Otranto italy on the map. Otranto: the easternmost point of Italy

Located on the Adriatic coast Salentine Peninsula.
Otranto is the easternmost city in Italy, a little to the south is the easternmost Italian point, where two seas meet - the Ionian and the Adriatic.
This area was inhabited as early as the XII-XI centuries. BC, the Messapian tribes founded their colonies here on the shores of the fertile Adriatic.
In 266 BC. Salento conquered Ancient Rome. Otranto received a new name - Hydruntum, and became an important transport center, through which the roads connecting Brindisi and Taranto passed, and ships were based in the city port. When the Roman Empire split in two, Otranto, like the others southern cities, went to Byzantium. A period of even greater prosperity began. Otranto became a cultural and political center, the Land of Otranto - that is how Salento became known. After the Norman conquest in 1068, the port of Otranto did not lose its strategic importance, ships arrived here from Venice, Greece, Armenia. Life was in full swing, but in 1480 events occurred that turned the usual course of time.
The Turkish fleet was caught in a violent storm and was forced to seek refuge in the harbor. Here Muhammad II came up with the idea to conquer the south of Italy, uniting it with the Muslim south of Spain. The Turks attacked and eventually conquered. Thousands of residents died, many were taken into slavery, those who refused to convert to Islam were executed. And only in 1481 Alphonse of Aragon, Duke of Calabria, released. For protection from the Turks, walls and a castle were erected. But he could not regain the lost role either on the political scene or on the cultural one. Lecce took over.
Pirate raids became more frequent, and the star of Otranto was slowly declining. Until the middle of the XX century. fishing and vegetable growing were the main occupation local residents, but at this time a tourist boom took place, beautiful coastlines with the purest water, preserved medieval streets and old houses were rediscovered.
Historical Center Otranto in 2010 was taken under the protection of UNESCO.

The Aragonese Castle and the Romanesque Cathedral are the two main attractions of the city, but usually people go to such small towns for a special atmosphere, for a time that has stopped somewhere in the Middle Ages and does not want to leave the narrow cobblestone streets where he rarely looks Sun.

Otranto. Apulia. Italy.

Otranto. Apulia. Italy.

However, the Cathedral of Otranto is a treasure in southern Italy.

It was built during the Norman period in the 11th century. and it has two amazing features.
First, the mosaic floor, made in 1163-65. and preserved intact, carrying to us the mosaics of the Basilian monk Pantaleone with the image of the Tree of Life, scenes from the Old Testament and the Gospel, military campaigns and gladiatorial battles. The frescoes are not so elegant, but powerful and sincere, they could well be the envy of a modern artist of naive art.

Secondly, the cathedral contains the relics of the Holy Martyrs, who were executed by the Turks after refusing to convert to Islam (for details, see the historical part). The relics are kept in a separate chapel, which is opened during the service.

Other churches in Otranto include: St. Peter's Church, which houses works of art from the Byzantine period; church Madonna del Altomare, built in the 18th century.
Otranto is famous for its pristine beaches and the fact that there are many ancient crypts near the city.

Useful information for tourists about Otranto in Italy - geographical position, tourist infrastructure, map, architectural features and attractions.

Otranto is a large city in the province of Lecce, located in a fertile region once famous for its racehorses. The city lies on the east coast of the Salentine Peninsula. The Strait of Otranto, after which the city is named, separates the Adriatic and Ionian seas, and also separates Italy from Albania. 5 km southeast of Otranto is the Faro della Palacia lighthouse - it marks the easternmost point of the Apennine peninsula. And 50 km to the south is the Cape Santa Maria di Leuca - the most southeastern tip of Italy. The area between this promontory and Otranto is very fertile and therefore densely populated.

The city of Otranto is located on the site of the ancient settlement of Hydrus, also known as Hydrunton or Hydruntu. The latter has Greek roots, and during the Pyrrhic and Punic wars opposed Rome, but was eventually captured. In the era Ancient Rome Otranto was part of the province of Calabria. Since it is the closest to east coast Adriatic port, it was probably more important than Brindisi. In those years, it was from here to the East that ships with cargo were sent.

