In the eleventh century BC, Messapians migrated to Apulia from the Illyrian coast, to what was Messapia (Greek: Μεσσαπία) which was the ancient name of a region of Italy largely corresponding to modern Salento.

[1] In the fourth century BC, the Roman Empire built the Appian Way or Via Appia, connecting the capital Rome to Apulia.

Under Roman occupation, Salento developed a flourishing agricultural economy growing wheat, and producing olive oil.

The Saracen people occupied Bari, Ugento, and Taranto in 847 AD, but the Byzantines and Greeks still remained in the un-occupied regions of Salento.

Hundreds to almost a thousand men were slaughtered over the age of 15 by the Ottomans when they refused to convert to Islam, causing them to be beheaded.

[1] In 1713, Austria was granted Salento in the Treaty of Utrecht, although the Venetians and Ottoman Turks continued to attack the region.

[1] In 1922, under Mussolini the production of grain, olives and wine is increased in Apulia to try to make Italy a self-sufficient nation.

Known also as "peninsula salentina", from a geo-morphologic point of view it encompasses the land borders between Ionian and the Adriatic Seas, to the "Messapic threshold", a depression that runs along the Taranto-Ostuni line and separates it from the Murge.

The climate is typically Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters which provides suitable conditions for the cultivation of olives, citrus fruits and palm trees.

The generally flat topography and surrounding seas can make Salento prone to windy weather year round.

Occasional bora winds from the northeast can bring colder temperatures to the east of the Italian Peninsula.

Sirocco winds from the south occasionally deposit dust and sand from the Sahara in the coastal towns of Salento during such heatwaves.

[6] Salento is a major holiday destination for the Italian gay population, developing around the southern town of Gallipoli, the lidos at Baia Verde and nearby naturist beaches.