Momentary Escape To Torre dell'Orso
For one who reads this blog regularly, it should be clear that I was not so much of a beach person. While most travel bloggers or influencers have been flocking to Greece and the Caribbean, I have avoided tropical beach locations like the plague. During our ten-day trip to Malta last year, we did not spend more than a day on the beach. Even though I grew up in an island nation (Taiwan), I could count on one hand the times we visited the beach as a kid. Since I was never a fan of tropical weather, I would always prefer a mountain hike over baking myself on the sand. In many ways, I am very glad not to compete with the masses for that perfect patch of white sand.
Exploring the laidback magic of Torre dell'Orso.
Many of me really question the point of visiting beaches on a foreign vacation. I don’t know much about the difference between beaches at Jersey Shore or Seychelles. Sure, I could distinguish a great beach from a bad one, but I definitely don’t think traveling to another end of the earth is worthwhile for some fine white sand. On a more practical level, going to the beach with all the gears seems like such a chore, and it is an antithesis of the philosophy of traveling light. Packing giant beach towels always ends up taking up a third of my luggage.
When I realized we would spend a week in southern Italy with our niece Mary, I knew immediately that some beach time would be unavoidable. Mary and her family have always vacationed along the shores of Rhode Island and Flordia, so she is a definite connoisseur of a beach vacation. Even though Italy is not particularly well known as a beach destination, the region of Puglia, particularly the Salento Peninsula, has some of the best swimming spots in the country. After an exhausting few days of travel between medieval towns, I looked forward to breaking the rhythm and enjoying the cool breeze of the Mediterranean.
Grotta Della Poesia
For sunseekers, the coastal town of Otranto is often regarded as an ideal home base. But since we were using Lecce as our home base, we opted to stick to someplace just a little closer. After careful research, I identified three beaches near the seaside town of Torre dell Orso that are all less than ten minutes from each other. The drive from Lecce was nothing remarkable, but we felt excitement as the sea emerged from the horizon. Surprisingly, there was barely any traffic by the shore despite the wonderful weather.
Roca Vecchia Archaeological Park.
Roca Vecchia Archaeological Park.
The clear water around the Roca Vecchia Archaeological Park is simply stunning.
Our first stop for the day is Grotta della Poesia, the Cave of Poetry. The grotto was rated by National Geography a few years ago as one of the top ten natural pools in the world. I first came across this place on social media; it is one of those places that would immediately captivate you on the screen. The shape of the grotto is reminiscent of Malta’s Saint Peter’s Pool. Unbeknown to us, the grotto is in the middle of an archaeological site called Roca Vecchia. Thirty years ago, a team of researchers from a local university discovered one of the best-preserved Bronze Age structures in southern Italy. Among the finds was the largest trove of Mycenaen pottery outside of Greece.
Despite its historical significance, I dare to speculate that most visitors came for the swimming and did not even bother checking out the area’s various archaeological treasures. Most of us just made the beeline straight to the swimming hole. If it was not for the admission both set up at the park’s entrance, I imagine most visitors were aware of the historical significance of this location. From the entrance, it was a short 5-minute stroll to the grotto itself. Honestly, I had to admit that the grotto's size is much smaller than I first imagined.
Grotta Della Poesia.
Like almost every other sinkhole in the world, Grotta dell Poesia was formed after the collapse of the dome of a limestone cave. The limestone bottom of the grotto reflects back to the water and creates an irresistible turquoise color. But by far, my favorite feature is the beautiful staircase chiseled to the side of the sinkhole. The ledge was just narrow enough for two people to pass each other. Compared to diving into a sinkhole, these steps were the most dangerous things we encountered in Puglia.
In case you wondered about the name “Cave of Poetry,” there are different variations of a local tale that this is the favored bathing area of a local princess. Her beauty supposedly inspired countless poetry. However, archaeologists believe the cave was likely a religious site before Roman times. They found quite a few numbers of Messapian inscriptions. It reminds me of how the Mayans used the sinkholes as sacred sites and gates to the underworld. Fortunately, there was no trace or record of human sacrifice here. Given the level of tourism this spot attracted throughout the year, I only hope the necessary conservation efforts are in place.
It was Mary’s Little Mermaid moment.
Integrated staircase to the side of the grotto.
Jumping into the turquoise water of Grotta Della Poesia.
A visit here would be complete without a dip in the water. The first thing that surprised me was how few people were in the water. That should be a warning to me about just how cold the water was. We visited in May, just as the busy summer season was starting. Although I wasn’t expecting the warm water of late summer Malta, the water here was still shockingly cold. We felt guilty about disappointing Mary with the bone-chilling temperature. Fortunately, it was still an improvement from the water of New England that time of year. Sensing their hesitation, I was the first to venture into the water. It took about ten minutes until Mary worked up the courage to get in. Even though it was uncomfortable at first, it only took us a minute or two to get used to it. Funny enough, a sign at the park entrance explicitly prohibited getting into the water, which everyone promptly ignored.
Roca Vecchia Archaeological Park.
