Otranto - Salento

Rich in history and interest, Otranto is a city that the tourist cannot pass by.  Besides being positioned at the most easterly point of the Italian peninsula, recently it has been voted amongst the most beautiful places in Italy and for years now, it has been the queen of the "Guida Blu" classification drawn up by Legambiente and Touring Club Italia, a mark of environmental quality.

The coast of the Comune of Otranto extends for about 30km north to south with scenery that gives diverse and irresistible emotions.  Sand-dunes, cliffs of tufo stone and granitic rocks typify the numerous bays around Otranto. The territory, safeguarded environmentally, is blessed by extensive pine copses, the typical luxuriant vegetation of the Mediterranean, multi-coloured countryside, the famous Alimini lakes, one of sea-water and the other, smaller but connected by a channel, of freshwater, the river Idro that runs through a valley of the same name to the centre of the small city, olive groves extending far into the distance and nature reserves facing the sea; these are some of the principal characteristics that mark out this particular corner of paradise.

The City of Otranto boasts its characteristic historical centre, within which one can admire the numerous and different architectural periods. Up above, the Cathedral dominates the old city with its characteristic narrow streets and alleyways which accompany the visitor in a sensational journey through time. The immensity of the Castello Aragonese, the Church of Saint Peter in perfect Byzantium style, the mighty Bastioni Pelasgi and the walls that surround the whole of the ancient city, stimulate one’s curiosity and desire for more information.

Together, the clarity and colour of the sea identify the City of Otranto as one of the most sought-after destinations of Italian tourism.