Santa Maria di Leuca

Leuca is the southern tip of the Salento peninsula, traditionally taken as the meeting point of the Adriatic and Ionian seas, though the actual boundary is a convention rather than a visible line. A lighthouse of 1866 stands on the point beside the basilica of Santa Maria de Finibus Terrae, at the end of the world, built on the site of an earlier temple. A monumental stone staircase of nearly three hundred steps descends from the sanctuary to the harbour, with a waterfall at the top fed from the Apulian Aqueduct, opened in 1939 and run only on special occasions. Sea caves line the coast on both sides.

Highlights

• The two seas - the conventional meeting point of Adriatic and Ionian.
• The lighthouse and basilica - an 1866 tower beside the end-of-the-world church.
• The monumental staircase - nearly 300 steps with an aqueduct waterfall.
• The sea caves - grottoes along both coasts, visited by boat.

When to go

May to September for boats and swimming; the waterfall runs only on announced occasions and is otherwise dry. Sea caves need calm weather.

Practical notes

The waterfall is almost always switched off. The meeting of the seas is a convention with nothing to see. Cave boats depend on sea state.

Nearby

Otranto lies north on the Adriatic; Gallipoli is on the Ionian side.