Hotel Miramare, Otranto - Lecce, Puglia hotels

Hotel Miramare, Lecce

This Otranto hotel is in the heart of the historic Puglian town, and just a short walk from the seashore. All bedrooms (single, double and triples) are comfortably furnished, with air conditioning, bathroom, direct dial phone, colour television and minibar. The Hotel Miramare has a guests' living room, meeting rooms, TV room, parking and lift/elevator.

Otranto itself is a quiet little town on Puglia's Adriatic coast. This part of the Salentine Peninsula (the heel of Italy) has a countryside distinctly Greek in feel, with carob, tobacco and prickly pear, and white houses under a blazing southern sun. Ferries run from here across the Adriatic to Albania, around 100km away. Otranto has a colourful history. Once a Byzantine port, its days as a thriving town came to a bloody end in 1480. A Turkish fleet landed, invaded the town and killed most of the inhabitants, including the unfortunate bishop, who was sawn in half.

There are many historic sights to see in the town. The Cattedrale di Santa Maria Annunziata dates from 1088, with a beautiful mosaic floor (depicting the tree of life) and rose window. There is the Castello Aragonese, rebuilt in 1485 by Alfonso I of Aragon. See the 16th century church of San Francesco di Paola, which has names of the victims of the great slaughter. Other sights include the Church of San Pietro, with its Byzantine frescoes, and the Catacombs of Torre Pinta.

The Salentine Peninsula has a superb coast on three sides (of course) with craggy cliffs on the Adriatic and broad expanses of sweeping beach on the Ionian Sea (Gulf of Taranto). There are historic towns including Baroque Lecce, fine cuisine and beautiful countryside.

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Double room from €55