In the eighth century, Otranto was for some time under the rule of the Duke Arechis II of Benevento, then became part of the Byzantine Empire and was one of the last cities in Apulia to submit to the Normans. In 1068, conquered by Robert Guiscard, he became dependent on Taranto.

In 1480, Mahmud II the Conqueror, ruler of the Ottoman Empire, sent a fleet to the Apennine Peninsula to capture Rome. Reaching the shores of Italy, his army defeated Otranto in just two weeks and subdued the city. For almost a whole year, it remained in the hands of the Turks. But then Mahmoud died, and his successor ordered to retreat.

The next time the Turks appeared on the shores of Otranto in 1537, when the famous corsair and Ottoman admiral Barbarossa captured the city and the fortress of Castro, but was soon expelled from Apulia. In 1804, a French garrison was stationed here, which observed the actions of the English fleet, and it was then that the city received its current name.

Today Otranto is an interesting tourist city, which has preserved many monuments of history and architecture. Among them is the Aragonese Castle, erected by order of Emperor Ferdinand II and rebuilt by Alfonso II of Naples in the 15th century. The Cathedral of Otranto, built by Roger I, was consecrated in 1088, and in 1163, by order of Bishop Jonat, a mosaic floor appeared in it, and today it adorns the magnificent building. Also in Otranto, it is worth visiting the Church of San Pietro with Byzantine frescoes and the Torre Pinta catacombs and strolling along the banks of the small Idro River, from which the Otranto River originates.

It's no secret that Italy occupies almost the entire Apennine Peninsula, which resembles a boot in its shape. The Puglia region is located on the Salintina peninsula and is considered its heel.

Puglia is located in southeastern Italy and has the longest coastline among the mainland regions of the country. The main city of the region is (Bari), which is located from (Roma), the capital of Italy, at a distance of 430 km.

4 million people live in Puglia, and its area is 19 thousand km2. The main language is Italian, but French and various dialects are also widespread here: Tarantino, Franco-Provencal, as well as Italian-Ruman, derived from Greek, Arbere (a mixture with Albanian) and some others.

The region includes six provinces:

• Foggia (Provincia di Foggia) - north;
• Barletta-Andria-Trani - between Foggia and Bari;
• Bari (Provincia di Bari) - in the center;
• Brindisi (Provincia di Brindisi) - between Bari and Lecce, in the east of the region;
• Taranto (Provincia di Taranto) - between Bari and Lecce, in the west of the region;
• Lecce (Provincia di Lecce) is the southernmost province.

https://youtu.be/f8P2Ugq3Hj4

In the southeast, Apulia is washed by the Adriatic Sea (Mare Adriatico), in the southwest - by the Ionian Sea (mar Ionio). Both bodies of water are part of Mediterranean Sea(Mar Mediterraneo). In the west, Puglia is bordered by the regions (Campania) and (Basilicata), in the north - with Molise.

There are not many mountains here: 53% of the territory is occupied by plains, 45% - by hills. The most high point of the region is the limestone mountain of Monte Cornacchia, whose height is 1152 m. It is located in the north-west of the region in the Monti Dauni mountains.

There are two national parks on the territory of the region - Gargano (Parco nazionale del Gargano) and Alta Murgia. There are also 11 regional parks, 24 nature reserves. At the same time, forests occupy only 7.5% of the region's area. This is the lowest rate in Italy.

In the north of Puglia, towards the Adriatic Sea, the Ofanto rivers, which are 170 km long, and the Cervaro, 93 km long, flow. Among the large rivers, one can also highlight the Carapelle, which is 98 km long, and the Candelaro (70 km).

History

The name Apulia translated from ancient Greek means "exodus". But the local lands were inhabited much earlier than the ancient Greeks came here. On the territory of the region, a skeleton of a Neanderthal man was found, which lived here 250-187 thousand years ago. He is known as the Man of Altamura (L'Uomo di Altamura) because he was found near this city.

