Torre Vado

Torre Vado represents a seaside frazione of the municipality of Morciano di Leuca grew around the namesake watchtower, built in the 16th century as a protection against the Barbary corsairs.

The locality was nothing more than a small hamlet inhabited by fishermen until the mid-20th century, when the very first private houses were built. Since the 1990s the tourism started to grew up and this small Ionian village started to expand, becoming a quite famous place rich of resorts and bed and breakfasts.

Nowadays Torre Vado has less than 90 permanent inhabitants, although it can reach a summer attendance rate of more than 10,000 (Neapolitans and Swiss in particular).

• 🌍 Tourist Information Office (I.A.T. Torre Vado), Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo, 1 (inside Sala Polivalente), ☏ +39 0833 712318, +39 340 589 7632, prolocotvado@gmail.com. 10:00-12:00/18:00-00:00. Information about the locality, nearby tourist destinations and summer events. 

Torre Vado doesn't have real attractions or sights, just as no monuments or palaces to visit. The feature of the village is the wide choice of things you can do, that will be described in the following section.

• 🌍 Torre Vado (Vado tower). Coastal watchtower built in the 16th century, during the Spanish rule over the Kingdom of Naples, to protect the inner towns against the raids of the Barbary pirates. In 1846 it became a simple custom control point by the order of king Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies and in 1930 it was sold to privates, that restored the tower five years later. The structure is now characterized by a cylindrical shape that resembles a sandcastle and it's decorated with battlements and lancet arch windows. The tower is not open to the public. 

The weekly market is held every Friday night during the summer season and it covers the whole length of the promenade. Here it's possible to buy different kinds of products such as clothes, costume jewelry, toys and, of course, a lot of souvenirs.

A smaller market is held on Tuesday nights always along the boardwalk and it's focused in particular on local handicraft.

• 🌍 Supermercato Da Vittorio, Corso Venezia, 137. 07:00-23:00. Small but furnished grocery store with fish, cheese and meat counters, postcards and some sea items too. Excellent is the amount of seasonal fruit produced in the area. (updated May 2021)
• 🌍 Caseificio del Capo, Via Michelangelo Buonarroti, 2B (facing the main square), ☏ +39 347 297 7205, caseificiodelcapo@outlook.it. 08:00-21:00. Excellent own production cheese shop where you can choose between many varieties of primosale, ricotta, mozzarella and burrata, all of them eventually filled with nuts, pistachio cream, salmon, ham or many others. In addiction you will find matured cheese, fresh pasta, taralli, preserves and other typical products of local production. (updated May 2021)

• 🌍 Antichi Sapori, Via Napoli, 21 (on the hill road to Morciano), ☏ +39 333 265 0265, antichisaporitorrevado@gmail.com. 12:00-14:15/19:00-23:00. Dishes of the local tradition and excellent seafood in a familiar ambience. Take away service is available. Mid range. (updated Aug 2018)
• 🌍 Il Maestrale, Corso Venezia, 135, ☏ +39 347 242 9862, info@ristoranteilmaestrale.com. 12:30-14:30/19:30-23:00. Homey restaurant when almost every dish is based on fish. Mid range. (updated Aug 2018)
• 🌍 La Kambusa, Piazza Torre (in front of the square close to the tower), ☏ +39 0833 712017. 19:00-00:00. Informal restaurant where you can enjoy the typical dishes of Salento, pizza or seafood. Mid range. (updated Aug 2018)
• 🌍 Martinucci, Corso Venezia (corner of Via Fiorilli), ☏ +39 345 452 6302. 07:00-02:00. Excellent ice cream and pastries, as well as rustici and calzoni in one of the various Martinucci shops in the province. (updated Aug 2018)
• 🌍 Profumo di Mare, Litoranea Leuca-Gallipoli (beside the parking behind the tower), ☏ +39 0833 711460, profumodimare2016@libero.it. 12:30-15:00/20:00-00:00. Elegant seafood restaurant overlooking the sea. Mid-high range. (updated Aug 2018)

