Brindisi is one of my favourite cities to visit. I love to be near water, preferably the sea and Brinidsi has a lovely esplanade, perfect for a stroll along the harbour edge. Even on the hottest days in July and August, it is a pleasant city ramble. There are plenty of coffee shops, bars and restaurants where you can pause for whatever takes your fancy.
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There is plenty of parking along the via del Mare on the southeastern side of the city, avoid driving through the city by taking the exit for Brindisi Porta Lecce/Zone Industriale from SS613, at the roundabout take the second exit onto via Provinciale Lecce, keep going for 2.4km until you reach Via del Mare on your right. All along Via del Mare there are parking areas, the first ones are free parking but as you get nearer to the waterfront it is paid meter parking.
Park up and take a leisurely stroll along to Piazza Vittorio Emanuele 11 where you can either take a left into the shopping areas or head straight for the waterfront. Our choice is always the waterfront. The first stop for us is usually Bar Betty for coffee or a beer, then a gentle stroll along the water edge trying to decide where to go for lunch. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from, check out our Restaurants map for suggestions. You could also ask at the tourist information office (Puglia Promozione Sede di Brindisi) which is located a little way past the steps to the Colonne, although we find we usually get the best recommendations from local caffè bars.
Look out for the wide steps up from the waterfront to the Colonne Romane di Brindisi where you will find the remains of one of the two columns that marked the end of the Appian Way. The other one was stolen by, or given to, Lecce, depending on who you listen to, and now supports the statue of Sant’Oronzo. It’s worth climbing the steps to see the view across the harbour. Across the water, you can’t miss the Monumento al Marinaio d’Italia, the rudder shaped monument built in the 1930s, dedicated to the sailors who died in the war. You can take the ferry bus for a trip on the water around the harbour, it stops at the monument, The energetic can climb to the top of the monument, I confess I have never done so.
There are plenty of cobbled streets heading up into the centre, and more modern part of Brindisi. If you continue along the waterfront you can’t miss Vinoteca Numero Primo with its outdoor seating area, enclosed by glass walls in the winter, where you can try the wine and food pairings on offer. At the end of the esplanade is the Castello Federiciano di Brindisi, home to the Italian navy, and of course, not open to the public.
To get the best from Brindisi we recommend that you check out the website http://www.brindisiweb.it/en/index.asp (in Italian, English and Danish) which has lots of interesting information about Brindisi, now and then, even traditional recipes. There are four online guided tours with maps showing points of interest that can be downloaded. The first three of the itineraries are within the city and are suitable for walking, the fourth is a car exploration of the city surroundings.
