Nardò

A Baroque town on the Ionian coast of Salento, Nardò has a walkable historic centre dense with palaces, churches, and chapels built in the ornate local style associated with nearby Lecce and Gallipoli. The town rose to cultural prominence in the late 15th century under the Acquaviva ducal family, earning the title Nuova Atene litterarum. Its coastline includes modest seaside settlements and the Porto Selvaggio nature reserve, while the surrounding Apulian countryside is wine-growing territory.

• Population29,668
• Nearest water from center0.6 km
• Nearest mountain from center16.9 km