12 Beaches of Porto Selvaggio - Nardò
Spiaggia di Serra Cicora
Salento, Porto Selvaggio - Nardò: Now sit back and close your eyes... we are in Porto Selvaggio. It is impressive how nature has amused itself by designing these paradisiacal places and how it has managed to do so remains an unsolved mystery. Serra Cicora beach is part of the municipality of Nardò and is located in the Regional Park of Porto Selvaggio and Palude del Capitano between Torre Uluzzo and Torre Inserraglio, easily reached from the coast road and recently awarded four sails by Lega Ambiente. The small free beach is located in a bay surrounded by impervious rocks and Mediterranean scrub mixed with natural pine forest. The sand is golden and soft in places, and in some places the presence of small stones and sea pebbles can be seen. The sea, a crystal-clear blue to be envied, is shallow at first with the presence of small stones, but soon after becomes deep, ideal for snorkelling and admiring a seabed full of surprises. Ideal for those seeking tranquillity and nature, perhaps a little less so for discerning families... forget the comforts; this boastful place of protected natural beauty and jewel in the crown of that marvellous landscape that the Salento so magnificently represents, remains nonetheless a raw gem to visit!
Litos
Salento, Porto Selvaggio - Nardò: Adjacent to the bay of Serra Cicora and a few kilometres from the entrance to the Porto Selvaggio Natural Park is the Litos bathing establishment. The lido is completely immersed in unspoilt nature. It is built on a wooden platform positioned on a fairly low stretch of cliff and allows access to the sea via three different jetties ending with a stairway directly into the water. The sea is shallow and comes just up to your knees but only for a couple of metres after which you are swallowed up in an infectious and relaxing blue. In the middle of a small inlet surrounded by picturesque cliffs, the lido offers all the comforts for a wonderful holiday, sunbeds, umbrellas, a shower service, a restaurant and a bar that will prepare delicious aperitifs for you to enjoy in front of a wonderful sunset. Ideal for families and young people who love good music!
Baia di Torre Uluzzo
Salento, Porto Selvaggio - Nardò: When you are on the Sant"Isidoro - Porto Selvaggio coast road and you notice that at a certain point the cars in front of you start to slow down and slow down so much that they come to a complete stop... you have arrived at Torre Uluzzo Bay... and the view that rises up in the eyes of the motorists is a splendid panorama overhanging the sea. You forget for a moment your initial destination, which got you this far, to entertain the idea of finding a car park and walking down to the sea, crossing this short Mediterranean maquis by way of steep paths, stones, rocks, and bushes. Once you get down there, with no small amount of effort, you will feel fulfilled by so much beauty... surrounded by the sea, the wind and the high cliffs. The place is wonderful to experience for yourself, you can dive from various heights, avoid bringing children. Always be cautious because it is easy to slip and fall even in the sea. Late-night music and drinks await you at the Ficodindia, a popular venue for young people. From here you can admire the Uluzzo tower and the fabulous panorama overhanging the sea.
Spiaggia di Porto Selvaggio
Salento, Porto Selvaggio - Nardò: The Porto Selvaggio beach is a magical and enchanting place popular with tourists of all ages and always very crowded in high summer. It can be reached in two ways: park your car in the large car park near the Casablanca disco (a must for disco lovers!), parking costs 1 euro per hour or 3 euro for the whole day; after that, if you are feeling fit and want to have direct contact with nature, walk to the Porto Selvaggio beach, which is about a couple of kilometres long, through the suggestive pine forest, where you will be kept company by the intense scents of the forest; otherwise, if you are too tired and do not feel like walking, there is a shuttle service that runs up and down the beach at a cost of 2 euro per trip. Once you arrive at your destination a paradise on earth will open up before your eyes, take a deep breath and look around you will just have to relax and enjoy the scenery. The beach is actually a small expanse of pebbles that opens up in front of an inlet surrounded by large cliffs mixed with Mediterranean maquis and small sea caves. The sea is blue and transparent and you can admire the seabed from wherever you look and possibly take advantage of it for a dip or simply snorkelling. From a distance on a steep rise, the Tower of Santa Maria dell"Alto is easily visible, an evocative panorama looking north towards Porto Selvaggio and south towards Santa Caterina. The presence of two small kiosks will refresh your heat with cool drinks. Be sure to keep an eye on the children as the water quickly becomes high. Take care of the place, leave it clean at the end of your day and enjoy your stay.
