Looking for a still unspoilt stretch of the Ionian coast a few kilometres from Gallipoli, with a white tower by the sea, a pine wood and small coves of sand and rock? This guide takes you to Torre del Pizzo, the sixteenth-century tower on Punta Pizzo, in the heart of the Isola di Sant’Andrea e litorale di Punta Pizzo regional nature park: the story of the tower and of the coastal towers, the Pizzo beach, the trails through pine wood, dunes and scrub, the Baia Verde side and everything there is to see nearby, with practical tips and local curiosities.
In short
Torre del Pizzo, also called Torre Pizzo and, by an ancient name of Greek origin, «Tu Cutieri», is a coastal tower completed in 1569 on Punta Pizzo, in the municipality of Gallipoli (Lecce), about 7 km south of the old town as the crow flies. It stands on a low headland of Mediterranean scrub, inside the Isola di Sant’Andrea e litorale di Punta Pizzo regional nature park, established in 2006. Next to it is the Pizzo beach, sand and low rocks in front of a clear sea; to the north-east the coast continues towards Punta della Suina and Baia Verde, to the south-east towards Mancaversa. The tower is private and can be admired from the outside. The best months are June and September; spring is perfect for the trails.
What is Torre del Pizzo?
Torre del Pizzo is a sixteenth-century watchtower, one of the four coastal towers in the territory of Gallipoli. It is whitewashed with lime and you can recognise it from afar by the small triangular point on top, the «pizzo» that gives it its name. Around it lies the most natural stretch of the Punta Pizzo park: the Pizzo beach, the rocky point, the pine wood, the dunes, the scrub and the small coves of sand and rock.
There are no villages or seafronts here: the tower stands alone on the headland, among meadows, dry-stone walls and mastic bushes, just over a hundred metres from the sea. The point is low and rocky and the sea surrounds it on three sides: to the north-east opens the small bay of the Pizzo beach, with sand, rocks and a beach club, while to the west and south the coast stays wild all the way to Marina di Mancaversa.
Behind the coast the park begins: a strip of Aleppo pine wood, dunes with junipers, wetlands with reed beds and meadows where wild orchids flower in spring. Further north, towards Gallipoli, the landscape changes: Baia Verde is a long sandy beach full of beach clubs, one of the liveliest on the coast. In this guide you will find how to get there, where to swim, which trails to walk and how to plan your day, nearby too.
Curiosities and atmosphere
The «pizzo» is the small triangular projection on top of the tower, right above the entrance door: it is the detail that sets it apart from the other towers on the coast. The older name, «Tu Cutieri», comes instead from the Greek akrotérion, meaning «extremity» or «promontory». And a plant has also taken its name from the promontory: in 2020 two Salento botanists described a new species of cornflower here, Centaurea akroteriensis, the «Punta Pizzo cornflower», which grows only on this stretch of coast.
The tower is part of the system of coastal towers of the Kingdom of Naples, built to spot the ships of pirates and Turks in time. The plan dates back to the years of Charles V, but the great building campaign began with the 1563 ordinances of the viceroy Pedro Afán de Ribera, and Torre del Pizzo was completed in 1569. Each tower could see its two neighbours and could send smoke and light signals: from here the sentries communicated to the north with Torre San Giovanni la Pedata, towards Gallipoli, and to the south with Torre Suda, in the municipality of Racale. In the territory of Gallipoli there are four coastal towers: from south to north, Torre del Pizzo, Torre San Giovanni la Pedata, Torre Sabea and Torre dell’Alto Lido. According to the entry in the Ministry of Culture’s catalogue, Torre del Pizzo is about 8 metres high, is one of the few towers on the coast painted white with lime and is leased to private parties.
The whole headland is protected by the Isola di Sant’Andrea e litorale di Punta Pizzo regional nature park, established by the Puglia Region with regional law no. 20 of 10 July 2006: about 700 hectares between the Isola di Sant’Andrea, off Gallipoli, and the coast south of the town, from the Li Foggi and Punta della Suina areas to Torre del Pizzo. The only colony of Audouin’s gulls on the whole Ionian and Adriatic side of Italy nests on the island; on the mainland lives Hermann’s anthyllis, a small shrub on the regional Red List that in Salento grows only on a few stretches of coast, and Punta Pizzo is one of them.
