NorCal’s best swimming hole | The Gorge

Welcome to Salento! Hello, greetings from Otranto. It's summertime and Otranto is hopping. This part of Puglia is called Salento. It's at the very bottom of the heel of Italy's booth and we're here for bone-drying heat, to dive for crystal clear water, soft sand, and lazy days. But so is everyone else. We like it lively, but we don't like crowds, so we're going to figure out how to best make Otranto our own. A tall order with such a popular summer destination like Otranto, a must-see on any trip to Italy's spectacular south. Our first idea is to visit early in the morning, that way there'll be fewer other tourists and we can blend in with the local life. The center is so charming, a castle, fortified walls, a cathedral with beautiful mosaic floors, and the gorgeous location next to turquoise water. We have to say that Otranto, despite its beautiful bones, is definitely not authentic anymore. And the way you can tell is that there are restaurants, tourist shops, and bed and breakfast everywhere you go. There are no more local shops. We do hear some local voices every once in a while, but this is predominantly a tourist spot. But as we walk along the wall and take in the view of the beautiful bay, we spot something. There are people far out from the water's edge waiting to their hips. It turns out Otranto's water is so shallow from the shore all the way out and early in the morning it's the town's outdoor gym. It's splashing fun, the water's warm as a bathtub, and it's dreamy. There's tons of little fish and nothing beats the backdrop of the old town that we've just been to. After waiting and swimming, our legs and arms are sore so we know it's been a workout. Next we sit down at the borderline cafe facing the historical center across the bay and we have one of the best coffee and italian pastries of our life with a million dollar view. We order a double espresso, double macchiato, and two cornettos. Good, crisp, crunchy cornetti are hard to find in Italy. These are not only crisp but also serve warm at 8 a.m in the morning. Delizioso! The people at the next table tell us that for an authentic experience we should check out one of the inland villages that still speaks a greek dialect. So we head over to Corigliano driving along a stretch of coastal road that already reminds me more of Greece or Turkey. Turks and Greeks both occupied Salento leaving some aspects of the culture behind. While we don't witness Greek being spoken on the streets, we do see some street signs in Italian and Greek like this pharmacy. And may I point out that it's already 35 degrees Celsius or 95 degrees Fahrenheit at 8 30 a.m. It's been very very hot. This beautiful town's star attraction is its well-preserved medieval castle but we also love the alleys and piazzas that ooze with charm. And we're totally amazed by the stunning mosaics covering the floor of the church. Back in Otranto we stop for a quick and tasty lunch tapas Salento style. We enjoyed the food and the views of Otranto without the crowds. It's summer and we're at the coast so of course our new routine needs to include some beach time but we can see that every speck of sand on the beach in town is already taken. So our idea is to head just a little bit out of town to see if we can find one to call our own. And that's when we find our dream beach Castellana Bay. It's so beautiful. Crystal clear waters, soft sand and not too crowded. The water was much cooler than our morning spot and that it made it all the more refreshing and great for the hottest part of the day and we love that we didn't have to share too much. So suddenly we have our routine. Early morning water walk, coffee and pastries, a different excursion every day before it gets too hot and then cooling off at La Castellana beach. Otranto is surrounded by fun places to see. Here are a handful of our favorites and all of them take no more than a couple hours. Maritima is worth a visit in its own right. Cute colorful houses sit opposite once posh castles and palazzos faded by the relentless sun. But for those looking for a true home cooked meal of typical Apulian dishes be sure to stop by the Osteria La Vecchia. The ambience is modest yet clean and the food is unpretentious yet delicious. Cucina povera at its best. What do you think is in that? That makes it taste so good. The secret ingredient. No. Tricase is a small seaside town south of Otranto. It's dominated by its small but unexpectedly posh marina and a hip looking cafe bar that we'd like to go back to and try on our next visit. Where are we here? Castro. Like Fidel's? The first time we drove through Castro we were put off by the campground and holiday village atmosphere of its beach area. But high up on the hill above the beach sits Castro's old town which is super charming and yet relatively quiet. And best of all Maya found her dream car parked on the street. A pistachio green Fiat 600 that seems to have jumped out of a time capsule from the 1970s. It is beautiful. I like it. Let's make an offer. Who's the owner? And as we try to find the owner of the car we instead stumble upon... There's a nonna cooking in there. I can already smell the smells. Nice view, huh? Yeah. This lighthouse marks the easternmost point of the Italian peninsula. Albania is only 50 kilometers away and Corfu, Greece is not much further. So close that Emery's phone provider actually sent him a text welcoming him to Greece. Yet the wind is so strong it would probably carry your hat right past Albania and Greece all the way to Turkey. Nardo is a lively town between Gallipoli and Lecce. It's full of beautiful baroque buildings and even a few that look almost Moorish or Venetian. This wall was cool and eerie at the same time. It looked like it had been used to post death notices in the past, but now all we can see are overlapping ink traces of names and announcements. Back to happy thoughts. Galatina lies 30 minutes west of Otranto and it's famous for its pasticciotto and the bakery that invented them. Pasticceria Ascalone, a historic pastry shop with nostalgic decor that seems stuck in time, but in a good way because some things are perfect as they are and best left unchanged. We're tempted by all the pastries and in the end have to summon all of our willpower to stay focused on the task at hand. I actually don't know how to say it but it's a little cake from Galatina. Pasticciotto. Look how caramelized it is on the outside. Let me take a bite then. It's almost like pie crust all around with not too sweet custard inside. Not even custard, maybe pudding. These are really good. That's me, Pupo, claiming my bay. Let's go. Pia dei Turchi is a gorgeous beach just north of Otranto. To get there you have to walk a bit, but for those who love white sand and turquoise waters, the payoff is huge. Unfortunately, it can be a bit touristy here too. Our last night comes too soon. With our early morning wades, delightful coffee spot, daily outings, and a cute beach nearby, Otranto has captured our hearts. So come here off season if you can, but know that high season can be fun too.