Porto Cesareo – Salento

Marina di Porto Cesareo – Safe harbor in Puglia

The marina at Porto Cesareo is a mooring for yachtsmen, consisting of 4 docks, equipped with connections for water and electricity, and a slipway. L’infrastruttura offre una gamma di nautical services and has 300 berths for medium-sized boats.

It can be recognized from offshore by the Caesarea Tower, which is located toward the southern end of the settlement, clearly visible even from a great distance and provides a safe haven for small ships with a draft of no more than 3 m. It is protected on the south side by a narrow tongue of land called the Witch Peninsula. Two black-and-white checkerboard mede located on the northeastern shore make it possible to enter with an alignment for 340° passing about 80 m to starboard of a dangerous shoal located southeast of Scoglio di Testa.

With the southwesterly wind referred to as the “wind of Calabria,” waves break violently at the mouth and the inner body of water is not very calm. The depths are 2.4 m except on the southeast side where the inlet is completely silted up. The marina consists of two docks 30 m long and two others 25 m long and a slipway. Tramontana and Sirocco prevail.

Porto Cesareo is a seaside town located on the Ionian side of the Salento peninsula between Gallipoli and Taranto. Its long coastline is characterized by white sandy beaches stretching for more than 18 km with dunes rich in Mediterranean vegetation. In front of Porto Cesareo are a series of islets including Isola Grande or Isola dei Conigli, which can be reached on foot from the ports or by fishermen’s boats.

The vegetation of these islands, which has more than 200 plant species, contributed to the establishment of the Porto Cesareo Marine Protected Area in 1997 limited to the north by Punta Prosciutto and to the south by Torre Inserraglio. The seabed has a characteristic sub-tropical environment with very distinctive animals typical of warm seas. The marine fauna consists of crustaceans, mollusks, colorful fish and turtles. Corals are found at minimal depths and a very short distance from the coast.

Along the coast are four watchtowers built in the 16th century to protect the Salento peninsula: Torre Cesarea, Torre Lapillo, Torre Chianca and Torre Castiglione.

The cuisine of Porto Cesareo is mainly based on the products of the sea. Typical local product is the mullet of Porto Cesareo. Very characteristic from a culinary point of view is via Silvio Pellico, known as the “street of fishmongers.”