L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano I f you have been an E n g l i s h m a j o r i n u n i v e r s i t y , m e n - t i o n s o f O t r a n t o immediately bring to mind the dark, ghostly a t m o s p h e r e s o f H o r a c e Walpole's Castle of Otran- to. Surprisingly enough, though, this beautiful town i n t h e r e g i o n o f P u g l i a , known also for being the eastern-most settlement in Italy, does not evoke neces- sarily eerie thoughts in its visitors. Quite the contrary, in fact. With its blue and emerald waters, its white washed homes and, yes, a l s o i t s g o t h i c c a s t l e , Otranto is more of a quaint universe to discover than a scary horror movie set. Let us walk through five of the city's most beautiful and unmissable "secrets." You're in Italy, but with a clear view of the East Otranto, we said it, is the eastern-most place in Italy. I t i s a l s o k n o w n a s o u r Porta d'Oriente, or door to t h e E a s t , a n d n o t o n l y because of its geographical location. Historically, the c i t y – a n d t h e w h o l e o f Salento – always had close connections with the East: on one hand, locals would f e a r t h e i n c u r s i o n s o f Saracens along the coast, but they also greatly bene- fited from the cultural and artistic connections with p e o p l e f r o m t h e M i d d l e E a s t , w i t h w h o m t h e y e n t e r t a i n e d c o m m e r c i a l relations. Otranto is history F r o m i t s c a s t l e t o i t s b e a u t i f u l c a t h e d r a l , Otranto carries history w i t h i n . F r o m h e r e , t h e sixth crusade, organized by Frederick II, left for the Holy Land. The town's his- t o r i c c e n t e r i s p e r f e c t l y preserved and character- ized by small alleys and winding paths lined by col- o r f u l s h o p s a n d h o m e s ; because of the beauty and p e r f e c t c o n d i t i o n o f t h e ancient core of the town, GIULIA FRANCESCHINI O t r a n t o i s o n e o f t h e Borghi più Belli d'Italia, a selection of villages and towns across the country c h a r a c t e r i z e d b y t h e i r artistic value and the quali- ty of their preservation. But the beauty of the city e x t e n d s o u t s i d e t h e o l d town, and runs all along the water, with newer areas e m b r a c i n g t h e b a y a n d enclosing a crystal-clear sea. Otranto is mystery and art Otranto's cathedral is t h e l a r g e s t c h u r c h i n Puglia. Dedicated to Santa M a r i a A n n u n z i a t a , i t was consecrated in 1088; it is 54 meters long and 25 meters wide, build upon 42 monolithic columns and its imposing majesty is sur- passed only by the breath- taking beauty of its most famous feature, a 12 th cen- tury floor mosaic, one of the largest and best pre- s e r v e d i n t h e w o r l d . O f course, a few words should be spent on Otranto's icon- ic castle, inspiration and location of what is consid- ered the first gothic novel Otranto's five secrets ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES Continued to page 22 Otranto's marina (Photo: Freesurf69/Dreamstime) Otranto, in all its medieval beauty (Photo: Jacek Sopotnicki/Dreamstime)

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