Otranto in a Sip: The Punta Palascìa Lighthouse and the Magic of the East

If you are looking for a gin from Otranto that captures its soul, you need to look towards the easternmost point of Italy. The Punta Palascìa lighthouse, at coordinates 40°06'26''N and 18°31'14''E, is the place where the Adriatic and Ionian seas meet in an age-old embrace.

Puntamari was born here, in the shadow of a 32-metre tower that has become one of the five Mediterranean lighthouses protected by the European Commission. Our label is a tribute to this extreme geography: the lighthouse silhouette is cut from a real photograph, and fragments of handwritten letters evoke stories of love and of the sea.

The Story of the Last Keeper

Few people know that the lighthouse lantern was made in Paris in 1884 by the clockmaker Lepaute. But the true soul of the place is tied to Elio Vitiello, the last keeper, who chose the lighthouse for his honeymoon with Rosina in 1958.

Sipping Puntamari means sharing in this legacy, celebrating the "first sunrise in Italy" that every year draws thousands of people to Capo d'Otranto.

→ Read our in-depth guide: gin from Puglia — what makes the artisanal spirit of Salento unique.