An almost summer sun attracted thousands of people along the Salento coast who chose to spend the last Sunday of April at the seaside. Summer technical tests yesterday in Salento, a few days before the May Day celebrations. The Ionian coast was taken by storm from Nardò to Gallipoli, from Ugento to Porto Cesareo. But also, as always, Otranto and Lecce. In the Nereto marinas of Santa Maria al Bagno and Santa Caterina there was no shortage of diving and swimming between the beach and the cliff. The first swims of the season, in some cases. Also in Santa Maria al Bagno was Lecce’s Swedish striker Pontus Almqvist, who didn’t shy away from selfies and greetings with some Giallorossi fans. Great work for bars, ice cream parlors and restaurants, which are instead struggling with another problem: the lack of staff. As demonstrated by the numerous signs with the words “Staff wanted”.
Returning to yesterday’s attendance on the Salento coast, it was largely so-called “proximity tourism”, i.e. visitors coming from cities not far away.
Different scenarios, however, in the historic centres, which seem to attract not so much locals as foreign tourists looking for architectural beauty and cultural itineraries. The international groups appeared in the historic centers of Nardò, Gallipoli, Otranto. On Saturday and Sunday holidaymakers also queued in Porto Cesareo, where many opted for excursions in contact with nature which ultimately resulted in tastings of local products, like those which enchanted a group of tourists arriving from Trentino Alto Adige.
Everyone at the seaside? Not yet in Gallipoli, but in the historic center yes. The old city has been very crowded in recent days, and even on the straight stretch of Corso Roma the presence of tourists, Italians and foreigners, primarily French, has been very evident. Moreover, beyond the guests of the accommodation facilities, the buses parked on the port quay are numerous every day and for some weeks. This also confirms the national forecasts regarding the fact that, in this spring “which in four days allows us to experience the four seasons” (as a guest said yesterday on the beach), art cities are very popular.
Returning to the beaches, in a context of low attendance, the most popular beach was that of the Purità beach, in the old city, as evidenced by the web-camera of the city’s online weather site Reaction, which has also recorded attendance in recent days. Very few people on the beach and even fewer in the sea, on the southern coast of the city, where the beaches were open like a patch of leopard.
The beach resorts concerned claim that the low attendance, both in the establishments and on the free beaches, is due to the impossibility of finding parking areas for vehicles. In any case, those who started the journey with a suntan goal were also rare on the northern coast, from Lido Conchiglie to Rivabella. And so, on the chessboard of the beaches the game is placed further ahead, on the “long weekend” of May 1st.
Mayor Stefano Minerva is optimistic about the upcoming summer, commenting on social media yesterday: «From the sea of Gallipoli, with the inhabitants putting their first feet (and not only!) in the water to the streets of the historic center full of tourists : the Gallipoli we like! The sun kisses this Sunday and Gallipoli is even more beautiful!
Few swims in the sea but a great desire to walk also in Capo di Leuca, where the Ponte del Ciolo reopened a few days ago has become the attraction. In recent days, thousands have gone to admire it in its new accommodation, taking the opportunity to go down the steps that lead to the sea and for an excursion to the nearby caves via the Cipolliane path. Numerous Italian tourists but also foreigners. Yesterday few were brave enough to dive in, given the low temperature of the water, but almost no one wanted to give up an early tan. The seafront promenades of Santa Maria di Leuca, Torre Vado and Torre Pali are very crowded, but also the small squares of San Gregorio and Pescoluse.
Giuseppe Albahari, Mauro Ciardo and Stefano Manca collaborated
