Nardò is a city of 30,000 inhabitants in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of Italy. It is located in the Salento peninsula, with miles of rocky coastline on the Ionian Sea.

Understand

For car enthusiasts, the city is associated with the Nardò Ring outside the city - a circular 12.5 km (7.8 mi)-long test track for some of the world's most powerful sports cars.

• 1 Tourist Information Office (Ufficio IAT), Piazza Salandra (old town main square), ☏ +39 0833 836928, infoturismonardo@gmail.com. Tu-Sa 09:00-13:00, 17:00-19:00, Su 09:00-13:00. Info about the locality, events, tours and nearby tourist destinations. (updated Jun 2021)

Get in

By plane

The closest airport is located in Brindisi (BDS ^IATA), 75 km (46 mi) north; there you can take a bus shuttle for Lecce. Continue on bus line FSE 700 for Nardò.

By train

• 1 Nardò Centrale, SP359, toll-free: 800 079 090. Small station served by local trains of Ferrovie del Sud Est company, it's not connected to national railway network. You will have to reach Lecce railway station and there take a local train to Nardò Centrale. The journey from Lecce takes 1 hr for a cost of €2.50. (updated May 2021)

By car

• From Brindisi: take to bypass the city, merge onto towards Lecce, here take Tangenziale Ovest and towards Gallipoli. (45 min)
• From Bari: Bari Nord motorway exit, then take until Fasano and to reach Brindisi, then follow the route above. (1 hr 45 min)
• From Taranto: the easiest way is reaching Brindisi heading down and following the route above (1 hr 20 min). Another possibility is driving along the Ionian coast crossing some towns, but it can be a bit more uncomfortable. (1 hr)
• From Santa Maria di Leuca: drive along until Gallipoli then until the exit Galatone-Nardò. (40 min)

See

• 1 Cathedral (Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta), Piazza papa Pio XI, ☏ +39 0833 561897, cattedralenardo@gmail.com. 24/7. The actual façade dates back to 1725 while the rest of the structure went under an important restoration between 1892 and 1899, giving it an elegant mixture of Romanesque and Baroque features. The interior contains both medieval frescoes and 19th-century frescoes by Cesare Maccari. (updated Jun 2021)

Sleep

• 1 B&B Santa Caterina, Via C. Cantù, 30, ☏ +39 0833 575009, +39 348 936 2528. Located on the promenade of Santa Caterina viallge, it offers an enviable view over the Gallipoli Gulf.