Roca Vecchia Archaeological Park.
A tunnel leads out to the sea at one end of the grotto. As far as I could tell, no one tried to swim out during our visit. However, leaping from the sinkhole was a must-do. The cliff was high enough to provide a sense of adventure but low enough to be safe for all ages. To my surprise, Mary was very adventurous and the first to try the jump. Ultimately, Mary and I jumped together twice while Brian did the filming. It was a bonding moment for all of us. Of course, the most fun at any sinkhole was to see how heavy people catapulted themselves into the water. Luckily, there was a fellow traveler there to fulfill our wishes. Overall, we had a really good time at Grotta Della Poesia. Without our hungry tummy, we would have explored every corner of the archaeological park more.
Torre dell’Orso Beach
Despite the popularity of Grotta Della Poesia. There was no restaurant nearby during our visit. It seemed like all the restaurants were in the nearby town of Torre dell Orso. Even though it was only a five-minute drive on Google Maps, we became helplessly lost with all the one-way lanes. We ended up driving around and around and through back-country lanes. It ended up taking us almost twenty-five minutes to cover two miles. By the time we reached the town, it was already 3 pm. It was slim picking among places that were open this late for lunch. It turned out that Ristorante L'Adriatico was our only option. We ordered our first pizza on this trip here. Even though the food was nothing worth writing home about, I was surprised that this place only had 1.8 stars out of 5 on Google.
My decent-looking seafood pizza at the horrible-rated Ristorante L'Adriatico.
The public beach is accessible from the main street via a series of direct staircases.
Torre dell’Orso Beach.
It was just two a few blocks from the restaurant to reach Torre dell’Orso Beach, the second beach of the day. This main municipal beach is blessed with beautiful white sand and is perhaps what most travelers dream of. The half-mile-long beach is wedged between two segments of limestone bluffs. On the left is a historical watch tower that lends its name to the town: Torre dell'Orso. The name translates as “Tower of Bears” and is always curious since there is no bear in this part of Italy. Depending on your source, a nearby rock is either shaped like a bear or named after Saint Orsola. Others suggest the name might come from the name of a local family: Urso.
No matter the real origin of the name, the tower ruin provides a beautiful backdrop for the beach. We were here just before the summer high season. Many local beach operators were starting their last-minute repairs and refurbishment before the arrival of sun-seeking masses. Although the water was too cold for leisurely swimming, I would much prefer a quiet than a warm-watered beach. But still, there were plenty of people in the water. Oddly, the shallow water here felt colder than back in the grotto.
Torre dell’Orso Beach.
Torre dell’Orso Beach.
Torre dell’Orso Beach.
This beach reminds me a lot of Honolulu’s Waikiki Beach. Combining powder sand, turquoise water, and gentle waves, this place was a dream for rest and relaxation. I have to be honest and admit that I am not a fan of sandy beaches. I would also pick a rocky or pebble beach since it would be much less sandy. Of course, going to the beach with your uncles is probably not the first choice for a teenage girl. I was happy to give her a little space under the sun. Being a couple of old farts, Brian and I set up our shelter in the shadow of an oceanside beach club. Even though we spent just over an hour on the beach, I could say that Torre dell'Orso Beach is now one of my favorite sandy beaches.
Torre Sant'Andrea
With the visit to a sandy beach behind us, we headed to our final beach stop for the day. Five minutes away from Torre dell'Orso is Torre Sant’Andrea, one of Puglia’s most famous coastal formations. The limestone bluffs jut out in the sea like lighthouses and are extremely photogenic. I guess the correct terminology for these formations would be “promontory.” It only took two minutes from the little handy parking lot to get to the main viewpoint. In all honesty, I think this place could hold a candle to world-famous coastlines like Malta’s Azure Window or Australia’s Twelve Apostles. Let’s hope this underappreciated gem will remain so for the unforeseeable future.
Dramatic promontory of Torre Sant'Andrea.
Torre Sant'Andrea.
Torre Sant'Andrea.
What I enjoyed about this area is how manageable it is size-wise. It takes less than ten minutes to walk from one end to another. The crystal blue water looks very tempting. From the edge, we could see down to the bottom. There appeared to be more than half a dozen swimmers snorkeling. From a distance, we could see many people sunning on the rock. However, we couldn’t figure out how to get to the water. Given that we knew how cold the water was, we collectively decided to admire the water from afar. This also gave me a good excuse for a return visit.
Sunbathers at the base of Torre Sant'Andrea.
The natural stone arch of Torre Sant'Andrea is a actually a decent replacement for the Azure Window in Gozo.
Overall, I think our visit to Torre dell’Orso was very successful. We could sample three different beaches, each with distinct features and personalities. We counted very blessed for the perfect weather, which could still be quite temperamental in May in this part of Italy. Besides the water temperature, I think this is my favorite beach day during all my years of travel. While I haven’t been to many other great beaches in Puglia, I doubt another section of the coastline is as varied and beautiful. For anyone who visited Lecce, we couldn’t recommend this area enough.
