Basilica and Sanctuary of Santa Maria de Finibus Terrae

The name Santa Maria di Leuca derives from the Greek "leukós" or white, this perhaps due to the color of the rocks, or for the houses painted with lime, or for the fact that, arriving from Greece with the sun of dawn behind shoreline was illuminated with a clear light. Although there is no certain information on the origins of this town, some archaeological finds confirm the presence of settlements dating back to the Bronze Age. Even Santa Maria di Leuca, like other places on the Salento coast, has been indicated as the place where Aeneas landed fleeing from Troy while, according to Christian tradition, it was precisely here that the apostle Peter arrived from Palestine during his journey to Rome. The territory of Santa Maria di Leuca includes Punta Meliso which conventionally separates the Adriatic Sea from the Ionian Sea.

It's the most southern place of Apulia region and houses the church dating back to the mid-1700s - before sanctuary, then basilica - also called as 'Santa Maria De finibus Terrae' (of the end of the world), due to an ancient belief that considered it as the limit of all emerged lands. Today this place, where also is based the homonym lighthouse, also represents the union of the two sea: the eastern Adriatic and the western Ionian.

It has the charm of extreme places