Where it is and how to reach it
Torre del Pizzo is on Salento’s Ionian coast, in the municipality of Gallipoli, on Punta Pizzo, the headland at the southern end of the Gulf of Gallipoli. North-east of the tower is the Pizzo beach and, a little further on, Punta della Suina; further up still are Li Foggi, Baia Verde and the town. From the point the coast carries on south-east, wild, to Marina di Mancaversa, the seaside village of Taviano. The old town of Gallipoli is about 7 km away as the crow flies, but by car the road goes round the park and the distance is about 15 km; Mancaversa is 4 km away, Santa Maria di Leuca 47 km and Lecce about 51 km.
By car: from Lecce take the SS101 to Gallipoli; from there follow the coast road south, towards Mancaversa and Santa Maria di Leuca, and then the signs for Lido Pizzo. The last stretch is an unpaved road that crosses the scrub to the Lido Pizzo car park, which is paid in summer: from Gallipoli it takes about 20 minutes, from Lecce just under an hour. From the car park to the tower it is about 900 metres on foot, around fifteen minutes, through the pine wood and along the coastal path. In August arrive early in the morning and leave the car only in the parking areas: you are in a protected area.
By public transport: national trains arrive in Lecce; from there FS Sud Est (Ferrovie del Sud Est) lines take you to Gallipoli, and on the Casarano – Gallipoli line there is also the Gallipoli Baia Verde stop, handy for Baia Verde but about 5 km from the tower as the crow flies. In summer «Salento in Bus» line 108, Lecce – Gallipoli – Santa Maria di Leuca, stops on the coast road at the «Baia di Gallipoli» stop (in 2026 from 13 June to 13 September): from there to Lido Pizzo it is about 3 km on foot, around forty minutes. Check this year’s routes and timetables before you set off. The most convenient airport is Brindisi, about an hour and a half away by car.
What to do and what to see
Torre del Pizzo is about the sea and the trails of the park: a swim in the Pizzo bay in the morning, the shade of the pine wood in the hottest hours, the walk round the point and the sunset over the sea in the evening. Here are the experiences not to miss.
1. The Torre del Pizzo (30 minutes)
The tower has a base shaped like a truncated cone and, above a stone string course, a cylindrical body; an outside staircase climbs to the small first-floor door, and right above the door juts out the «pizzo», the triangular point you can see from afar. It is about 8 metres high, but on the low headland, between the scrub and the sea, it looks bigger. Walk round it slowly and look at the coast in both directions: on one side the Pizzo bay, on the other the open sea. The tower is leased to private parties and a sign marks it as private property: admire it from the outside, without going in or climbing the staircase.
2. The Pizzo beach (half a day)
North-east of the tower opens a small bay of pale sand, with low dunes and scrub behind and stretches of low rocks at the sides: this is the Pizzo beach, in the area everyone calls Lido Pizzo. Part of it is taken up by a beach club; beyond the umbrellas the beach is free. The water is clear, from turquoise to blue: where there is sand you walk into the water, towards the point you swim from the rocks, and with a mask and snorkel you can explore a seabed of sand and rock. Along the coast the rock forms small coves: they are ancient dunes turned to stone, as the park’s trail information board explains.
3. Walking round Punta Pizzo (1 hour and 15 minutes)
From the tower a path of sand and rock leads to the point in about ten minutes, and from there the park’s «Punta Pizzo» trail, about 3.2 km long, goes round the headland. You walk through scrub and garrigue of mastic and wild olive, thyme, rosemary and rock roses, among small meadows where wild orchids flower in spring, including two endemic species, Ophrys apulica and Ophrys garganica. Foxes, badgers and hedgehogs live here. From the point the coast runs south, low and wild: if you feel like walking you can carry on to Marina di Mancaversa, in about an hour. You need closed shoes, water and a hat, because almost the whole route is in the sun.