In the VIII Art. BC. Greeks settled on the lands of Apulia. At that time, the Apula and Messap tribes lived here, so the Greeks began to call the local residents Yapigs. The main settlement was Taranto, which became a major trade center.

The Romans came here in the III century. BC, after the Greeks lost to the Italian tribes. But they also had to fight with the Samnites. When the resistance was broken, the Romans began to settle down, and in honor of the ancient inhabitants of the region they named the region Apulia.

During the times, the region flourished. Brindisi became the largest seaport of the Romans on the shores Adriatic sea, and lived in it 100 thousand people. All Roman trade with the countries located in the east went through Brindisi and Taranto. Roads were built in the region, which connected big cities and Rome. The main export commodities were wheat and olive oil.

In 216 BC. the Battle of Cannes took place on the banks of the Aufid River (modern Ofanto), during the course of the army of Hannibal from Carthage, the vastly superior Romans were completely defeated. This battle was included in the list of the bloodiest battles in the history of mankind in terms of the number of soldiers killed per day.

In the V century. the fall of the Western Roman Empire took place, and the Ostrogoths settled on the territory of Apulia. After that, the area passed from hand to hand for a long time, and therefore military operations almost did not stop here until 1861, when Puglia became part of the united Italy (Regno d'Italia). Since then, there has been relative calm, which has created conditions for the normal development of agriculture, which is still flourishing.

Climate

What attracts people to Puglia since ancient times? First of all, this is the sea, sandy beaches and a typical Mediterranean climate.

There are more sunny days here than cloudy and overcast days, snow - a rare event... The monthly weather in Puglia is as follows:

• January: 7 ° C during the day, 1 ° at night, sun - 12 days, rain - 3 days;
• February: 8 ° С during the day, 2 ° С at night, sun - 8 days, rain - 4;
• March: 12 ° C during the day, 4 ° C at night, sun - 14 days, rain - 4;
• April: 17 ° С during the day, 6 ° С at night, sun - 14 days, rain - 5;
• May: 20 ° C during the day, 8 ° C at night, sun - 18 days, rain - 6;
• June: during the day 25 ° С, at night 12 ° С, sun - 22 days, rain - 6;
• July: during the day 29 ° С, at night 14 ° С, sun - 28 days, rain - 3;
• August: 29 ° С during the day, 14 ° С at night, sun - 29 days, rain - 2;
• September: 24 ° C during the day, 12 ° C at night, sun - 19 days, rain - 4;
• October: 18 ° С during the day, 9 ° С at night, sun - 14 days, rain - 5;
• November: 13 ° С during the day, 6 ° С at night, sun - 11 days, rain - 5;
• December: during the day 8 ° С, at night 2 ° С, sun - 16 days, rain - 2;

Such weather and long beach line attracts tourists from all over the world.

The beach season begins in June, when the water temperature warms up to + 22 ° С. But some daredevils start swimming in May at a sea temperature of + 17 ° C. Ends beach season in September. Although the water is cold in October, it is a good time for sightseeing in Puglia.

Cities and landmarks

Puglia is a region with a long history. There is something to see here, therefore tourism is very well developed here. Castles, ancient temples, museums, National parks and nature reserves, olive groves attract the attention of people from all over the world.

Bari

The province of Bari is located on the Atlantic coast. North of it - Barletta-Andria-Trani, in the south - Taranto and Brindisi. It is the most populated province of Puglia with over 1 million inhabitants. It is in this province that the city of Altamura is located, near which the remains of a man two thousand years ago were found.

In the main city of the region, Bari, at 13 Largo Abate Elia, (Basilica di San Nicola) is located. This temple appeared in the XI-XII centuries. for storing the relics of St. Nicholas, who were brought to the city in 1087. They are located in the crypt, which can only be entered by organized groups of pilgrims by prior arrangement.

