BEACHES

Torre Colimena and surroundings

The fraction of Torre Colimena, part of the marine areas of the municipality of Manduria on the high Ionian coast of Puglia, is located between the protected areas of the Salina dei Monaci

to the west and the Palude del Conte to the east.

The inhabited center was built around the homonymous watchtower overlooking

the sea which is part of a defensive system of coastal towers erected in the sixteenth century throughout Salento to defend the peninsula from Turkish raids.

The area is close to the Ionian-Salento coast, in a stretch of territory where high dunes and long beaches meet cliffs and overhangs, but an incredibly transparent and crystalline sea dominates everything.

Torre Colimena, with its natural beauties and its tranquility, has escaped a wild urbanization and today is one of the areas that best represent these parts of Salento which are still outside the logic of mass tourism.

SALINA DEI MONACI

The village of Torre Colimena rises close to a natural oasis, the Salina dei Monaci which, together with other protected areas in the area, is part of the Natural Reserve of the Eastern Tarantino Coast, established to protect the biodiversity of flora and fauna of particular interest. .

Reachable only on foot, today it has become a meeting place for dozens of species of migratory birds such as pink flamingos, herons, knights of Italy.

Behind the dunes covered with Mediterranean scrub there is a long sandy beach, never overcrowded, not even in the middle of August, ideal for relaxing and having fun while breathing in the scents of a surprising nature.

PALUDE DEL CONTE AND
COASTAL DUNA

The regional nature reserve Palude del Conte and Duna Costiera - Porto Cesareo is a protected natural area located in the municipality of Porto Cesareo.
The reserve occupies an area of 898 hectares , is in environmental continuity with the adjoining protected area of the Oriented Regional Nature Reserve of the Eastern Tarantino and with the protected marine area of Porto Cesareo .

PUNTA PROSCIUTTO

Among the flagships of the Palude del Conte and Duna Costiera Nature Reserve, Punta Prosciutto is to be visited above all for the splendid beach just over two kilometers long. Together with the characteristic white and very thin sand, the inevitable dunes and the typical Mediterranean scrub, what stands out is also and above all a sea that to define crystalline is an understatement.

PORTO CESAREO

The coast of Punta Prosciutto falls within the municipality of Porto Cesareo, in the province of Lecce. Here there are several bathing establishments but also a long free beach, and it is possible to practice sailing, diving, windsurfing and kitesurfing on the windiest days.