Salento Apulia Italy

Otranto is famous for its location; it is located on the Salento peninsula and faces the Adriatic Sea, but the real curiosity is that it is the easternmost municipality on the entire Italian peninsula! In 2010 the ancient town of Otranto was designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site as a Messenger of Peace. In addition, it has also been recognized as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, like Locorotondo. And it is here that there is the official boundary between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, exactly at the Otranto Channel, although it usually falls back to Santa Maria di Leuca.

The historic center of Otranto is built around the Aragonese Castle and overlooks the sea. A few steps from the sea I recommend walking along the Lungomare degli Eroi. I consider it a wonderful street because it allows you to stroll and have on one side the old, white houses typical of Puglia, and on the other the spectacle offered by the colors of the sea, a true paradise!
The Castle of Otranto gave its name to the first Gothic novel in history, precisely Horace Walpole's "The Castle of Otranto" of 1764. The castle was built at the behest of Alfonso D'Aragona between 1485 and 1498, and is set right by the sea, forming almost a single structure with the city walls.
Near the castle stands the Cathedral of Santa Maria Annunciata, on the highest point of the city. Built on the remains of a Messapic village and a Roman domus, its interior preserves a true mosaic masterpiece. Made around 1165, it stretches along the three naves, apse and transept and depicts an exaggeratedly large tree of life with motifs from the Old Testament, the apocryphal gospels but also draws on chivalric novels. Inside the cathedral are also preserved the bones of some 800 martyrs from the Turkish invasion. The crypt is also interesting because it is supported by 68 columns and still has some Byzantine paintings.
This church in the historic center of the town possesses a very special charm. It may date back to the 9th/Xth century and is probably the first basilica in Otranto. This small church represents a symbol of Byzantine art, and it is also one of the most representative of the Byzantine churches. It has a square Greek-cross plan, but probably the most beautiful aspect is given by the splendid frescoes on the domes of the church, still partially visible and capable of transporting us to a past time.
Not to be overlooked is the beauty of the sea waters and sandy beaches of Otranto. I recommend Baia dei Turchi, so called because it was probably there that the Turks landed in 1480. Here the beach is white and protected by a beautiful pine forest. Baia dell'Orte, from which you can see the lighthouse of Punta Palascìa, a totally unspoiled beach where you can go scuba diving. Another beach where you can dive is Porto Badisco, a beautiful natural inlet, full of caves and charm.
Otranto's cuisine blurs with the typical Salento tradition, but there are some dishes that originate right here. Such as ciciri e tria, fried noodles served in chickpea broth, it is preferable to taste it in the colder months; taiedda, a seafood dish with rice, potatoes and mussels; Turcinieddhri, rolls made of lamb or kid innards, for strong palates; we mentioned the puccia salentina already in the article on Lecce, remember that you can taste this and many other typical Salento dishes here as well. For desserts, on the other hand, I mention the now very famous pasticciotto short pastry with cream filling. Almonds and ricotta cheese are also widely used, with which cassatine di ricotta is created an almond paste with ricotta .