Brindisi Airport — Brindisi, Italy

Italy's heel is served by Brindisi Airport, coded BDS and also known as the Aeroporto del Salento, in the Puglia region at the southeastern tip of the peninsula. Elevation is 47 feet, and two runways handle the schedule. BDS carries both domestic Italian routes and seasonal international service, much of it tied to tourism along the Salento coastline and its beaches. The airport's name reflects a role serving the wider Salento area rather than Brindisi city alone, a naming pattern common among regional Italian airports built to draw visitors to a broader tourist region. Passenger volumes at BDS climb sharply during the summer months as travelers head for southern Puglia's coastline and its historic towns. Long before commercial aviation existed, Brindisi served as the endpoint of the ancient Via Appia running from Rome, a reminder of how long this port city has functioned as a gateway toward the eastern Mediterranean.