Trekking in Salento, Southern Italy – walking the most beautiful path in the area
A walk with stunning seaview by a beautiful fjord and ice age caves
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- Ciolo fjord
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- Cave Cipolliane – Grotte Cipolliane
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Ciolo fjord – I never imagined that there are fiords in Italy!
Somewhere near Gagliano del Capo, on the Italian boot’s heel, Adriatic sea makes a small and beautiful fiord, named after a bird. In Italian Ciole means magpie and these small birds are common inhabitants of the area. The fiord is actually a deep and steep canyon created by the water erosion on its path to the sea.
Ciolo fjord
We started our walk from Ciolo bridge (Ponte ciolo), passing just above the canyon. The late afternoon is a good time for trekking in Salento because the weather is not very hot and you could enjoy the stunning sunset light. Just under the bridge there is a small bay with a tiny beach, which is usually crowded.
The beach Ciolo
We skipped swimming under the bridge (I am a bit sorry about this) and headed to our trekking experience. Around the bridge there are several opportunities for trekking in Salento. One of the paths goes to Gagliano del Capo and the other one – to Cipolliane caves. We took the second one that led us through the cliffs to the beautiful caves.
Ciolo bridge (Ponte ciolo)
Sentiero delle Cipolliane / Cipolliane trekking path – our favourite trekking in Salento
Cipolliane trekking path starts from the small fiord and continues by small villas, many cactuses and stone fences. We were amazed by the many stone structured in the area. They appeared old farm fields, separated by stone fences that also acted as a watering system. This walk was the perfect fit in our busy schedule through the beautiful small towns of Salento. We were happy to enjoy some fresh seaside air and also become closer with our colourful international group.
Sentiero delle Cipolliane / Cipolliane trekking path
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- Our team at Sentiero delle Cipolliane
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- Our team at Sentiero delle Cipolliane
trekking in Salento
The trekking path is about 2.2 km long. It starts from Ciolo fiord and ends at Torre Porto Marina di Novaglie. The route is not difficult, I actually found it easy. But avoid the hottest hours of the day and bring enough water. The time for walking the whole path is just under 2 hours.
Pajare – the small stone houses
The small stone houses Pajare are a common attraction throughout Salento. I was amazed to see tens of old and new pajare spread in the whole area. None of them was inhabited but once they were used for living or as villas.
Pajare – the small stone houses
You can see such pajare also in Sicily. In South Italy you can also see their “cousins” – the trulli, like those in Alberobello.
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- The entrance
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- Pajare – the small stone houses
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- Old Pajare house in Salento, Southern Italy
Cave Cipolliane – Grotte Cipolliane
Cipolliane is a complex of several caves that give the name of the trekking route. They are located on a rock 30 m above the sea level. Archaeologists believe that they were inhabited during the Paleolithic. Then at some point they were underwater and now you can see many shells on their walls, despite 30 m above the sea level.
Cave Cipolliane – Grotte Cipolliane
After our pleasant trekking we headed for a well-deserved rest to explore some other attractions of Salento – the extremely delicious local cuisine. Seafood has a notable place in it and someday Mimi will write a separate article about it. Then we will also mention the best restaurants in this area.
5 ways to discover lower Salento, South Italy, and love it
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Maria and me at our “Photo Romantica” :)
