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Castro is likely one of 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 draws sunbathers and swimmers in summer season.
On the hilltop above, the walled Castro outdated city includes a Sixteenth-century fort, Byzantine church, and clifftop piazza with gorgeous sea views.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 quite 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 publish.
Contents
Where is Castro Italy?
Castro is positioned within the far south of Italy on the Salento peninsula of the Puglia area.
It’s greatest reached by automobile 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 gorgeous 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 publish on the greatest locations to go to in Puglia for the remainder of this lovely area.
Castro Marina
Castro Marina is the guts of the motion in summer season 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 seaside, however lidos (seaside 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 primary 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 company have a reserved space nearer to the water. The public space is larger up away from the water, but it surely’s extra spacious than Lido La Sorgente and also you get sunbeds quite 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 beautiful place to swim with scenic views of the fort 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 principle 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 3 of essentially the most lovely caves, Palombara, Azzurra, and Zinzulusa.
You may drive to Grotta Zinzulusa and take a strolling tour.
Piazza Dante is the principle sq. in Castro Marina with a number of eating places and bars together with the native chain Martinucci, which is a stable alternative for espresso, pastries, and gelato.
From right here you may stroll down the steps to the port the place there are a number of bars. The views aren’t the most effective (it’s a working port), but it surely’s away from the highway and the bars have 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 crammed with 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 path from the piazza is the lungomare (promenade) the place you may stroll previous extra bars and eating places. On summer season evenings, meals stalls and child’s rides are arrange too.
Quick eats dominate on this seaside city with informal spots like Le Currenti and Le Stuzzicherie del Porto providing puccia (sandwiches). Fried seafood is well-liked too.
We had a late evening crepe and limoncello at Lu Picciu, which additionally has create-your-own sandwiches.
We snacked our manner round Castro, however for a sit-down meal, there are a few giant seafood eating places (like Ristorante Aragosta) which have combined critiques however fantastic places overlooking the water.
Castro Old Town
After a day within the solar at Castro Marina, you positively 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 season, you may take a shuttle prepare (€2 a technique/€3 return). It runs each half-hour from Piazza Dante.
With the look ahead to it to go away and getting caught in site visitors, it took us almost 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 fort, Castello Aragonese, which dominates the view each within the outdated city and down on the marina. There’s an archaeological museum you may go to.
You may stroll alongside town partitions which loop across the fort and centro storico.
From the fort, stroll a couple of minutes down slim Via Roma to the stunning Piazza della Vittoria, the place you’ll discover Castro’s two different primary sights.
Castro’s cathedral, Chiesa dell’Annunziata was in-built 1171 and has a gorgeous 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 it’s also possible to purchase of their retailer). It’s a superb possibility for vegetarians as most Castro eating places deal with seafood.
We ordered the Aperifrisa which included olives, mozzarella balls, taralli (native pretzel-like crackers), frisa (native dried bread) topped with recent tomatoes and patés, and greens preserved in oil.
For a extra substantial meal, you possibly can 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 season, I like to recommend reserving a desk or going early (Delizie in Contea opens at 6pm).
Just a few 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 all the time open, however on a summer season’s night, it was free entry and the proprietor was giving guided excursions in Italian.
You may wander round by yourself so it’s value popping in. It’s very vibrant and ornate and the terrace on the again has a beautiful sea view.
Past the palace, we continued down the steps and ultimately reached Castro’s port. The stroll was pretty straightforward if you happen to’re comfortable with stairs and is value it for the view of the city lit up at evening.
It was much more lovely with a luminous full moon and I couldn’t resist a remaining 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 snug sufficient, and most significantly, all of them have balconies with sea views.
It was excellent 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 have been in a position to flip up within the afternoon, park on the resort (€10 a day, guide upfront), and head straight to our chairs in a comparatively uncrowded space.
If we hadn’t been staying on the resort, there’s no manner we’d 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 most effective choice, however we have been pleased with the wonderful cornetti and recent 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 totally value visiting! We fell in love with this charming city and its picturesque fort, fairly piazzas, and crystalline sea.
In summer season excessive season it’s a welcome break from the extraordinary crowds of Puglia’s extra well-liked coastal cities.
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