This basilica should not be confused with the church of St. Nicholas (Chiesa di San Nicola), which was built in Bari at the beginning of the last century in the style of Russian architecture of the 15th century. and belongs to the Moscow Patriarchate. It is located at Corso Benedetto Croce, 130, and is also known as the Patriarchal Compound of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Tourists will definitely like the symbol of the city, the Norman-Swabian Castle (Castello Normanno-Svevo), the construction of which dates back to the XII century. The burgundy and white Teatro Petruzzelli with statues at the top looks original, which is the fourth largest temple of Melpomene in Italy. Such artists as (Luciano Pavarotti), Carla Fracci (Carla Fracci), Eduardo De Filippo performed here.

Brindisi is located in the south of Bari, in the east is the Adriatic Sea. The length of the coast is 81 km, while partly it consists of beaches, partly of their rocks. Through the province large rivers do not flow, but there are many freshwater lakes.

The main city of the province is Brindisi. It is a major seaport. The history of Brindisi dates back to the ancient Romans, and it was from here that they traded with the countries that are located in the east. In 40 BC. in this city the military leader Marcus Antonius and the founder of the Roman Empire (Octavianus Augustus) reconciled, and twenty years after this meeting, the poet Virgil (Publio Virgilio Marone) died in Brindisi.

During the reign of the Romans, 100 thousand people lived in the city. It lost its significance during the Middle Ages, when trade moved to Bari. Nevertheless, the path of the crusaders to the Holy Land began from here.

Currently, there are not many old buildings here. Basically, these are churches, a castle by the sea Castello svevo (Brindisi), a sea fort. There is also an antique column that signified the end (lat.Via Appia). It was the most important public road from Rome.

Taranto is located south of Bari and Lecce, west of Brindisi. Its shores are washed by the waters of the Ionian Sea. There are both plains and hills. The height of the highest hill, Monte Angiulli, is 440 m.

The main city of the province is Taranto. It was founded by the Spartans in the VIII century. BC. Their descendants lived here for several centuries, until the Romans captured the city, selling 30 thousand inhabitants into slavery. They also turned Taranto into a large sea ​​port, which he is to this day.

Many ancient buildings have been preserved here. Here you can find not only Christian churches, but also places of pagan cults, the remains of a Greco-Roman necropolis and burial chambers. Of course, there are castles, defense forts (Castello Aragonese, Fortezza de Laclos), numerous museums. Among them is the underground Spartan Museum (museo spartano di Taranto), where you can see the history of the city from the day it was founded until the 18th century.

Barletta-Andria-Trani

Barletta-Andria-Trani is the youngest province in the region. It is washed by the waters of the Gulf of Manfredonia, which belongs to the Adriatic Sea. In the south - the province of Bari, in the north - Foggia. This province is governed by three cities at once - Trani, Barletta and Andria. The first two cities are located on the coast, and therefore are considered resorts, the third is from the sea in the distance.

There are a lot of palaces and churches in Barlet. Among them are the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore (Basilica di S. Maria Maggiore), the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Basilica del Santo Sepolcro). You can also highlight the defensive structures - walls, gates and the castle of Barleta (Castello di Barletta). Its construction dates back to the XII century. Another attraction of the city is the huge statue of the Roman emperor, which is known as the Colosso di Barletta.

The city of Trani is also interesting. Here is the Cathedral of St. Nicholas Pelegrino (La Cattedrale di San Nicola Pellegrino), the Church of Santa Maria di Colonna (La chiesa di Santa Maria di Colonna) and the adjacent monastery. The Swabian Castle (Castello svevo) is notable. Also in Trani there are several towers of the XI century, city gates and a lot of palaces.

In Adria, you can look at the city gates, castles, see the clock tower from the time of Francesco II del Balzo, who lived at the end of the 15th century. You can also book a tour of the undergrounds and caves of the city, where in medieval times people lived and worshiped God.

Lecce

Lecce is the southernmost and eastern province region, which is entirely located on the Salentina peninsula. Its uniqueness is that it has access to both the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea. It is mostly plain, with few hills in the south, la Serra dei Cianci.

The coastline is 222 m, sandy beaches are constantly replaced by rocky cliffs. There are many caves along the southern coast of the Adriatic Sea, among which is the Grotta Zinzulusa. This cave goes at least 250 meters deep, and during the excursion you can see stalactites, stalagmites, several crystal lakes pure water... Also, bats and sea inhabitants live here, which you will not find anywhere else.

