Otranto
 

 

The history of this territory is ancient: the city was founded by the Messapi, conquered by the Greeks and inserted into the Magna Graecia. It then fell under the rule of the Romans, who created outstations in the peninsula of Salento. The important port of the city rendered it a “bridge” between the east and west. The cathedral is certainly one of the most principal monuments of Otranto, which has the largest mosaic floor in Europe. This masterpiece was created between 1163-1165 by the monk Pantalone. It is composed of thousands of colours of tiles created from local stone, and produces a medieval image composed of exotic animals, mythical creatures, and zodiac signs. Strolling through the cobblestone streets, you will certainly come across the monumental Aragon castle, built after the liberation of Otranto from the Turks. The bastion is a large structure that arrives all the way to the port. Another monument that shouldn’t be missed is the beautiful Basilica of Saint Peter, which is one of the most important Byzantine structures in Salento.

 
Foto: Fabio Capoccia
  

Porto Badisco and Santa Cesarea Terme
   
Just 4 Km. from Otranto is where the ruins of the abbey of S. Nicola in Casole are found, which are inside a manor farm. This was an important place of writing, translating, and collection of ancient texts during the 1000s and definitely merits a visit. Returning to the coast you will see how rocky and high it is, rich with clefts and striking coves, just like that where Porto Badisco is found, which is a group of fishermen’s houses squeezed along a gorge that was carved by an ancient river (which eventually became underground). Continuing on towards the southern-most point of Puglia, we run into the gracious Moorish-styled villas of Santa Cesarea Terme, where it is possible to take a dip in one of the many sulphur springs. This small town is also well-equipped with beach resorts. While in this town make sure not to forget to go to the lookout point where you can look out all the way to Marina di Leuca.
 
Foto: Marco Vagnoni

Santa Maria di Leuca
   

At the end of this itinerary along the coastline we stop at the sanctuary of Santa Maria di Leuca, also called the de Finibus Terrae Sanctuary since it was constructed at the outermost point. This sanctuary, with a very ancient setting, was visited by illustrious people such as Saint Frances and numerous Popes. It was destructed by the Turks and then rebuilt a number of times, the last being in 1722. This sanctuary still conserves an image of the Virgin Mary that is considered to be a very sacred object among the faithful. The name Leuca has Greek origins and means “white”.

  

The grottos
   
The jaggy coast of the Adriatic Sea is rich with grottos. The first grotto that we come across is the Romanelli Grotto, 15 meters large, which hosts on of the most important pre-historic settlements of Italy. There are primitive graffiti, fossils of extinct animals, and diverse handmade rock instruments which are all currently located in the Museum of Maglie. The Zinzulusa Grotto should also be visited. This grotto obtained its name from the numerous stalactites and stalagmites that were found by the first fishermen who discovered this grotto, which they called “shreds”, in their dialect “zinzuli”. In the last large area of the grotto is where you will find a small lake with transparent waters which is the home to a small blind crab, one of the last exemplars of this 200,000 year-old species.
 
Foto: Fabio Capoccia

Manduria
   
Positioned at the intersection of three main cities (Taranto, Brindisi, and Lecce), Manduria was an important city during the ancient reign of the Messapii, and still conserves large megalithic walls that are protected inside a large open-aired archaeological park. Of particular beauty are the numerous churches, from different eras, that are present in this territory: from the Byzantine church of San Pietro Mandurino (from the 1st century A.D.) to the splendid architecture of the 500-year-old Matrice Church, to the decorations of the baroque altars of the neighbouring churches of San Giuseppe and Madonna del Rosario. We suggest that you take a walk through this town’s amazing historic centre, through its entwining alleys and its Jewish ghetto from the 1600s, until you reach the Palazzo Imperiale, which is from the late-baroque period.
 
Foto: Salvatore Baldari