4. The pine wood, the dunes and the wetland (1-2 hours)
The municipality of Gallipoli, together with Legambiente, has marked out six trails in the park between the Canale dei Samari and Punta Pizzo. The shortest, «Pinete litorali» (820 metres, 20 minutes), crosses the strip of man-made Aleppo pine wood, which protects the soil from erosion and the fields from salt-laden winds: here you can hear the nightingale, the great tit, the goldfinch and the chaffinch. The «Zona umida retrodunale» route (2.3 km, 50 minutes) runs along the reed bed behind the dunes, where the green toad and the European pond turtle live and the reed warbler and the great reed warbler sing. The «Litorale» trail (3.8 km, about an hour and a half) follows the coast between sandy coves and spurs of rock, with juniper, marram grass and sea daffodils on the dunes and, on the shore, birds such as the oystercatcher and sandpipers. Some routes are also suitable for bikes and horses. Before you set off, look at the map on the municipality’s website and check the signs on the spot.
5. Baia Verde and the north side of the park (half a day)
Towards Gallipoli the park reaches the edge of Baia Verde, the seaside resort 3 km from the town: a long sandy beach with a low coastline, pine woods and dunes behind it and a row of beach clubs, bars and venues that in summer make it one of the liveliest beaches in Gallipoli, popular above all with young people. Between Baia Verde and Punta della Suina, in the Li Foggi area, the canal and the marshes are a stopover for waterbirds during migration: the rare Ipomoea sagittata grows here and researchers have observed the possible nesting of the black-winged stilt. Further north, at Lido San Giovanni, stands the area’s other coastal tower, Torre San Giovanni la Pedata, with its square top, now home to a marine biology station.
6. The church of San Pietro dei Samari (30 minutes)
In the Li Foggi countryside, inside the park and next to the main road to Leuca, stands one of the oldest churches in Gallipoli, San Pietro dei Samari, which takes its name from the nearby Samari ditch. An inscription on the façade links its foundation to 1148 and to Ugo di Lusignano, a crusader knight returning from the Holy Land. It has a single nave covered by two domes in a row, a unique case in the province of Lecce. Abandoned for decades and at risk of collapse, it won the eleventh edition of the FAI’s «I Luoghi del Cuore», the 2022 census, as the most voted place in Italy with 51,443 votes; the restoration was completed in 2026 and on 24 October hundreds of people celebrated the restored church. The FAI announces periodic visits: check the opening days on the FAI page before you go.
7. The Isola di Sant’Andrea, from the sea (half a day)
The park also includes the Isola di Sant’Andrea, a flat island of about 50 hectares just over a mile from the old town of Gallipoli, with a large lighthouse from 1866. It is a very fragile place: Audouin’s gulls nest here and on the rocks grows the Salento sea lavender, a plant that lives only on Salento’s Ionian coast. From 15 February to 31 July landing is not allowed; from 1 August to 14 February visits are permitted only from 7:00 to 17:00, in groups of at most 20 people with authorised guides, and within 100 metres of the island’s shore mooring, landing, passing through, swimming and diving are forbidden. You can see it on one of the boat trips that leave from Gallipoli: check the route and the rules when you book.
Sea, beach and who it suits
The sea around Punta Pizzo is clear and bright, turquoise over the sand and bluer where the seabed is rocky. The Pizzo beach alternates pale sand and low rocks: where there is sand the seabed slopes gently, while on the point and along the coast towards Mancaversa you get into the water from the rocks. On days when the sea is calm it makes for a quiet swim, away from the traffic; when the sea is rough the waves reach here too, and then it is best to stay where you can touch the bottom and leave the rocks alone.
It is perfect for anyone looking for nature and silence a few kilometres from Gallipoli, for those who love walking, taking photographs and watching birds, for couples and for families who prefer a beach surrounded by greenery to the big beaches with beach clubs. It is less suited to those who want a seafront on their doorstep, with shops and restaurants a few steps away, and to those who find walking difficult: from the car park you go on foot through the pine wood and over the sand, and the tower can only be reached along the paths.
Free beach and facilities
Part of the Pizzo beach is taken up by a beach club with facilities, open in summer; the rest, beyond the umbrellas, is free beach, and the coves and rocks around the point are free too. There are no shops around the tower: for bars, restaurants and grocery shops go to Marina di Mancaversa, 4 km away, or to Baia Verde and Gallipoli. Check the beach club’s opening times and services on the spot.
Bring water, an umbrella and reef shoes: there is no shade on the point and the rock is sharp.
