Castro
A characteristic seaside town located within a bay, Castro is a treasure chest overlooking the crystalline sea
Perched on a promontory, in a splendid panoramic location, Castro Superiore is home to the village's most important cultural, historical, and artistic attractions: the Castle, the Church of Maria Santissima l'Annunciata (better known as the Cathedral), the city walls (which extend for a total perimeter of approximately seven hundred meters), and, of course, the ancient village with its narrow alleys and whitewashed streets, bustling with houses and shops, opening onto balconies overlooking the sea, inviting the eye to gaze beyond the horizon.
The Aragonese Castle
Built around the 13th century on the ruins of a pre-existing castle, designed to defend the kingdom from foreign invasions, the Castle covers an area of 1,200 square meters (of which 900 square meters are occupied by an imposing wall structure and 300 square meters by a rectangular internal courtyard).
On the ground floor is the MAR (Castro Archaeological Museum), which displays the Lecce stone bust of Athena, as well as the permanent exhibition Castrum Minervae between Greeks and Messapians, featuring important prehistoric, Messapian, Illyrian, and medieval finds discovered during excavation campaigns in the area over the last decade.
The Church of Maria Santissima Annunziata
Built in 1171 on the ruins of a Greek temple, the Cathedral overlooks Piazza Vittoria, the beating heart of Castro. It consists of a nave with three small central apses and a rear section consisting of two chapels and the altar at the center.
The façade, transept, and side portal retain part of the previous Romanesque structure, while the remains of a Byzantine church with a Latin cross plan are incorporated into the side. Its interior houses two paintings depicting the Madonna Annunziata and others depicting scenes from the lives of the saints, including a 16th-century Pietà.
Visiting Castro Marina, between caves and a blue sea
The beauty of the ancient village is complemented by the splendor of the sea, with crystal-clear waters tinged with emerald green, offering glimpses of the vast, luminous seabed and the rich underwater world.
Along the rugged coastline, devoid of sandy beaches, there are various caves, some accessible on foot, others by boat. Among them are Grotta Romanelli (the first Italian cave with remains of Paleolithic cave art, unfortunately closed to the public) and Grotta Zinzulusa (the only Italian karst site listed by the Karst Waters Institute as one of the ten karst sites in the world worthy of protection), which hides a fascinating legend among its stalactites and stalagmites.
Zinzula and Romanelli are considered the two most important caves on the coast, and between them lies the first Blue Trail of Salento, an underwater itinerary that winds at a depth of about seven meters among groupers, white breams, and colorful mollusks.
Also noteworthy are Grotta Azzurra, known for the reflection of its waters on the walls, and Grotta Palombara, characterized by a thirty-meter-high vault and the emerald-colored sea preceding the entrance.
Castro Marina is home to the Old Port, where until recently rowboats (now housed in the New Port) and lampare (fish-powered fishing boats) moored. These special boats used lights to attract fish, as well as women who lovingly and devotedly repaired the damaged nets of their husbands and sons, who were fishing.
Zinzulusa Cave: The Legend
A charming legend surrounds the origins of Zinzulusa Cave.
It is said that the ancient Baron of Castro was a man as rich as he was stingy, and to minimize his expenses, he sent his daughter around dressed in rags. This situation continued until the day a good fairy arrived, freed the young girl from the rags and threw them into the air, delivering them to the god Aeolus, who deposited them in front of the cave entrance, where they petrified, creating stalactites and stalagmites of indescribable beauty. The name Zinzulusa is thought to be linked to the Salento dialect term "zinzuli," meaning shreds, rags, or hanging clothes, reminiscent of limestone formations.
The fairy also took charge of the miserly baron's fate, confining him inside the cave and letting him sink into the underworld. The emission of underground waters formed the Cocito lake, inhabited by crustaceans that are said to have gone blind after witnessing the miracle.
Visit Castro and breathe in the atmosphere of times gone by
The first thing you wonder when you arrive in Castro is whether time stopped a few decades ago, when the human dimension was the rule, not the exception.
Castro immediately appears to be the ideal place to forget the stress and chaos of the city and indulge in emotions that captivate both body and soul, with children playing in the square under the watchful eye of the elderly, the aromas of authentic cuisine filtering through the shutters, and the sacred silence that reigns in the afternoon hours when everyone retreats to their homes for a siesta.