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A TRIP TO SALENTO |
 
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| Salento, land of sun and sea. Where the warm south wind gently sways the silvery boughs of the old olive trees and fills the air with a rich salty perfume.
Salento, the red earth parched with thirst and scirocco. Where uncertainty and hope mingle in the warm air, almost compensating its poverty which tells of olden days and the strong, stubborn men who dug it, crumbled it and worked it under a clear blue sky. Salento, a land that reaches out its band to the east, almost embracing it, if it were not for the age-old sea with its Mediterranean charm that shows off the grandeur of its castles, its old palazzi and its churches, accompanying you as you walk through the little towns with their stones bleached white by the sun, amid nature bathed by the sea. Here scraps of land between dry-stone dykes lead you to the sea through the golden yellow corn, the still green tobacco plants, the dewy vegetables, the many-coloured flowers, the oranges with their intense perfume, the vines laden with tempting, bunches of grapes and the silvery olive trees, reflected between the blu-white sky and the red earth. Then evening falls quietly and slowly spreads a veil of barely perceivable darkness over the silent villages of Salento; the dim light mixes with the witheness of the low houses and the stone trulli which look like gigantic black figures, mausoleums with vague outlines. Salento, land of myths and legends, of religious and profane festivities, of ancient rituals which are repeated, giving a feeling of deeply rooted traditions filled with mystery. Salento, land of hard workers and patient craftsmen who make poetry of their craft, reflecting the great soul of the people of Salento. Here, more than elsewhere, time seems to have stood still, recovering its roots and achieving a return to nature, to the simple folklore of our ancestors. Salento, a land for holidays in the warm sun, with its wonderfully clear, calm sea, with its serenely peaceful beaches where nights can be so romantic and captivating, with such striking colours that beguile you in an unspoilt fairy-tale landscape. Salento, a land where the cuisine has an antique flavour with eastern and Spanish influence,blending the delicate flavours of the sea with home-made sauces that tingle and delight the palate.
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