Torre Pali
Torre Pali: a seaside resort in the heart of Salento
Welcome to Torre Pali, a beautiful seaside resort in the heart of the province of Lecce, where you can breathe in the true essence of Puglia.
Physical geography
Located in the lower Salento, Torre Pali is just a few kilometers away from Santa Maria di Leuca and Gallipoli, offering the possibility to visit other prestigious locations in the area. The coastline is characterized by the presence of sand dunes covered with typical Mediterranean vegetation.
The village
The village of Torre Pali developed rapidly starting from the 2000s, hosting numerous homes in the western part of the village. The main streets, such as via Caboto and corso Cristoforo Colombo, cross the last built bridge that serves to cross the canal where many boats are moored. In addition, in the eastern part of the village, the area of the most popular beaches develops, where sea, rocks, and sand alternate in an explosion of colors.
The Tower
The name of Torre Pali comes from the eponymous sixteenth-century watchtower, one of the many built to defend the Salento territory from Saracen pirate invasions. Its original position on the mainland has been altered by coastal erosion, and now the tower is completely surrounded by the waters of the sea about 15 meters away from the coast. Only the circular plan of the tower's base remains, which developed on two floors, with loopholes in the upper part.
Blue Flags
Torre Pali and the municipality of Salve earned the prestigious Blue Flag award in 2009 for their clear sea and clean beaches, an award confirmed year after year.
The Port
In the village of Torre Pali, there is a small harbor with a capacity of 100-150 small-medium-sized boats. Its construction began in the autumn of 2008 and was completed after the arrangement of unhealthy areas adjacent to the beach. The landing consists of a dock divided in two by a central pier, the access is open to the east and the dock can be reached through a canal oriented on average east-southeast for about 280 meters.
Already in the 1970s, an attempt was made to build a port for local fishermen, but only a small arm of the pier was built, which proved unsuitable for modern needs. After the construction of the pier, there was a progressive depletion of the shoreline, as if the marine currents that supplied sand to the area in front of the port had disappeared. The coincidence of events led to the conclusion that the construction of the ineffective building in modern times had interrupted the current that supplied sand to the Torre Pali beach.
In front of the port area, there were the typical shelters of fishermen, the "strazzi", where the tools of the trade were placed, the nets and traps, where the onshore fishing activity took place, with the repair of broken nets, the construction of traps, the painting of nets, the weighing of the catch.
In conclusion, the charm of Torre Pali lies in its ability to combine crystal clear sea and white beach with an interesting historical and cultural offer, making it a tourist destination that is definitely worth visiting.