Grotte di Porto Selvaggio
Salento, Porto Selvaggio - Nardò: The Torre Uluzzo Cave is a hollow in the rock about 15-20 metres above sea level located right at the foot of the Uluzzo tower. The cave is clearly visible from the bay of Torre Uluzzo by looking towards the tower. From here one can reach the cave by crossing several steep paths and ascending the cliff. Once you reach the cave of Torre Uluzzo, you can admire the overhang over the sea and the entire panorama.
Torre Santa Maria dell Alto
Salento, Porto Selvaggio - Nardò: Torre Santa Maria dell"Alto is a coastal tower in Salento, located in the municipality of Nardò, precisely between Porto Selvaggio and Santa Caterina and is part of the Porto Selvaggio and Palude del Capitano Park. You will immediately notice its characteristic position on a rocky outcrop overlooking the sea. The tower is easily reached from Porto Selvaggio beach along a fairly level path. Once at the top, you will immediately realise how the view offers a fabulous panorama and unspoilt nature. For diving enthusiasts, the deep, crystal-clear sea offers interesting opportunities to visit the countless caves with the enchanting play of light between the various sea cavities. For lovers of trekking, mountain biking or if you are simply a runner, the vast natural area surrounding Torre dell"Alto is ideal for your routes in close contact with nature in the Mediterranean maquis. These are enchanting and at the same time delicate places to take care of.
Lu Rinaru
Salento, Porto Selvaggio - Nardò: Lu Rinaru is a locality in Porto Selvaggio, under the municipality of Nardò in the province of Lecce. This stretch of coastline, among the classic rushes and expanses of Mediterranean scrub, characterised mainly by its impervious cliffs with only small sandy spots, is famous in these parts above all for being a real beach for four-legged friends. For those who don"t want to part with their beloved dog at all, here they will find everything they need to ensure that man"s best friend can splash around peacefully in the water without any complaints of any kind as long as they follow certain rules. So if you are going on holiday to Salento, you should know that Lu Rinaru has a beach suitable for your dog, and the owners and their pets can enjoy it... Happy summer to your four-legged friends too.
Grotta della Torre Uluzzo
Salento, Porto Selvaggio - Nardò: Maybe it"s because I grew up along this stretch of coastline and I often pass through these enchanting places, but Porto Selvaggio always evokes extraordinary sensations for me, and the astonishment mixed with wonder each time I return there is exactly the same as the first time. We are on the western coast of Salento, and crossing impervious paths that lose themselves in the rugged and capricious cliffs that fall sheer to the sea, we arrive at the Grotta della Torre Uluzzo. First of all, let"s explain what Porto Selvaggio means to those who don"t know it: this place"s name expresses all its specificity, a wild and impassable place with rocky inlets and characteristic caves, all surrounded by the contagious blue of these cool waters. I used to come here as a kid on my bike and scooter to dive from dizzying heights, and the adrenalin rushing through our arteries was at its highest levels, so that years later I still remember those strong emotions. The Regional Park of Porto Servaggio is a nature reserve located in Santa Caterina, a town that falls under the municipality of Nardò, in the province of Lecce; this place is home to the Grotta della Torre Uluzzo (Uluzzo Tower Cave), which is located adjacent to the tower of the same name and can be visited by crossing a few paths that lose themselves in the green Mediterranean scrub. The best way to admire the Grotta della Torre Uluzzo is still to walk along this stretch of cliff and also admire the beautiful view from the side of the tower of the same name, representing a spectacle that has no equal. Even if the place as soon as you arrive conveys that air of an impervious area, some small, well-tested paths allow safe access to the sea, and at that point, to fully enjoy the beauty of this sea, I strongly recommend that you equip yourself with a mask and flippers because the rich, luminous seabed deserves all our attention. For the rest, have a good holiday at Porto Selvaggio.
Grotta del Cavallo
Salento, Porto Selvaggio - Nardò: The Grotta del Cavallo is located in Porto Selvaggio, a nature reserve of rare beauty for the stretch of coastline surrounded by unspoilt nature and a clear blue sea. We are in the municipality of Nardò, in the province of Lecce, and this area immediately manifests all its charm as soon as you get out of the car, and the sensations that gradually come to merge with the strong emotions that the surrounding nature offers are really strong. The Grotta del Cavallo is an example of a natural coastal cave located about 15 metres above sea level. This cave is of great historical importance as artefacts dating back to the Palaeolithic period have been discovered inside, making it one of the most important of all the caves in the Porto Selvaggio area. The surrounding landscape is ideal for those who love trekking and offers interesting paths in close contact with unspoilt nature. For those who love diving, the area offers interesting spots from which to try their hand and savour the taste of being thrown into the water in a fraction of a second. The sea immediately becomes deep and transmits an unusual and pleasant freshness due to the various freshwater currents in the area. You will immediately realise that the whole surrounding area represents a lost and untouched corner of paradise from a naturalistic point of view, take care of it and take the rubbish bags back with you, have a good summer at the Grotta del Cavallo di Porto Selvaggio.
