A pearl on the Ionian Sea - holiday homes and apartments at Gallipoli

The original part of the town, which, according to legend, was founded by King Idomeneus of Crete, is nowadays called the Old Town and lies on a limestone island like a white ship made of stone.

In the 18th century, the sale of lamp oil produced from olives brought some prosperity to the town and it expanded onto the narrow headland. An arch bridge, erected in 1603, is the Old Town's only link to the so-called borgo (village) and to the mainland.

During the last decades, the town has sprawled, out of control, into the hinterland. Do not, however, let the less elegant suburbs put you off. The original part of Gallipoli has preserved its age-old charm to this day.

At the harbor, you can watch the incoming cutters and the fishermen mending their nets. To the side of the Old Town bridge, you see Castello Angioino reflected in the waters of the harbor. In the Old Town you can drift through the picturesque maze of alleys.

Saint Cristina and Saint Agata are the town’s patron saints. If the stories are to be believed, the former relieved the town of a dreadful epidemic in 1867. For the great festivities in her honor from July 23rd to 26th, the whole town is decorated with chains of colorful lights.

Easter festivities at Gallipoli are a big event, too. Numerous processions are led by Gallipoli’s brotherhoods clad in robes, faces covered by hoods.    

Festivals and festivities apart – from a cultural and culinary point of view Gallipoli is always worth a visit.