Torre del Pizzo vs other beaches of the coast
Along this coast the landscapes change within a few kilometres. Here is a practical comparison to help you choose:
Torre del Pizzo vs Baia Verde
- Torre del Pizzo: a small bay inside the park, with the tower, the pine wood and the trails and no houses by the sea
- Baia Verde: the long sandy beach 3 km from Gallipoli, with lots of beach clubs, bars and the liveliest evening scene in the area
Torre del Pizzo vs Marina di Mancaversa
- Torre del Pizzo: nature, sand and low rocks, and the walk round the point
- Mancaversa: the seaside village of Taviano, 4 km away, with the seafront at sunset, the little beach of the Mare dei Cavalli and bars and restaurants in the village
Torre del Pizzo vs Torre Suda
- Torre del Pizzo: the white tower standing alone on the headland, in a protected area
- Torre Suda: the seaside village of Racale, 6 km away, with the round sixteenth-century tower in the village, the early twentieth-century villas and swimming from the rocks
When to choose Torre del Pizzo: if you want to combine the sea with a walk in nature and prefer a beach surrounded by greenery to a resort full of bars and venues.
When to choose somewhere else: if you are looking for facilities and evening life, go to Baia Verde or the centre of Gallipoli (read our guide on what to do in Gallipoli); if you want a seaside village with a seafront, look at Marina di Mancaversa.
Practical tips
You are in a protected area: leave the car only in the car parks, walk on the paths and along the water’s edge and not on the dunes, don’t pick plants or flowers and take your rubbish away with you. In summer the scrub is dry and fires are a real danger: on 13 July 2026 a blaze burned several hectares of the park’s scrub and pine wood near Punta della Suina, and back in the summer of 2019 part of Punta Pizzo had burned. No fires, no barbecues and the utmost care with cigarette ends. The tower is private: photograph it from the outside.
For the trails choose early morning or late afternoon, with closed shoes, water and a hat. For swimming from the rocks on the point bring reef shoes and a mask; if the sea is rough, stay on the sandy beach and keep away from the rocks. In July and August arrive early: the car park and the free beach are already filling up in the morning.
Useful practical information
| 📍 Where | Torre del Pizzo, Punta Pizzo (Gallipoli, Lecce), 7 km as the crow flies from the old town of Gallipoli (about 15 km by road) and 51 km from Lecce |
|---|---|
| 🚗 Parking | Lido Pizzo car park, at the end of the unpaved road, paid in summer; then 15 minutes on foot to the tower |
| ♿ Access | Paths of sand and rock; into the water from the sand in the bay or from the rocks on the point; difficult with a pushchair away from the beach |
| 🏖 Beach | Small bay of sand and low rocks, partly with beach facilities and partly free |
| 🌊 Sea | Clear, with a sandy seabed in the bay and a rocky one on the point |
| 👟 What to bring | Closed shoes for the trails, reef shoes, mask, water, hat and binoculars for the birds |
| 🍴 Food | The beach club’s facilities in summer; more choice in Mancaversa, Baia Verde and Gallipoli |
| 📅 Best time | June and September for the sea; April, May and October for the trails and the orchids |
Where to stay near Torre del Pizzo
Salento Prime has no houses in or around Gallipoli: our nearest houses are further south, on the same Ionian coast, between Lido Marini and Torre Pali. Here, about 26 km from Lido Pizzo and less than forty minutes away by car, you will find our Le Secche Suite & House – 5: 4 guests, 1 bathroom with shower and 50 m², with a double bedroom and a bedroom with two single beds or a double bed, air conditioning, a modern fully equipped kitchen with a dishwasher, a living room, an equipped terrace, a garden, Wi-Fi and free private parking. It looks out over the Mediterranean scrub, small dogs are allowed and the sea is less than 1 km away.
It is a quiet base in the south of Salento, from which Gallipoli and the Punta Pizzo park make a lovely day trip, while the beaches of Lido Marini and Torre Pali are a few minutes away. The house is part of Le Secche Suite & House, a small complex of six units completed in 2024: you will find them all on the page holiday homes in Lido Marini.
Would you like advice on dates, getting around or other houses in the area? Contact us: we will help you choose the right option.
When to go and how much time to plan
June: the sea is already pleasant, the Pizzo beach is quiet on weekdays and the scrub is still green. The long days let you combine a swim, a walk on the trails and the sunset.
