Salento – the magic of the sun

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Salento - the magic of the sun

Fragrances and flavours from a landscapes have been preserved intact for centuries

Lecce, capital of Salento region and a supreme example of the Baroque style predominant in this area, has maintained its historical and cultural identity more than any other city in Puglia. Lecce dominates a vast and in some parts slightly undulating plain- a frontier land placed at the furthermost eastern tip of the peninsula and encircled by two sea , the Adriatic and the Ionian .
The low , jagged coastline ,interrupted now and then by pine forests, suddenly gives way to immense expanse of red soil and bleak stony ground dotted with vines and olives trees- age old natural sentinels in counterpoint to the straight lines of the farm roads advancing across the plain ad far as the eye ca see.
The blinding sun is reflected on endless patterns of white walls - a rugged land where , though there are no rivers on the surface, clear water collects in the caves and natural tunnels of the extraordinarily permeable sub oil .The landscape and rural environment are as yet untouched and bear numerous traces of the past - farmhouses , ancient wells, underground olive mills and fascinating fortified farms , once the heart of area’s economic activities.
As mentioned above , the Salento region is surrounded by the sea which naturally plays a major role in the local economy. Beside providing excellent fish and shellfish, the sea attracts a grouwing number of tourist, drawn by the splendid coastline and unspoilt beaches.
However the secret strength of this land, the prosperity that made the building of Lecce’s splendid Baroque monuments possible ,derives , now as in the past , from its rural nature. Agriculture is still the basic economics resource and the leitmotiv of historical and events in this part of Puglia.
The Salento country side - though not very fertile and often afflicted by drought- offers a range of savoury product , a concentration of flavours enhanced by the sun that warms it for most of the year.
Durum wheat , tomatoes , vegetables and legumes are grown in large quantities on the plain, as well as vines and olives tress, long considered the most precious fruits of the heart .
The province of Lecce in its entirety boats a millenary tradition of great wines with an exceptionally rich, full-bodied and concentrated flavour. Today technology has made its appearance in the suny vineyards of the Salento , to the extent that it has been described as a small scale Italian version California ,an oasis of agricultural success. Back in the early Eighties , the well-known Wine Spectator magazine printed a list drawn up by Robert Parker , considered one of the world’s greatest wine experts , in which Salento reds were among the highest ranked with regard to quality and value for money.
Olive oil is the other greats mainstay of the local rural economy ,its other principal resource .
The olive trees with their huge , gnarled trunks and dense . stately foliage that literally envelop the plain are the most evident feature of the landscape . the distinguish feature of an imaginary identity card.
This land produces and excellent olive oil protected on a European scale by special DOP (product of controlled origin) called Terra d’ Otranto , obtains from several varieties of olives such as cellina di Nardo , oligarola di Lecce and nociara.
Thanks to the international renows of its main product , the Salento area is in ferment .Profound changes have takes place compared to only ten years ago and revival of rural traditions is underway , as proved by the increasing number of holiday farms .In this particular context . they have a double role- on one hand, they have become an increasingly important part of the local economy; on the other, they help to defend the as yet unspoilt country from the obviously negative and forms of exploitation .
Quality farming ha at last been recognised as the main resource of a region that has always proudly proclaimed its rural character.

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