limestone of a wam color, characeterized this city in such an original way that it was called Baroque “leccese”.

The entire historic center of the city is a gem that you can discover by walking through its streets and squares. Churches such as “Santa Croce” or the “Duomo”with its bell tower, squares and stately palaces, are of extraordinary beauty, the result of centuries of history and domination.

OTRANTO AND GALLIPOLI, THE BEAUTIES OF THE ADRIATIC AND THE IONIAN SEAS

Further south of the Salento, we find the easternmost city of Italy, Otranto. A magical land that tells history and legends through its monuments and its old town.

The cathedral has an amazing mosaic of the Tree of Life made between 1163 and 1165, in addition to the remains of the 800 martyrs who were massacred during the Turkish siege in 1480.

You cannot miss a visit to the castle and a walk through the alleys of the old town, savoring the essence of this city, bridge between the Mediterranean and the East.

On the other side of the Salento, on the coast of the Ionian Sea, is Gallipoli, another of the most important tourist towns in the area, thanks to its coast and the historic center, full of numerous Baroque style monuments.

Undoubtedly, the Salento with its beauty, its history and its traditions, makes fall in love with its authenticity, the quality of life and the climate.

A stay in Salento means long days of beach, dinners with fish on the terraces full of flowers, walks through the narrow streets of the old towns, and popular festivals where you can enjoy the gastronomy and traditional music of the area.

Choosing the Salento for your destination wedding is to live the true essence of southern Italy. We also recommend you these Puglia Wedding Venues

Check also our Wedding Planner in Puglia services.

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This post is also available in: Spanish