Galantina is another of Puglia’s Baroque charmers, but it’s somewhat overshadowed by Lecce, 20kms to the north. The narrow streets of Galantina’s town centre are uniformly lined with elegant townhouses in pale yellow stone, with grand arched doorways and traditional green shutters, and feel like a step back in time when exploring on foot. The best places to stay in Galatina are in this picturesque part of town, with one of our favourites being a charmingly versatile B&B which we recommend as a perfectly affordable base for exploring the whole area.
There has been an elegant town here since the 12th century, but the majority of what you see today comes from the 17th and 18th centuries, when many churches and palaces were built, all in the Puglia Romanesque style, with a definite preference for impressive doorways and balconies, decorated with intricate stonework and wrought iron. And while Galatina is a bit out of the way, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t got its share of great bars and restaurants (it is, arguably, where the famous Puglia dessert, pasticciotto, was invented).
We recommend the best places to stay in Galatina to travellers looking for lesser known Italian gems, the kinds of towns which seem to have stopped in time, and with basilicas decorated with work by famous artists, and churches with historic relics.