Santuario Santa Maria De Finibus Terrae

Sanctuary Salento, Italy

A white, bright, glittering city. The Lecce stone that embellishes the buildings, the sun that shines tirelessly, the sea that sparkles: it is easy to understand the origin of its name from the Greek leukòs, meaning white. At the highest point of the promontory, just behind the imposing lighthouse, is the Sanctuary dedicated to the virgin De Finibus Terrae. From here you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the open sea, where the Ionian and Adriatic meet.

Also from the promontory falls the suggestive Monumental Waterfall, a work conceived and built to celebrate the end of the works of the Apulian aqueduct, of which Santa Maria di Leuca constitutes the final term. In Leuca there are signs of the passage of Cretans, Phoenicians, Greeks who found in this place the right stopover for maritime traffic, the meeting point between the commercial routes that united East and West. From here also derives a legend, according to which the name of the place derives from a beautiful siren, called precisely "Leucasia", who bewitched sailors with sweet melodies.