Castro Marina
Since ancient times, Castro was considered not only as an important commercial center, but also as a military center, due to the imposing “Rocca”, so much so that the Arabs in their nautical charts indicated Castro with the name of “Al Gatara” (The Castle). Today Castro is famous above all for its Marina, so much so that the town is practically divided between the ancient Castro Alta and Castro Marina. Castro Marina is in a panoramic position among the most beautiful in the whole Adriatic, its marina welcomes, especially in the summer, numerous boats from every corner of Europe.
Castro Marina is famous not only for its beauty but also for the hospitality of tourist facilities. It has just over 600 inhabitants and is located in a point of the Salento coast rich in natural caves, such as the Zinzulusa cave (north of Castro Marina), of great interest for spiceologists and marine fauna scholars. The Zinzulusa cave is among the most fascinating of Salento, both for the position and for the spectacular nature of the rock. It owes its name to the particular limestone formations that ‘hang’ from the ceiling, like hanging rags (in Salento dialect, zinzuli), it is the most important cave in Salento, it opens onto the sea like an enormous mouth that stands out on a fifteen meters high cliff. Huge limestone formations, stalactites and stalagmites, form strange shapes and also the colors that arise from them give the cave a particular aspect. forms of animal life that over the centuries lived in these places.
At the port you can still admire the excavated caves which serve as warehouses for fishermen. Along the 4 km of coast of its territory, from the border with Santa Cesarea Terme up to that with Marina di Marittima there are, in addition to the Zinzulusa cave, the Romanelli cave, the Blue cave and the Palombara cave.
The inhabited area has different landscape forms, preserving in many points aspects of naturalness, popular settlement and rich holiday buildings. Along the coast there is also the tip of Mucurune, where recent research seems to have highlighted the presence of a settlement with huts dating back to the recent-final Bronze Age, with numerous ceramic remains scattered in particular on the small plateau in front of the “Folgore” division. The 40th parallel also passes right from Punta Mucurune, while at the base of the promontory there are numerous icy springs of fresh water that flow into the sea.
The Castro Marina area has a prevalent tourist vocation and the holding of festivals and events, especially in the summer period, is continuous.For members of the Catholic Church of the local parish, the protector is the Vergine del Rosario, protector of the Parish of Castro Marina, generally set in the days immediately preceding August 15th. The celebrations include the procession of boats in the sea of the statue of the Virgin along the coast between the Zinzulusa cave and the marina of Marittima and the firing of fireworks on the breakwater.
The program of scheduled events and great appointments with music and entertainment is very rich. The Fried Fish Festival is one of the most followed and appreciated gastronomic festivals in Salento with food stands and live music. Mussels to be tasted raw with lemon that enhances the taste.
CASTRO MARINA is certainly one of the best seaside resorts in Salento to visit, which offers cultural history and a wonderful sea, the ideal place for your holidays in Salento.