How to Get to Salento: Airports, Flights & Travel Tips

Salento is the very tip of Italy's heel: it feels far away, yet it's easier to reach than you might imagine. Here's a practical, honest guide on how to get here — by plane, train or car — and how to get around once you've arrived, all the way to our masseria in Carpignano Salentino.

By air: Brindisi or Bari

Salento is served by two airports in Puglia:

• Brindisi is the closest: it's the natural gateway to Salento, an easy distance from the area around the masseria.
• Bari is bigger and usually offers more connections, but it's also farther away: keep it in mind if you can't find convenient flights into Brindisi.

Our tip: always compare both airports. Sometimes a flight into Bari works out better, but factor in roughly an extra hour and a half to two hours of transfer compared with Brindisi.

By train

If you'd rather take the train, your reference station is Lecce, the terminus of the main lines running down the Adriatic coast. From there you continue inland into Salento. A good option for anyone arriving from the north in no particular hurry, who'd like to skip the long drive.

By car

Driving here means taking on the journey, but having the freedom to roam from the very first day. From northern and central Italy you head down the Adriatic motorway into Puglia, then carry on towards Salento. It's the choice for those who want to explore at their own pace and bring along everything they need for the beach.

The most important tip: you'll need a car

Here's the most useful practical point. Salento is a spread-out land: beaches, villages and art towns are scattered across the territory, and public transport — especially in summer and in the smaller towns — doesn't reach everywhere. To truly experience Salento — switching between the two coasts, reaching the villages, returning in the evening to the quiet of the inland countryside — a rental car is practically essential. If you arrive by plane or train, it's best to pick one up right when you land.

Once you're here

The masseria sits in Carpignano Salentino, in a central spot: the Adriatic sea is about twenty minutes away, Lecce half an hour, Otranto twenty minutes. A comfortable base from which every destination is within a day's reach. If you're unsure about the best route for your dates and your starting point, just write to us: we're always happy to point you in the right direction.