There are cities that you visit. And there are cities that you enter like a stage. Gallipoli belongs to the second category.
If you cross the narrow bridge that connects the old town with the mainland, you can sense that a different rhythm begins here. The Ionian Sea glistens in all shades of blue, seagulls circle above the bastions, and somewhere metal beats against metal - a fisherman repairs his nets. Welcome to „Kallípolis“, the „beautiful city“.
The Greeks in southern Italy
The name comes from the Greek and refers to the ancient roots of Gallipolis. Greek colonists settled here as early as the 8th century BC. Later came the Romans, then the Byzantines, Normans, Hohenstaufen, Angevins and Aragonese. Each era left its mark - and turned Gallipoli into the fascinating historical palimpsest that it is today.
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A city like a fortress in the sea
The old town is located on a limestone island just 50 metres from the mainland, completely surrounded by mighty city walls dating back to the 16th century. They were built under Aragonese rule to protect the city from Ottoman attacks. In fact, the Ottomans attempted to take Gallipoli in 1484 - with devastating consequences. Today's fortified architecture is a direct response to this threat.
Italy with Greek roots
Aristocratic residence and prison
The Castello Angioino-Aragonese, whose current form dates mainly from the 15th century, rises dominantly. Five massive towers secure the building, which was once a prison, military base and aristocratic residence. Today, it serves as an exhibition venue - and as a spectacular backdrop for sunsets that make even the most hardened travellers feel sentimental.
Baroque splendour and underground gold
Stroll through the narrow streets of the old town, seesGallipoli is not only fortified, but also baroque and sensual. The star among the churches is the Cattedrale di Sant'Agata, built in the 17th century. Its façade of warm Carparo stone glows like honey in the evening light. Inside, it surprises with lavish paintings and dramatic southern Italian Baroque - a visual firework display that shows how rich the city once was.
Rich? And how.
From the 16th to the 18th century, Gallipoli was one of the most important export harbours for olive oil in the Mediterranean. Not for cooking, however - but for lighting the European metropolises. The „liquid gold“ from Apulia burned in the street lamps of London, Paris and Amsterdam. Dozens of underground oil mills under the old town centre, the so-called frantoi ipogei, of this economic miracle. In the cool rooms carved into the rock, men and mules worked for months in the semi-darkness. The smell of oil still seems to linger in the walls.
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Between fishermen and revellers
Today, around 20,000 people live in Gallipoli, and in summer the number multiplies due to visitors from all over Italy and increasingly from abroad. Young Italians in particular make a pilgrimage here - for the beaches, the clubs and the seemingly endless nights. To the south of the city stretches the Baia Verde, a sandy beach several kilometres long with Caribbean-like waters. Fine, light-coloured sand, shallow sea, beach bars with Aperol Spritz - this is the hedonistic side of Gallipoli. To the north is Rivabella, somewhat quieter and more family-friendly, backed by pine groves.
And yet, despite the summer hustle and bustle, Gallipoli remains authentic. At five in the morning, the fishermen return with their catch - gilthead bream, sole, squid. Loud bargaining takes place in the market hall. A few hours later, the catch ends up in the trattorias as frittura mista or in a pasta with ricci (sea urchins) on the plate. Serve with a glass of Negroamaro - dark, strong, Salentinean.
Religious fervour and Salentine soul
In February, the city celebrates its patron saint Santa Cristina. Processions parade through the streets, statues of saints are decorated and brass bands play. Here, religion is less dogma than lived tradition - emotional, communal, southern Italian. In general, Gallipoli is a mirror of Salento, the southernmost peninsula of Apulia between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. Here, the scirocco blows hot from Africa, ancient olive trees with gnarled trunks grow like sculptures, here, in addition to Italian, people also speak Griko, an ancient Greek dialect reminiscent of its ancient roots.
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The light at the end of the paragraph
In the late afternoon at the weekend, locals and visitors gather on the city walls. Children lick gelato, couples lean against the bastions, old men discuss politics. Then the sun sinks into the Ionian Sea - a rare sight in Italy, where most coasts are only open on one side to the east or west. . Perhaps it is precisely this light that makes Gallipoli so special. Gallipoli is not a prettified, postcard-perfect town. But it is beautiful.
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