The kitchen and the beach at the Villino, with a view of the dolphins

The dolphins leap about early in the morning, around six o’clock, with a punctuality more Swiss than Salentinian. However, you must return to the Villino at lunchtime to savour its dishes of the freshest fish, especially the generous starters served on the panoramic terrace right above the dolomite rocks, amongst the pittosporum trees that provide a shady, botanical backdrop. Alvino Merico (who was once a waiter full of dreams – which he went on to realise – at La Bussola in Viareggio in the 1970s), together with his sons Augusto and Giuseppe, runs a late 19th-century villa in a maritime style perched on the cliff, has managed to preserve the tradition of the most authentic and genuine seafood cuisine, thus offering an experience that is not only gastronomic but also sensory, as one enjoys a magnificent view of the blue waters of the Adriatic – the penultimate stretch before it merges with the Ionian Sea – whilst breathing in the scents of the surrounding vegetation. In a few days’ time, moreover, the Santa Riva beach club will be inaugurated; the Merico family have chosen to set it upon the rocky outcrops, taming them with a wooden structure that is highly elegant both in its stilt-like design and in its sun loungers, ropework and bar area. By stepping into the water from the jetties, you can then swim easily towards the Grotta della Zolfatara.