Otranto, Gallipoli & south

Dreaming of the perfect retreat to Italy? Our luxury villas in Otranto & Gallipoli offer scenic views of South Puglia.

We offer a range of breathtaking villas & apartments for rent in Otranto & Gallipoli to fulfill your holiday experience including the options of: villas with private pools, villas for couples, villas for groups, family-friendly villas & beachfront villas. Find your ideal villa below.

The heel of Italy

The Salento peninsula forms the heel of Italy's boot, and its southern half is surrounded by sea on three sides. The Adriatic lies to the east and the Ionian to the west, so it is easy to choose a coast for the day depending on the wind. The landscape between is flat to gently rolling, with olive groves, dry-stone walls and small whitewashed towns.

Otranto, on the Adriatic, is the most easterly town in Italy. Its old centre sits within walls above the harbour, with an Aragonese castle and a cathedral whose floor is covered by a vast twelfth-century mosaic of the Tree of Life. North of the town, the Alimini lakes are backed by pine woods and sandy beaches, while to the south the coast becomes rocky, with coves such as Porto Badisco and the sea caves near Castro.

Gallipoli and the Ionian coast

Gallipoli, on the Ionian side, has an old town on a small island joined to the mainland by a bridge, with fishing boats, a fish market and a ring of sea walls. The beaches south of the town are long and sandy, and the shallow, clear water along this coast, around Pescoluse and Torre San Giovanni, has earned the nickname of the Maldives of Salento. The Ionian side is also the place for sunsets over the sea.

At the tip of the peninsula, Santa Maria di Leuca has a lighthouse and a sanctuary on the headland, and boat trips visit the caves along the cliffs.

Food, seasons and getting here

Salento food is simple and generous: orecchiette, fresh seafood, frise topped with tomatoes, and the pasticciotto, a custard-filled pastry often eaten at breakfast. The local wines are Negroamaro and Primitivo, and rosé is a speciality. In summer, many towns hold evenings of pizzica, the traditional folk dance. The baroque city of Lecce is an easy day trip.

Brindisi airport is the closest. July and August are hot and busy, especially on the Ionian coast, while June and September offer warm sea and quieter beaches. The area suits beach lovers, families and groups who want a relaxed pace.

Browse the villas listed below to find your base in the Salento, or read more about holidays in Puglia.