The capital of the province of Lecce bears the same name. There are many ancient cathedrals, castles, forts and towers. There is also an amphitheater with 25,000 seats. It was built in the 1st-2nd centuries. AD

Foggia

Foggia is the northernmost province of Puglia, washed by the waters of the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the least arid provinces in the region, as the Ofanto rivers flow here, which is a natural border with Barletta-Andria-Trani, and Fortore. The province is notable for the fact that 50% of the tomatoes from the entire Italian crop are harvested here.

The main city of the province bears the same name. He suffered from repeatedly. Nevertheless, many historical buildings have been preserved here. Among them - the Cathedral (la Cattedrale di Foggia), national monument the church of the Crosses (La chiesa delle Croci), as well as the church of St. Thomas (la Chiesa di San Tommaso), the oldest basilica in the city, built in the XI century. You can also go to the city of Leccera, where the Staufen fortress (Fortezza svevo-angioina) rises on a hill, and there is also an antique amphitheater.

Resorts

One of the most popular resorts Puglia is located in Lecce Marina di Andrano. Rocky shores, numerous bays, clear sea water attract tourists here from all over the world. The most famous beaches are Zona Grotta Verde and Zona Botte. One of them is the location of the beautiful La Grotta Verde cave.

Another resort in the province of Lecce, Gagliano del Capo, is in no less demand among tourists. It is located almost in the southeast of the province at an altitude of 150 m above sea level. In addition to the beaches, there are many cliffs and several interesting historical caves. Diving enthusiasts can go to Porto Cesareo.

But for people who prefer thermal springs, Santa Cesarea Terme will do. This resort is also located in this region.

(Ostuni) in the province of Brindisi boasts a beautiful coastline. One of the most popular holiday destinations is Monopoli in the province of Bari, where there are twenty-five beaches.

Lovers to combine beach and leisure can go to the Gargano Peninsula in Fuji. This place is called "the spur of the Italian boot". Here is located national reserve: there are not only beaches, but also mountains, caves, as well as the salt lakes of Lezina and Varano, which are separated from the sea by a narrow strip of land.

Folklore

Despite the fact that the beach season in Puglia lasts from June to September, you can safely go here at other times of the year. Here you can see not only the sights, but also visit various festive events, including:

• 01.17: Carnival in Massafra (Taranto);
• 17-18.01: Celebration of fire in Novoli (Lecce);
• 02.14: "Orange" day of St. Valentine in Vieste (Foggia). Here two holidays coincided on the same day - Valentine's Day and the Orange Festival;
• 18-19.03: Tables of San Giuseppe in Giurdignano (Lecce). These days, the central square is being transformed into a large restaurant, the tables of which are decorated with flowers and an icon of St. San Giusepe. Before dinner, people pray, food is sanctified;
• 04/28: Sagra (festival) of wine and bagels in (Alberobello), the city of trulls;

• 7-9.05: Feast of St. Nicholas in Bari;
• Third Sunday in June: Festival in Fasano (Brindisi), dedicated to the victory over the Turks in 1678;
• July: Red Onion Day at Acquaviva delle Fonti (Bari), the most popular vegetable in the area;
• Late July: Octopus Days in Fasano and Torre Canne (Brindisi), as well as a local cutlet festival in Grottaglie (Taranto);
• Early August: Feast of local beer in Leverano (Lecce);
• Second Sunday in August: Tournament of Knights in Oria (Brindisi);
• Late August - September: Festival of Locals in Taranto;
• Third Sunday in October: Feast of Calzone in Acquaviva delle Fonti (Bari) - on this day you can taste the local closed pizza in all interpretations;
• 5-6.11: Noci Wine and Chestnut Festival (Bari)
• December - January: Presepe “Living” is celebrated everywhere. Presepe is Jesus' manger, created by the hands of folk craftsmen. This is the period of the widespread celebration of Christmas.

This information can be taken into account when planning a trip to Puglia. They will help you develop your route so that the journey is as interesting and fun as possible.

