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Castro is among the prettiest seaside cities within the Italian area of Puglia.
Located on the Adriatic Coast, it’s a city of two components. Castro Marina is a rocky bay of crystalline blue-green sea that pulls sunbathers and swimmers in summer time.
On the hilltop above, the walled Castro outdated city incorporates a Sixteenth-century fortress, Byzantine church, and clifftop piazza with beautiful sea views.
Its wealthy historical past dates again to earlier than the Romans, who named it Castrum Minervae.
Castro is a quieter various to the favored Salento coastal cities of Gallipoli and Otranto. Even in August peak season, we discovered it energetic reasonably than overwhelmingly crowded.
Here are our ideas for exploring Castro together with the place to eat and keep. You’ll discover a map with all these items to do in Castro on the finish of the submit.
Contents
Where is Castro Italy?
Castro is situated within the far south of Italy on the Salento peninsula of the Puglia area.
It’s greatest reached by automotive and is a 10-minute drive from Santa Cesarea Terme (well-known for its thermal baths), half-hour from Otranto, 40 minutes from Lecce, and an hour from Gallipoli.
The nearest airport is Brindisi, 1 hour and quarter-hour away.
From Castro, I extremely advocate driving the beautiful coastal highway, the SP358, south to Santa Maria di Leuca (40 minutes plus enable time for stops).
See our Salento Italy information for extra tips about the world and our submit on the greatest locations to go to in Puglia for the remainder of this stunning area.
Castro Marina
Castro Marina is the center of the motion in summer time and reverts to a sleepy fishing village within the cooler months.
The small port overlooks a bay of limestone cliffs and gloriously clear sea in shades of inexperienced and blue.
There’s no sandy seashore, however lidos (seashore golf equipment) arrange from June to September with platforms of deck chairs and umbrellas on the rocks. Rocky steps make entry to the water pretty straightforward.
Lido La Sorgente has a major location, bar, bathrooms, and showers. Expect to pay round €20 in excessive season for 2 chairs and an umbrella.
Hotel La Roccia, the place we stayed, has a public lido too. Hotel visitors have a reserved space nearer to the water. The public space is greater up away from the water, but it surely’s extra spacious than Lido La Sorgente and also you get sunbeds reasonably than deckchairs.
If you don’t wish to pay, there are concrete steps within the port the place many individuals arrange for the day. In July and August, arrive early to get a great spot.
Castro Marina is a stunning place to swim with scenic views of the fortress above. Snorkelling was surprisingly first rate and I noticed massive faculties of huge blue and yellow striped cow bream.
Other than swimming and sunbathing, the primary exercise in Castro Marina is taking a ship journey to discover the shoreline dotted with caves.
In Barca Nel Salento is one possibility with two-hour excursions (€25) to a few of probably the most stunning caves, Palombara, Azzurra, and Zinzulusa.
You also can drive to Grotta Zinzulusa and take a strolling tour.
Piazza Dante is the primary sq. in Castro Marina with just a few eating places and bars together with the native chain Martinucci, which is a strong alternative for espresso, pastries, and gelato.
From right here you possibly can stroll down the steps to the port the place there are just a few bars. The views aren’t the very best (it’s a working port), but it surely’s away from the highway and the bars had been quieter than those on the piazza.
We requested for aperitivo at Ilios Bar to accompany our Spritz and so they introduced us a beneficiant array of snacks together with native favourites panzerotti (fried dough pockets) and rustico leccese (puff pastry full of mozzarella and tomato).
It was half the value we paid for drinks on the Gallipoli seafront and the meals was a lot better.
In the opposite course from the piazza is the lungomare (promenade) the place you possibly can stroll previous extra bars and eating places. On summer time evenings, meals stalls and child’s rides are arrange too.
Quick eats dominate on this seashore city with informal spots like Le Currenti and Le Stuzzicherie del Porto providing puccia (sandwiches). Fried seafood is standard too.
We had a late evening crepe and limoncello at Lu Picciu, which additionally has create-your-own sandwiches.
We snacked our means round Castro, however for a sit-down meal, there are a few giant seafood eating places (like Ristorante Aragosta) which have blended opinions however great places overlooking the water.