July and August: it is high season. The sea is warm, the car park and the beach fill up early and Baia Verde’s evening life is at its peak; walk only early in the morning or towards evening, because there is no shade on the trails. At the end of July Gallipoli celebrates Santa Cristina, and from 1 August the guided visits to the Isola di Sant’Andrea start again.
September: the best month, in our opinion. The sea is still warm, there are far fewer people and the sunset light on the tower is beautiful.
April, May and October: the ideal time for the park’s trails. In spring the wild orchids flower and the scrub smells of thyme and rosemary, and in spring and autumn the migrating birds pass through. Swimming is for those who don’t mind cool water.
November to March: the park is almost deserted and many services are closed. In heavy seas the sea on the point is spectacular, but it is best watched from a distance; on clear days it is an excellent time for walking. In Gallipoli the Christmas season starts as early as mid-October, with the papier-mâché nativity scenes.
Events and festivals (indicative dates, check them every year on the website of the municipality of Gallipoli and on SalentoMe):
- Holy Week rites in Gallipoli, with the procession of the Addolorata on the Friday before Palm Sunday: March or April
- Patron saint’s feast of Santa Cristina in Gallipoli: 23-25 July
- Start of the Christmas season, with the papier-mâché nativity scenes: 15 October, feast of Santa Teresa
- The «Pupu», the papier-mâché old man who is blown up at midnight to greet the new year: New Year’s Eve
How much time to allow: half a day is enough for the tower and a swim in the bay; a whole day if you add the park’s trails and the sunset. With two or three days you can combine Baia Verde, the old town of Gallipoli, San Pietro dei Samari and the seaside villages to the south, Mancaversa and Torre Suda. A typical day:
- 8:00: a walk through the pine wood and along the wetland, in the cool of the morning, with the birds
- 10:00: a swim at the Pizzo beach
- 13:30: lunch in Mancaversa or Gallipoli
- 16:00: San Pietro dei Samari, if it is open, or a stroll in Baia Verde
- 18:30: a walk round Punta Pizzo and sunset in front of the tower
- 21:00: dinner and a stroll in the old town of Gallipoli
Surroundings and extra ideas
Torre del Pizzo is halfway between Gallipoli and the quietest seaside villages of the Ionian coast, and it makes a good stop for a day of sea, nature and history. Distances and driving times are approximate, calculated from the Lido Pizzo car park.
Punta della Suina (1 km on foot along the coast, 5 km by car): just north-east of the Pizzo beach is Punta della Suina, one of the most famous beaches in the park, with pine wood, sand and low rocks. It is the next stop if you are walking along the coast towards Gallipoli.
Marina di Mancaversa (4 km, 8 minutes): the seaside village of Taviano, with its seafront, the little beach of the Mare dei Cavalli and the sunsets over the sea; on foot you can reach it in about an hour along the coast. Read our guide to Marina di Mancaversa.
Torre Suda (6 km, 11 minutes): the seaside village of Racale, with the round tower that once exchanged signals with Torre del Pizzo, the early twentieth-century villas and swimming from the rocks. Read our guide to Torre Suda.
San Pietro dei Samari (9 km, 16 minutes): the twelfth-century church with its two domes, the most voted in Italy in the FAI’s «I Luoghi del Cuore», just restored; check the opening days before you go.
Baia Verde (12 km, 18 minutes): the long sandy beach with its beach clubs and evening life, 3 km from the centre of Gallipoli, with the Gallipoli Baia Verde train stop.
Gallipoli (15 km, 20 minutes): the municipality Torre del Pizzo belongs to, Caḍḍìpuli in dialect, from the Greek Kallípolis, «beautiful city». The old town stands on a rocky island linked to the mainland by a seventeenth-century bridge, with its walls, the castle, the Baroque cathedral of Sant’Agata and the underground olive mills where oil was made. Read our guide on what to do in Gallipoli.
Posto Rosso and the Alliste coast (13 km, 19 minutes): low rocks, the Baia dei Pinnacoli with its stone stacks and the seafront path to cycle as far as Capilungo. Read our guide to Posto Rosso.