Winemaking

Winemaking traditions go back to the ancient Greeks, who in the VIII century. BC. brought here the grapevine and the technology of making wine. Nowadays vineyards in Puglia occupy 100 thousand hectares, and not long ago inexpensive varieties were produced here. But magnificent climatic conditions and fertile soil helped to improve the quality of wine and strengthen the leading position.

Now Puglia produces 17% of all wines in the country.

Their advantage is an excellent price-performance ratio. The Castel del Monte experts are highly rated. 22 varieties of wines are produced under this brand.

• Gravina and Gioia del Colle in Bari;
• Brindisi in Brindisi;
• Alezio, Galatina, Copertino, Leverano in Lecce;
• San Severo, Rosso di Cerignola in Foggia.

Like olive oil, wines in Puglia are served with many of the local cuisine.

How to get there

Puglia can be reached by car, bus, train, air and water.

Railway and bus connections are very well developed between the main city of the region, Bari, and other regions and provinces. The same applies to seaports: they are located in all cities that are located on the coast.

The province has three airports where passenger flights arrive. One is located in Bari, and is named after Pope Karol Wojtyła: Aeroporto internazionale di Bari "Karol Wojtyła". it international Airport and it accepts flights from Germany, Great Britain, Romania.

The second airport is located in Salento (Brindisi) and is called L'Aeroporto di Brindisi-Papola Casale. International communication is also established here: people fly here from Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, England.

Another airport is located in Foggia. This is Aeroporto di Foggia "Gino Lisa". It is used for domestic flights, as well as for helicopter flights to the Isole Tremiti Islands, which belong to this commune and to the Gargano resort.

I don't know about you, but I adore ancient legends. They always give me a new feeling of life, a different look at what surrounds me. And since I travel a lot, I am often surrounded by absolutely amazing things. This is exactly what happened in the small town of Otranto in the very south of the Italian heel. Ancient city I have seen many and many in my life and left us stunning evidence of its difficult history.

Nowadays Otranto (the accent of the name on the first syllable) is a beautiful resort town on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. It was founded by the ancient Greeks. In those days, the city was named Hydros. Then the city was conquered by the Romans. And later Christians came here, and at the end of the 11th century Otranto became part of the Sicilian kingdom. It was at this time that a real masterpiece of world architecture, the Normandy Cathedral, was built here.

In the Cathedral, I experienced an extraordinary feeling: I simply did not understand how to walk on it, because you have an amazing ancient mosaic under your feet, and above your head there is a wooden vault of unearthly beauty! The voice of my wonderful guide Oksana Dodonova brought me out of my daze (here is her page on the popular resource Excursiopedia.com - book excursions and outdoor activities). Oksana put everything on the shelves!
“The cathedral in Otranto is the keeper of the unique mosaic,” Oksana confirmed. “This mosaic was created by the monk Ponteleimon in 1180. The monk was a native of the Order of Saint Basil. They settled here in caves. Some of these caves have survived to this day, and in two of them you can still see frescoes from that Byzantine period. Later, these monks founded a monastery, which became, in fact, one of the first universities in Europe.


Why is the mosaic in the Cathedral of Otranto unique? First of all, the fact that the largest mosaic in the world, which has survived to this day, is in very good condition! She is recognized World heritage UNESCO. But this masterpiece, even now, cannot boast of any special care: it is not fenced in any way, and numerous visitors to the cathedral trample it underfoot!
The mosaic reflects the ideas of a person of that time about the world around him. It starts with two elephants from which a tree grows. This is the tree of life. And at the end of this tree there are scenes from the Bible: Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden - the moment when Eve bit the apple, driving them out of Paradise. Many animals. In the mosaic, for example, you can see the Lion with four heads. Some believe that this is a recognition that religion is one, and four heads are four religions. The goddess Diana (a symbol of paganism) is also depicted, who shoots and wounds a deer. The deer is a symbol of early Christianity. That is, the pagans persecute early Christianity (and they really persecuted it cruelly). There is a scene of the construction of the Tower of Babel. The moment is depicted when the Tower is about to collapse, which means that a person will be punished for his exorbitant ambitions. One of the characters in the mosaic is Alexander the Great. For Catholics, he was a man who aimed at the impossible. The signs of the Zodiac are also depicted, by which one can judge at what period of time people were engaged in important earthly affairs: they made wine, sowed bread, cooked food - they roasted a pig on a spit. That is, this mosaic is evidence of a certain understanding of the world in that era, reflections on the role of religions in people's lives.

