Otranto

Member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia

FreddyballoOtranto dal bastione dei Pelasgi CC BY-SA 3.0
Benjamin SmithOtranto - Seafront - 01 CC BY-SA 4.0
Holger Uwe Schmitt"Ein Gesamtkunstwerk aus 10 Millionen Mosaiksteinen bedeckt die Bodenflächen der Kathedrale" 01 CC BY-SA 4.0
Holger Uwe Schmitt"Otranto eine kleine Hafenstadt mit wechselvoller Geschichte". 19 CC BY-SA 4.0
Holger Uwe Schmitt"Otranto eine kleine Hafenstadt mit wechselvoller Geschichte". 20 CC BY-SA 4.0
Antoine Laurent CastellanLettres sur l'ItaliePublic domain
Bernard GagnonCastle of Otranto 04 CC0
LupiaeCattedrale di Otranto2 CC BY-SA 3.0
LupiaeChiesa dell'Altomare Otranto CC BY-SA 3.0
LupiaeChiesa di Santa Maria dei Martiri di Otranto CC BY-SA 3.0
Ingo KueblerHypogäum von Torre Pinta CC BY 3.0
Colar (Wikipedia user)Madonna della Serra Otranto Affreschi CC BY-SA 3.0
Colar (Wikipedia user)Madonna della Serra Otranto CC BY-SA 3.0

Italy's easternmost town faces Albania across the strait that bears its name, its walled old quarter rising behind a small Salento harbour. Ottoman troops took Otranto in 1480 and held it for 13 months; the relics of the martyrs of that siege lie in the Norman cathedral, floored with a vast mosaic of 1166. The moated, five-sided Aragonese castle still guards the town.

Highlights

The cathedral's 12th-century mosaic floor and its crypt of 42 columns
The Castello Aragonese, with its moat and Punta di Diamante bastion
San Pietro, a Byzantine church with Greek inscriptions and frescoes
Punta Palascìa lighthouse, the most easterly point of mainland Italy
Sandy beaches near the Alimini lakes north of town (IT)

Text adapted from Wikipedia (Otranto (IT), Otranto (EN)), Wikivoyage (Otranto). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Population: 5,587

Things to see

Events through the year

Tavole di San Giuseppe Religious · Feast of Saint JosephTables are laid out for Saint Joseph's feast
Feast of the Holy Martyrs of Otranto Religious · 14 AugustPatronal feast for Saint Antonio Primaldo and companions
Festa della Madonna dell'Altomare Religious · SeptemberReligious and civic festival
Alba dei Popoli Seasonal · New YearEvents around New Year greeting Italy's first sunrise

Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.

Adapted from Wikipedia (Otranto), Wikivoyage (Otranto). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Specialities of Apulia

Typical of the region rather than of this village.

Giuseppe NigroOrecchiette su tavoliere in legno CC BY-SA 4.0
OrecchietteBread and pastaPasta with turnip tops, meat ragù or other sauces
Popo le ChienBurrata2 CC0
BurrataCheeseMozzarella shell filled with stracciatella and cream; Andria is protected
NikototaPane-di-altamura-dop-official CC BY-SA 4.0
Pane di AltamuraBread and pastaPDO bread made entirely with durum wheat flour
ElfmirFocacciaBarese CC BY-SA 4.0
Focaccia barese (IT)Bread and pasta
HaragayatoTarallini2Public domain
TaralliBread and pastaRing-shaped crackers of flour, olive oil and white wine, often with fennel
Morena zottiPanzerotti fatti in casa CC BY-SA 4.0
PanzerottiDish