Salento - Innovación FP - Ikasnova
Salento - Innovación FP
SALENTO
PROS
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Being an area not as crowded with foreign tourists, I think it's a good place to get to know the real Italy.
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A seaside area with landscapes I don't see every day, and with a different and interesting culture, and welcoming people.
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It was very pleasant to live in a city with a beach. I was fascinated by the culture and the language. Likewise, the personal and professional learning I gained.
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The welcome from the town has been very warm from the beginning. The people we interacted with have been spectacular, very nice. The people are very friendly, and we felt at home, both with the people in the town and with the people we saw at the internship site.
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The sea is less than 20 km away and has a warm climate. It's a quiet and pleasant place with warm, friendly people who make it easy to integrate during the Erasmus period. Everyone greets you and helps you in any way they can; without even knowing you, they make an effort to make you feel comfortable. In my case, at my company, La Palestra, the welcome and farewell were impressive, as was the way they helped us with everything and more. Spectacular people! Good road connections to Lecce, a city of 90,000 inhabitants with a train and bus station from which you can travel to all of Italy (Rome, Milan, Naples, Florence, Reggio Emilia, Bologna, etc.). The nearest airport, Brindisi, is about 90 km away, and is well connected by car. Supersano is small, but I personally love it. At first, it has a poor, picturesque image, but when you discover its bars, streets, and especially its people, you fall in love with it.
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The center is beautiful, and within an hour you can find beautiful places to visit and the beach.
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The people are very welcoming.
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Getting around the city on foot is very easy, as it's similar in size to Pamplona.
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The city is small, and the people are very welcoming. There are beaches very close by. The temperature is very good, but in July it starts to get quite hot. It has a university, so you might find other people from Spain coming to the university.
CONS
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It's an area with poor transport connections; public transportation isn't good. Also, online information is outdated, so you can't always trust what's written on the internet, as schedules and prices vary between summer and winter. It's best to communicate and ask locals.
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It's a good area during the summer (if you go in September, you'll have a couple of good months; if you go in March, you're already on your way to good weather), but in late autumn and winter, it's a bit bleak in terms of leisure activities.
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Living and, therefore, sharing with the landlady.
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Supersano is more inland and is a small town. You have a car to get around, but there isn't much life. There are no buses to get around if you don't have a car.
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It's essential to have a vehicle in good condition and always have it for basic tasks like shopping. A car is also important for leisure activities; without a car, it's complicated. That was our case: our car broke down the last few days of our stay, and neither the Government of Navarra nor the intermediary partner offered us a solution.
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They drive terribly, they don't care where they're going, and they won't stop you until you dare to cross a zebra crossing, and some don't even stop.
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There are few supermarkets and no bakeries.
ABOUT THE ACCOMMODATION...
Gallipoli
"You're accommodated in a house where the owner lives. It's about a 30-minute walk from the city center. It's important for you to know that there are security cameras in the common areas. Being a coastal area, the humidity is very noticeable in the cold (we had some mold growing on the walls). There's a well-equipped shared kitchen".
"The landlady was kind, but there were also conflicts. On several occasions, she invaded my privacy, despite having told her that I didn't like it. At first, it's more difficult to communicate, due to the language and because she's a person with her own rules and beliefs. As for the accommodation, I was comfortable and spacious. We had mold, and they fixed it the day before returning to Spain".
Supersano
"These are fairly old apartments".
"Overall, they were very pleasant, although they couldn't resolve the car issue we had last week (our car broke down the last 10 days, and they didn't give us another one or fix it)."
"The apartment was fine; it was large, and I shared a room with my roommate. We had a kitchen and bathroom to ourselves, a fairly large and comfortable bathroom, too. The downstairs neighbor was very friendly, as was her boyfriend, although the next-door neighbor had a bad temper, but if you don't let him and earn his respect, you'll eventually get along. There was no Wi-Fi last month, which I needed for my final project. There was also no electricity in the hallway leading up to my room, and sometimes there was no hot water due to the lack of sunlight."
