Ferdinand IV Bourbon, despite having accepted the plea of Gallipoli’s people for the construction of a new port, did not immediately carry out the project, so that the number of shipwrecks had become very high due to the lack of a safe shelter. On 22 December 1792 eight vessels sank in a few hours and this gave the cue to people to renew the plea to the sovereign.
Other petitions and other projects were presented until 16 August 1850, when the contract was awarded for the carrying out of the work, which became the most important site of transactions for lamp oil and oil for cosmetic use, as well as for wine, with ships headed for the main European ports and even farther.
Today it is entirely quaysided and it numbers 150 slips, with services such as refueling, electricity, engine and sail repair and a large car park.
To counterbalance the diminished commercial importance there is the attractiveness of the fishing vessels which, every evening, in the coloured sunsets, dock to sell fish in the middle of an excited crowd of customers and the colourful bargaining to get the best price.
During the summer it is an important stop for Salento tourists and offers its logistics for many nautical events such as the “Salento Offshore Speed Race 2013”.
Recently it has returned to host the “Barocco Prize” event, broadcast by RAI.
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