Castro Old Town
After a day within the solar at Castro Marina, you undoubtedly wish to head as much as the walled medieval outdated city.
I like to recommend getting right here simply earlier than sundown to see it by daylight and after darkish. It will get busier round 9pm when everybody heads up for dinner.
It’s up a hill so that you’ll have a steep 20-minute stroll up the staircases or in summer time, you possibly can take a shuttle prepare (€2 a technique/€3 return). It runs each half-hour from Piazza Dante.
With the await it to go away and getting caught in visitors, it took us practically half-hour to get there on the prepare.
Castro’s centro storico (historic centre) is small however charming. It’s one of many prettiest small cities in Salento and far of it’s pedestrianised so it’s a pleasure to wander.
Start with the Belvedere di Castro, a big piazza with panoramic sea views. Bar Fonte Dei Messapi is a well-liked spot for a drink.
Next to it’s the Sixteenth-century fortress, Castello Aragonese, which dominates the view each within the outdated city and down on the marina. There’s an archaeological museum you possibly can go to.
You also can stroll alongside town partitions which loop across the fortress and centro storico.
From the fortress, stroll a couple of minutes down slender Via Roma to the beautiful Piazza della Vittoria, the place you’ll discover Castro’s two different principal sights.
Castro’s cathedral, Chiesa dell’Annunziata was inbuilt 1171 and has a good looking Romanesque facade and starkly plain inside. Attached to it are the stays of a Tenth-century Byzantine church with traces of frescoes nonetheless seen.
On Piazza della Vittoria there’s additionally a fish restaurant and the wine bar, Delizie in Contea.
We extremely advocate Delizie in Contea for platters of native merchandise (which you may also purchase of their retailer). It’s a superb possibility for vegetarians as most Castro eating places concentrate on seafood.
We ordered the Aperifrisa which included olives, mozzarella balls, taralli (native pretzel-like crackers), frisa (native dried bread) topped with contemporary tomatoes and patés, and greens preserved in oil.
For a extra substantial meal, you could possibly add a puccia or meat/cheese plates.
The out of doors seating on the piazza is a picturesque spot to eat and it does get busy. In summer time, I like to recommend reserving a desk or going early (Delizie in Contea opens at 6pm).
A couple of steps previous the piazza we got here throughout Palazzo Vescovile. It’s a privately owned palace that has been restored by the proprietor.
I’m undecided if it’s at all times open, however on a summer time’s night, it was free entry and the proprietor was giving guided excursions in Italian.
You also can wander round by yourself so it’s price popping in. It’s very vibrant and ornate and the terrace on the again has a stunning sea view.
Past the palace, we continued down the steps and finally reached Castro’s port. The stroll was pretty straightforward in case you’re pleased with stairs and is price it for the view of the city lit up at evening.
It was much more stunning with a luminous full moon and I couldn’t resist a closing dip within the now quiet bay.
Where to Stay in Castro Puglia
We stayed at Hotel La Roccia, which has the right location in Castro Marina proper on the water with views of the marina and outdated city.
Rooms are easy however comfy sufficient, and most significantly, all of them have balconies with sea views.
It was good for an August go to (the busiest time of yr) as all rooms are allotted a free umbrella and chairs of their lido on the rocks.
We had been in a position to flip up within the afternoon, park on the lodge (€10 a day, guide upfront), and head straight to our chairs in a comparatively uncrowded space.
If we hadn’t been staying on the lodge, there’s no means we might have discovered parking or a lido spot with out arriving actually early.
There’s an onsite restaurant with sea views. We solely had breakfast right here (a buffet is included), which didn’t have the very best choice, however we had been pleased with the superb cornetti and contemporary fruit.
Check availability for Hotel La Roccia right here.
Or seek for extra lodging in Castro.
Castro Italy Map
Is Castro Italy Worth Visiting?
Yes, Castro is completely price visiting! We fell in love with this charming city and its picturesque fortress, fairly piazzas, and crystalline sea.
In summer time excessive season it’s a welcome break from the extreme crowds of Puglia’s extra standard coastal cities.
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