Santa Maria di Leuca (47 km, 50 minutes): the lighthouse, the de Finibus Terrae sanctuary, the seafront with its nineteenth-century villas and the boats to the caves, where Italy ends.
Local tip
Go to Punta Pizzo in the late afternoon, swim in the bay when the umbrellas start to close and then walk out to the point: here the coast looks west over the open sea and the sun sets right into the water, while the white tower turns pink and then becomes a dark silhouette against the sky. Bring a torch to get back to the car park when it is dark.
In spring, on the other hand, come in the morning and walk the trail round the point slowly: between April and May the meadows of the headland fill with wild orchids, and if you look carefully you may also find the Punta Pizzo cornflower, which grows only here. Look at them and photograph them, without picking them.
And if you love birds, bring binoculars: migrating waterbirds stop in the Li Foggi wetland and on the shore, and out to sea, towards Gallipoli, the gulls of the Isola di Sant’Andrea fly by.
FAQ
Where is Torre del Pizzo?
On Salento’s Ionian coast, on Punta Pizzo, in the municipality of Gallipoli (Lecce), about 7 km south of the old town as the crow flies, inside the Isola di Sant’Andrea e litorale di Punta Pizzo regional nature park. It is also known as Torre Pizzo and, by its ancient Greek name, «Tu Cutieri».
Can you visit the inside of the tower?
No: the tower is leased to private parties and is signposted as private property. Admire it from the outside, respecting the property.
Why is it called Torre del Pizzo?
Because of the «pizzo», the small triangular point on top, above the entrance door, which makes it recognisable from afar. The name «Tu Cutieri», on the other hand, comes from the Greek akrotérion, «promontory».
How do you get to Torre del Pizzo?
By car: from Gallipoli follow the coast road towards Mancaversa and then the signs for Lido Pizzo, as far as the car park at the end of the unpaved road; from there it is about 15 minutes on foot. In summer «Salento in Bus» line 108 stops at «Baia di Gallipoli», about 3 km away on foot.
Is there a beach near Torre del Pizzo?
Yes: the Pizzo beach, a small bay of sand and low rocks north-east of the tower, partly with beach facilities and partly free. Around the point you swim from the rocks.
Which trails can you walk in the Punta Pizzo park?
The municipality of Gallipoli has marked out six routes, from 820 metres to 3.8 km: among them the pine wood, the wetland behind the dunes, the coastal trail and the loop round Punta Pizzo, about 3.2 km long. Some are also suitable for bikes and horses.
Is Torre del Pizzo suitable for children?
Yes, with some care: in the bay there is sand and you walk into the water, while on the rocks of the point caution is needed. From the car park to the beach there is a bit of a walk, so it is better to leave the pushchair behind.
Can you go to the Isola di Sant’Andrea?
Only from 1 August to 14 February, from 7:00 to 17:00, in small groups with authorised guides; from 15 February to 31 July the island is closed for bird nesting. Within 100 metres of the island’s shore mooring, landing and swimming are forbidden.
When is the best time to go?
June and September for the sea, when there are fewer people and the water is already, or still, warm. April, May and October are perfect for the trails and the orchids.
Where to stay near Torre del Pizzo?
Salento Prime has no houses in Gallipoli: the nearest is Le Secche Suite & House – 5, between Lido Marini and Torre Pali, about 26 km and less than forty minutes away by car, for 4 guests, with an equipped terrace, a garden and private parking. You will find the other houses on the holiday homes in Lido Marini page.
Conclusion
Torre del Pizzo is the wildest side of Gallipoli: a white sixteenth-century tower standing alone on a headland of scrub, a small bay of sand and rocks with clear sea and, behind it, the Punta Pizzo park, with the pine wood, the dunes, the wetland and the trails full of orchids in spring. Come in June or September, arrive early in the morning and don’t leave without seeing the sunset from the point.
If you want a quiet base for exploring the Ionian coast, between Lido Marini and Torre Pali you will find our Le Secche Suite & House – 5: 4 guests, an equipped terrace, a garden and private parking, less than forty minutes from Punta Pizzo. You will find our houses in the area on the page holiday homes in Lido Marini.
Discover the available accommodations with Salento Prime. To best organize your base and transfers, contact us here or start a chat on WHATSAPP.
Cover photo: Fabrizio Garrisi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