"Overall, they were very pleasant, although they couldn't resolve the car issue we had last week (our car broke down the last 10 days, and they didn't give us another one or fix it)."
"The apartment was fine; it was large, and I shared a room with my roommate. We had a kitchen and bathroom to ourselves, a fairly large and comfortable bathroom, too. The downstairs neighbor was very friendly, as was her boyfriend, although the next-door neighbor had a bad temper, but if you don't let him and earn his respect, you'll eventually get along. There was no Wi-Fi last month, which I needed for my final project. There was also no electricity in the hallway leading up to my room, and sometimes there was no hot water due to the lack of sunlight."
Lecce
"The apartment isn't level: doors open when bumped, cooking oil has to be propped up, and the bed has to be propped up using books. We pay 600 euros a month. We barely have any privacy since the landlady lives below us. She often comes into our house to water the plants. The apartment only has one bed, so they had to bring in a folding bed. The terrace is spectacular and huge. You can use it for lunches with friends or even dinners. It's a house with a very good location in Lecce."
"The accommodation was super good, with everything you need for an Erasmus stay and 10 minutes from the center."
"It was good. We believe and hope the landlady was trying to help us, but she could have been better at times. The accommodation was good."
"Since we didn't know where we were going, we decided to have everything found for us, but if you can, I recommend that people find it on their own, especially if they are going to university, as the grant is very small. We didn't have any photos or anything of the apartment we were going to. When we arrived, the "apartment" was the roof of a building with the landlady's apartment underneath. In this apartment, there were two of us; the house only had one room and one bed. We had to put a folding bed in the living room so we could sleep two. The house has very poor quality: It is tilted, which makes it difficult to do some things; we don't have an oven or microwave; to enter the house, we enter through the roof and you have to go through the landlady's house, which means she knows at all times when you enter and leave the house. The landlady comes into our house to water the plants and fix the water supply for the entire building, since the water is stored on our roof. When it comes to bringing people over to our house, it's very complicated because the landlady is below and even if you're only with three friends at home, she'll already be gone. Complain. We're paying more than double what people pay for an apartment in Lecce, and we're not even in the center. In general, finding a house for you is a gamble, which is why I recommend looking for one yourself, because it'll be much cheaper and you'll know where you're going."
IF YOU'RE GOING TO SALENTO, YOU HAVE TO VISIT...
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Gallipoli is a very beautiful city, but you can explore it in depth in two or three days. The best way to visit is to rent a car and visit all the small coastal towns.
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San Cassiano (ITER), Pescoluse Beach.
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Lecce, the old town is very beautiful. Along the coast, Otranto, Rocavechia, Porto Cesareo, Pontecciolo...
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The farm in Ruffano if you like animals and good homemade food.
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I would recommend visiting the Gallipoli library. If you have a driver's license, rent a car so you can explore the surrounding towns and villages more freely: Monopoli, Ostuni, etc.
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Porto Miggiano, Marina della Serra, Poetry Grotto, Polignano a Mare, Torre del Orso...
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Leuca Lighthouse, Castro, Brindisi, Ostuni, Bari, Cala del Aqua Viva, Santa Cesara di Terme, Madonna della Sera (Church on the Supersano mountain range overlooking Ruffano and Supersano, stunning views), Tricase Porto.
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Belloluogo Park (Lecce).
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Lapillo Tower, Porto Cesare.
A GOOD PLACE TO EAT / HAVE A DRINK IN SALENTO IS...
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For breakfast, Martinucci's is perfect (it's a franchise found all over Salento).
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The best pizza in Gallipoli is at Lievita 72.
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For a drink in Gallipoli, go to Blucafé or Gogó. Although there's also a very nice place called Spirito Santo in Felline. There are also Portichi and Aputea for a snack, dinner, or drink.
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For good food in Lecce, there's La Cantiere.
