Points of Interest
Territory and towns
The itinerary characterizing our protected area is an exciting journey, not only for the highly charming nature, but also for the history of its villages, its old town centers with palaces and churches, the monuments and the small streets reminding us of several populations that came together in a harmonic landscape. Therefore, besides the significant environmental and nature features, there are also the history, the culture and the art of this area.
The municipalities forming the protected area are 12: Alessano, Andrano, Castrignano del Capo, Castro, Corsano, Diso, Gagliano del Capo, Ortelle, Otranto, Santa Cesarea Terme, Tiggiano, Tricase.
Archaeological and cultural heritage
Historic-cultural itineraries
The archaeological heritage of the Park is characterized by several different features. There are many testimonies to the fact that this territory was occupied since the Paleolithic period, as it can be observed in places such as the Grotta dei Cervi (Deers' Cave) in Porto Badisco, the Prazziche cave in Marina di Novaglie, the Zinzulusa and Romanelli caves in Castro. The Romanelli caves in particular were the first place in Italy where researchers found pictograms dating back to the Paleolithic period (from 120,000 to 36,000 years ago) and to the Neolithic period (from 10,000 to 5,000 years ago), while the Grotta dei Cervi (see the picture) is known on an international level as a very important pictorial complex representing hunting scenes, men and animals, and images referring to a spiritual dimension of our ancestors' life.