• 🌍 Bar Caffereccio, Piazza Torre, 23, ☏ +39 320 708 5644. 07:00-00:00. Excellent aperitifs in front of the tourist port. (updated Aug 2018)
• 🌍 Pelagus, Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo (beside the petrol station), ☏ +39 335 548 4377. 08:00-02:30. Open air lounge bar to enjoy drinks, crepes or even pizzas in front of the boardwalk. (updated Aug 2018)
• 🌍 Stork, Corso Venezia, 2 (beside the summer emergency room), ☏ +39 324 867 3537. 24/7. Ice creams and a wide choice of cocktails in an open air bar frequented especially by night. (updated Aug 2018)

• 🌍 Cala Saracena Resort, Corso Venezia, 81 (in front of the rides), ☏ +39 0833 711472, info@calasaracena.it. 4-star hotel with free WiFi, external pool, spa and reserved car park. It is located few steps from the sea and a shuttle service is available to reach the nearby sandy shores. (updated Aug 2018)
• 🌍 Hotel La Collinetta, Via Scalelle, 56, ☏ +39 0833 712180, hotel@collinetta.it. 3-star structure with 22 rooms, free WiFi and restaurant, just 300 metres from the sea (updated Aug 2018)
• 🌍 Hotel Albatros, Corso Venezia, 12 (just before the sandy coastline), ☏ +39 0833 712174, info@albatroshotel.it. 3-star hotel with 26 rooms few metres from the beach with restaurant and spa. Mid range. (updated Aug 2018)
• 🌍 Residence Le Maldive, Via Archimede, 36, ☏ +39 0833 185-0206, info@residencelemaldive.com. Check-in: Sa 16:00-20:00, check-out: Sa by 10:00. It consists in 15 apartments of different sizes all located in the locality of Torre Vado, few minutes on foot from the sea. (updated Aug 2019)
• 🌍 Residence Miramare, Via Archimede, ☏ +39 0833 182-1540, info@residencemiramare.it. Check-in: by 20:00, check-out: 10:00. 3-star hotel with free WiFi, external pool, football pitch and shuttle service to/from the airport of Brindisi and other localities on request. The structure is at less than 10 min on foot from the promenade and the rocky low coastline. (updated Aug 2019)

A quite large amount of B&B and vacation rentals are available every year, from sea view apartments in the centre of the marina to actual villas located in the quiet surrounding countryside. An exaustive list of both of them can be found here.

Crime is practically non existent so the only risk is represented by the sea. Be careful if you choose to take a bath along the rocky coast or when you move on the rocks in the area of the tourist port. Consider the idea of buying a pair of sea shoes if you are not accustomed.

• 🌍 Summer emergency room (Pronto soccorso estivo), Corso Venezia (in front of Cala Saracena Resort), ☏ +39 0833 712149. 15 Jun-15 Sep. 

• 🌍 Pharmacy (Farmacia Schiattino), ☏ +39 0833 712021. Pharmacy located in front of the emergency room and the tourist information office. 
• Post Office (Ufficio postale), Via Giuseppe Verdi, 42, ☏ +39 0833 744009. M-F 08:20-13:35, Sa 08:20-12:35. The closest post office is located in the inhabited centre of Morciano, reachable in about 5 min by car. (updated Aug 2020)

• Salve - Adjoining picturesque town and kilometers of stunning beaches. (5 min by car)
• Santa Maria di Leuca – Popular tourist destination with a relevant sanctuary and several sea caves to explore. (10 min by car)
• Gallipoli – Enchanting old town, miles of beaches and buzzing nightlife. (½ hr)
• Otranto – Colorful historic centre with its majestic castle, many beaches and coves to take a bath. (1 hr)
• Lecce – The famous "capital of the Baroque" with its numerous churches and palaces, all of them richly decorated. (1 hr)