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La Fazenda, Ruffano (homemade food).
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I Portici is on Corso Roma. Blues bar and pub pizzeria is located on Via Vittorio Alfieri. Also, the fried calzone at Martinucci, and the rotisserie-paninoteca is located on Viale Giovanni Bovio. And for a delicious crepe, there's a street stall called Paninomania Da Lino next to the beach. Or on Corso Roma, they usually have a stall near the church.
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For pizza delivery, Kalepolis. For lunch, Malus.
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For drinks: Bar Margotini and Copacabana; for dinner: Bella Fontana and Mezzaluna.
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In Supersano, the best restaurants are Mezzaluna and Viegga Fontana. The best bars are Copacabana and Margotini, where people hang out and mingle with everyone. At Copacabana, the owner, Anna Lena, is a lovely person. From day one, she helped us with everything. At Margottini, you'll find a family running it, whose 26-year-old son speaks perfect Spanish. "La Corte" restaurant in Gallipoli offers delicious, cheap pizzas in a great location next to the wall overlooking the sea.
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Ice cream from Gelateria NATALE (Lecce)
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Pizzeria Malafemmena (Lecce)
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La Negra Tomasa, Via Federico D'Aragona, 2 (Lecce).
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For a drink, try "Caffe Rudie" near Porta Rudie (Lecce).
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La Cantiere is a burger bar that's great for lunch, and they usually have parties there on Tuesdays
TIPS IF YOU'RE GOING TO SALENTO
- Make sure you have a driver's license.
- Everyone says the best time to visit is summer. Immerse yourself in the culture, try everything you can, and meet new people who will help you get to know and enjoy the area. Try to make the most of every day; when you return to Spain, you'll be able to rest.
- Before you go, I highly recommend studying Italian, since English isn't widely spoken in the area.
- Not everything is rosy; you grow a lot as a person and learn to appreciate things that aren't appreciated on any given day.
- Make the most of having a beach nearby; I've seen the most beautiful sunsets there. Also, don't hold back from wanting to go or do "x" just for the sake of doing it alone. And try to connect with the people who are native to the area. Likewise, I'd say I tried to live in the present moment, as it's an experience that passes very quickly and, on a personal level, is very rewarding.
- If you don't have European nationality, meaning you only have a residence permit (NIE), I would recommend bringing your passport, as some accommodations or cultural venues ask for it. The NIE isn't considered valid, so you'll need to show your passport.
- Being in southern Italy, it seems like the temperature will be hot, but it's not. Bring warm clothes and a sweater just in case.
- Don't go with high expectations, as it won't be the Erasmus you've always dreamed of, but it could turn out to be the best...
- Be a good and sociable person, and open yourself up to the local people and their ways of life. They are impressive, kind-hearted people who will always help you with whatever you need. And make the most of your Erasmus stay until the very last day, because there isn't a day that isn't worth it on an Erasmus trip, an unforgettable experience that I would repeat again and again.
In Lecce:
- Although some are long, there are cheap trains so you can visit thousands of places.
- It's best to find your own apartment. Don't hire transfer services, as it's much more convenient and cheaper to go by train or bus. It's also very useful to connect with other Erasmus students through the ESN Lecce. Otherwise, it's a beautiful city and easy to get around.
- Keep in mind that people from vocational training don't get introduced to each other; there may be other vocational training students from Spain in your city, and you don't know it. You have to go out of your way to find people, because neither the member nor anyone else will introduce you to anyone. There are groups that organize things for Erasmus students at the university called ESN. If you can, contact them; they're very sociable and will introduce you to lots of people from Spain, and they organize parties and really cool things. We had arranged a transfer, which I don't recommend because it costs a fortune. It's fine if they show you the surrounding towns, but when they want, not when you want. And you can go to the same places with buses or trains for much less money. Overall, it's a must-do experience, and it's a great one for us. Even though I'm not happy with how it was organized, I would do it again just for the personal experience.
