Hotels Santa Maria di Leuca, Guesthouses Santa Maria di Leuca and Residences Santa Maria di Leuca

Santa Maria di Leuca, the southernmost Apulian resort, is an appreciated tourist destination because of its beautiful coastline and the architectural  treasures embellishing its city centre. Legend has it that Leuca was the first city where Enea settled, and the city where the evangelization commitment carried out by Saint Peter, who flocked here by sea from Palestine, began.
The lower part of the city, the so-called Marina di Leuca, is linked to the promontory hosting the old town of Santa Maria di Leuca through a staircase which connects the harbour to the Basilica of “Santa Maria De Finibus Terrae”.  The current Basilica, built in ‘700, is situated on the area from which Christianity began to spread after the evangelization action carried out by St. Peter. The Sanctuary cherishes the painting of Madonna De Finibus Terrae by Jacopo Palma il Giovane. One hall of the Sanctuary hosts the museum which gathers important works of contemporary art.

The coastline of Marina di Leuca, which gathers the main tourist activities, 3-star guesthouses and luxury 4-star hotels, is famous for its enchanting nineteenth-century villas which snake along the sea front. On the first Sunday of May they are open to the public and can be visited through targeted guided tours.

The lovers of archaeology staying at a hotel in Santa Maria di Leuca won't miss the opportunity to visit the local caves. Among the most famous ones are Grotta del Diavolo, Grotta Porcinara, Grotta delle tre porte and Grotta del Bambino, which are named after precious Neolithic remains, inscriptions dedicated to Greek and Latin mythological characters, mortal remains and fragments of preistoric tools which have been unearthed over the last century.
Among the most characteristic festivals and religious celebrations which liven up this area of the Salentine region, not to be missed is the celebration of the Madonna of Santa Maria di Leuca, which takes place on August 15th. The great procession leaves from the Sanctuary of the Church of Cristo Re and crosses the whole of the city up to the harbour, where the statue of the Madonna is brought out at sea. At midnight, a great firework display marks the conclusion of the religious commemoration and inaugurates wild celebrations on the beach.