The Cathedral has a wooden coffered ceiling (made of wooden planks and decorated with picturesque patterns). Before the siege of the city by the Turks, the cathedral was one of the examples of the 11th century Romanesque style. It was all decorated with frescoes. But when the Turks entered the city, they turned it into a stable and a barracks. So only a few fragments of these beautiful frescoes have survived to this day.

There is also an underground crypt in the Cathedral. Even traces of an ancient Roman villa are visible there! Previously, after all, all churches were built on the site of former temples, that is, "on the ruins" of previous beliefs. And in this Crypt there are four dozen columns, which, believe me, are difficult to calculate on your own. Columns with very beautiful capitals - they were collected all over the Mediterranean. All capitals are completely different. And there remained a fragment of the black Madonna and Child - a sculpture that the Turks in this Crypt did not dare to destroy. Now in this Crypt, services are not running. Sometimes only weddings are held there. "


Listening to Oksana, I forgot to take pictures. So I don't have many photos of the Normandy Cathedral. But even they will hopefully give you an idea of ​​its uniqueness. Or maybe the lack of photos is only for the best? Drive to Otranto and see the Cathedral and its frescoes with your own eyes. I am sure you will be fascinated by its beauty too!
Marina Toptygina

When we drove into Otranto (Italy, Puglia) I didn't know anything about this city yet. I didn't even know about him horrible and bloody history that changed his face forever. His scary tale forever assigned this white city name: CITY OF MARTYERS.

How often has this happened to you: planning a vacation, choosing what you can visit nearby, where to eat deliciously and what you can buy so good, but somehow you are not interested in anything else? After all, my mouth is full of worries ...

Sound familiar?

This also happened to me this year, when we again went to Puglia (more precisely, to the town), but this time on Salento Adriatic Coast... I didn't even really think about the cultural program this time if not for one book...

The beautiful Salento coast in Otranto

I do not know what drove me when I chose books to read in the library on vacation. As usual, I tried to take several books of different genres. This novel "Otranto» just fell under my feet when I tried to pull out some other book.

Without hesitation, I immediately put it in a pile of selected books. I didn't even read the annotation or flip through it, as I usually did with other books. Something really drove me ...

This novel has not easily changed my vacation, it introduced me to Otranto in a completely different way than travel guides and guidebooks do. He introduced me to this city on the other side: with a dark, bloody, non-healing wound that hurts herefrom August 14, 1480.

From the date when 800 inhabitants of Otranto were brutally killed the besieged occupiers - the Turks, and their bodies were mercilessly left under the sun for a whole year.

Here - on the hill of Minerva, 800 inhabitants of Otranto were killed

Only a year later, in 1481 After the liberation of Otranto, the bodies of the unfortunate martyrs were buried. So far around the city there is a legend, what the bodies did not succumb to decomposition, and not a single animal or bird of prey touched a single body.

Whether this is so or not, who knows ...

I want to believe that this is so ... Probably because I still continue to believe in miracles, in good and evil and also that good always wins... It wins even at a very high cost.

After all, the unfortunate inhabitants of Otranto, left to their own devices, did not bow down before the hordes of thugs - the Turks. Despite the fact that almost all residents died, they were not defeated.

Otranto today

Today walking in narrow whites the streets of Otranto, you seem to hear nothing. Only beauty, tranquility, the uniform sound of the sea behind the bastions and the dazzling southern sun even in October.

White streets of the old center of Otranto

But no, no, but somewhere in the depths of the maze of streets you suddenly distinguish ghostly silhouettes and hear a groan...

It's all the same moan of restless souls unfortunate Martyrs of Otranto ...