Grotta Gaia
Salento, Porto Selvaggio - Nardò: This sea cave of rare beauty is located in Porto Selvaggio along a stretch of coastline bathed by the waters of the Ionian Sea and characterised by impervious and jagged cliffs that fall sheer to the sea, producing a vertiginous effect along the entire coastline. Well, diving from one of these heights one is projected into the water in a fraction of a second, and once the thrill of the dive has been absorbed, there is another equally strong thrill that manifests itself when admiring this marvellous example of a sea cave. The Gaia Cave presents a lighting effect that colours the interior of this sea cavity, producing an evocative variety of colours that mingle with the transparent blue waters; the emerald green, turquoise, brown of the limestone walls and above all the emotions, the real ones, in feeling an integral part of this fascinating natural phenomenon transmit unique feelings of well-being. Sometimes a holiday goes beyond the beach umbrella, the sun bed, the night at the disco; Porto Selvaggio and Grotta Gaia in particular vibrate with positive sensations, and only by experiencing certain emotions first-hand can you understand the importance of what I am describing.
Grotta Greta
Salento, Porto Selvaggio - Nardò: Grotta Greta is located in the Porto Selvaggio Regional Park, a natural oasis of rare beauty that encompasses all the solitary and naturalistic aspects of the surrounding area. As you walk along this stretch of coastline marked by the impervious cliffs that fall directly into the sea amidst the green of a thick pine forest, which is always handy in the height of summer for the ample areas of shade, and the hidden paths of this shaggy area, you catch a glimpse of the intense blue of these cool waters and the Grotta Greta appears before your eyes, a suggestive sea cavity that blends in among the numerous caves and ravines in this fabulous inlet. The place is truly enchanting. In the height of the season, this bay is taken by storm by hundreds of tourists who take advantage of visiting this natural lung with all its peculiarities, and which satisfies most of the tastes a visitor seeks in a holiday; for trekking lovers, the area is rich in nature trails to be experienced in close contact with the surrounding nature and with all the scents associated with the typical Mediterranean scrub; for those who love to dive from dizzying heights, here you are spoilt for choice to find a point from which to engage in this ancient practice; the sea also offers a seabed rich in fauna to be experienced by those who practice diving. Dulcis in fundo, waiting for the evening to admire a fabulous sunset with an explosion of iridescent colours slowly disappearing into the sea is a spectacle that will fully repay the choice of spending a day here. All this is Porto Selvaggio and Grotta Greta in particular, a paradise on earth that deserves all our respect, take care of it and bring back your rubbish bags, have a good summer at Grotta Greta.
Grotta Verde
Salento, Porto Selvaggio - Nardò: The Grotta Verde (Green Cave) is a magnificent example of a sea cave found along that stretch of coastline in Porto Selvaggio, a fantastic area located on the Ionian side of Salento near the Santa Caterina marina in Nardò. We are in the province of Lecce and this corner of Apulia, which offers emotions that go beyond a simple day at the beach or the usual holiday, is home to the Grotta Verde (Green Cave) among the many caves in this area. This is a sea cavity of rare beauty both for the variety of colours that its interior offers (hence the name Grotta Verde) and for its evocative location surrounded by a clear blue sea. The water maintains an unusual freshness that is a unique pleasure for the body in the height of summer, and this is due to the various freshwater currents present in this area. The seabed is also ideal for those who love snorkelling, so that they can discover the most hidden inlets, capturing in a sequence of emotions the particular plays of light that are reproduced between the cracks of these broad reefs. The Green Grotto can therefore be reached by sea, either by swimming or by means of small canoes, and from its interior one can admire the whole spectacle of an eternal fascination that lasts through time. An unusual silence that is charged with emotion characterises the Green Grotto, and looking around it is an immense pleasure to note the different shades of colour ranging from the grey of the limestone rocks to the green reflected by the contrast produced by the effect of the sea. From the perspective of the sea, one can also admire the marvellous view of the entire bay of Porto Selvaggio with its large pine forest mingling with the typical Mediterranean scrub and the vast cliffs above. Emotions to be retained and preserved in the book of the most precious memories here in Porto Selvaggio, have a good summer at Grotta Verde.