The Salento corresponds to the southern part of Apulia, and is generally known as the "heel of Italy". Is located between the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea, and is bordered to the North by the so-called messapic threshold, a ground scrape that separates it from the Murge. The area was known and inhabited at the time of the Greeks, They called her Messapia, by the people of the Messapi who lived there. In the following centuries all the Salento was struck by the harsh struggle for its possession and in the 8th century a.d.. It was incorporated in the domains of the Byzantines, They called the area Terra d'Otranto. Today the Salento is one of the most important tourist districts of South Italy, Thanks to the beauty of its sea, the quality of its cuisine and the wealth of popular and cultural traditions.
Salento is a land rich in art, history and culture cannot be classified within the normal standards of tourism. In fact, there are countless ways of visiting in this strip of land kissed by the Sun and the sea. Very alive and rooted in the local culture are popular traditions, as the famous pizzicata, a dance that you want to be part of the ritual to heal women who had been bitten by the Tarantula. Salento are numerous areas of environmental value, including cannot remember Gravinand, ground depressions, and many marine natural oases, established to preserve unique ecosystems. From the point of view of historical-artistic heritage are the conspicuous examples of Romanesque and Baroque art, referred Lecce is one of the major centres. The major tourist centers of Salento are Taranto, Lecce, Brindisi, Ostuni, Gallipoli, Grottaglie and Nardò.