4° GIORNO DEL SALENTO

Our fourth stage will take us to the extreme tip of Apulia (Santa Maria Di Leuca), also called "finibus terrae" or the ends of the earth. Indeed, looking from the promontory of the sanctuary, one has a privileged observatory of an extraordinary spectacle: before us lies only the sea, endless, teeming with boats under the sun.

Route: easy

Kilometers traveled: 35 km

Travel time: about 2.30h

Altitude: 120m max

Points of interest: Santa Maria di Leuca/ Patù

Santa Maria Di Leuca:

Latitude: NORTH 39° 47' 42.18"

Longitude: EAST 18° 22' 5.34". Visiting Leuca means first of all retracing a long history, where every era has left tangible traces: rock settlements, tombs, caves, crypts, churches, castles, palaces, Liberty-style villas, observing an unspoiled territory with centuries-old, twisted olive trees, rocks, inlets, and discovering a blue, crystal-clear sea.

Patù: Latitude: 39°50′26″ N, Longitude: 18°20′16″ E, Altitude above sea level: 122 m.

Patù stands at the southernmost tip of the Salento peninsula on a tuff slope descending to the southwest at 124 meters above sea level. The municipality covers an area of 8.54 km² and rises between 0 and 155 m a.s.l. It overlooks the Ionian Sea for about 3 km with the localities of Felloniche and Torre San Gregorio. The entire municipal area is subject to landscape protection due to its natural composition characterized by Mediterranean scrub and local essences and by the presence of ancient monuments of inestimable aesthetic and traditional value, such as the pajare. The presence of typical flora of the area such as Alisso di Leuca, thyme, myrtle, and various species of wild orchids is important.