Gallipoli's old town is an ISLAND — connected to the modern city by a single 17th-century bridge. Inside the walls: a labyrinth of baroque churches (20+ for 5,000 residents), palazzi with hidden courtyards, and the underground FRANTOI IPOGEI — cave oil presses carved from the rock where olives were crushed by candlelight and the oil was shipped to light the street lamps of London, Paris, Amsterdam, and St. Petersburg. Gallipoli was the OLIVE OIL CAPITAL OF EUROPE from the 17th to 19th century. Below the ramparts: Ionian turquoise. Puglia → · Lecce →
The old town walls: Walk the ENTIRE perimeter (1km) — sea on both sides, fishing boats below, the Ionian stretching to Greece. Cattedrale di Sant'Agata (1629): Baroque — the interior is covered in canvases (no frescoes — oil paintings glued to walls and ceiling), a technique unique to Gallipoli. Frantoio Ipogeo: Underground olive press carved from the tufa — donkeys walked in circles turning the millstone, workers lived underground during pressing season (November-March). Tours available (€3-5) — the guides explain how Gallipoli's oil reached every gas lamp in northern Europe. Castello Angioino (1270s): Fortress at the island's tip — views to the Ionian. Occasional exhibitions.
The fish market (mornings): At the bridge connecting old and new town — fishermen sell the morning catch. Octopus, prawns, sea urchins. Buy ricci (sea urchins) and eat them with bread on the spot (€3-5/portion, in season). Beaches: Baia Verde (south, 2km — sandy, stabilimenti €15-20). Punta della Suina (pine-backed, Ionian crystal). Lido San Giovanni (closest to old town, walking distance).
From Lecce: 40 min by car or FSE train. From Bari: 2.5h. Stay: Old town B&Bs (€50-90/night — sleep INSIDE the walled island). Eat: Puritate (Via Sant'Elia 18 — terrace over the sea, fish by weight, €20-30). Summer nightlife: Gallipoli transforms July-August — beach clubs become dance venues, the old town fills until 3am. The Salento's party capital. Beach clubs →