Otranto, an enchanting ancient village with its Aragonese Castle and imposing defensive walls, is the ideal gateway for exploring the Costa Otranto – Santa Maria di Leuca e bosco di Tricase Regional Natural Park. The Park offers a system of trails and itineraries designed to meet the diverse needs and desires of visitors, allowing them to immerse themselves in landscapes of incomparable beauty and discover millennia-old historical and natural attractions.

To fully enjoy this territory, the Park proposes a series of itineraries, many of which are loop trails to facilitate returning to the starting point. It’s important to note that undertaking each itinerary is a diligent act linked to the user’s sense of responsibility.

Must-Do Itineraries Starting from or Relevant to Otranto:

1. EASTERN ITINERARY: From Otranto to Palascia Lighthouse and Back.
   https://www.sentierinelparco.it/gli-itinerari/itinerario-dellest/
   This wonderful loop hiking trail will lead you from the heart of Otranto to the Palascia Lighthouse, the easternmost point of Italy.
   • Starting and Arrival Point: Piazza dell’Umanità Migrante – Otranto
   • Length: 13.488 Km (approximately 8.38 miles)
   • Time: 6 hours and 07 minutes
   • Difficulty: Hiking (E). Some sections, such as the “Sentiero della Palascia” (Palascia Trail), are classified as Expert Hiking (EE) and are recommended only for experienced hikers, featuring passages on cliffs overlooking the sea.
   • Mode: Trekking

2. Route Description: The itinerary begins from Otranto’s “Porta a mare” (Sea Gate), descending towards Piazza dell’Umanità Migrante and the characteristic tourist port. You then continue along Via del Porto, skirting the piers to the rocky coastline, heading east towards the northern entrance of the Park. From here, the dirt trail winds along the coast in a southeast direction.
   
   Along the way, you can admire:
   • The majestic Acrocerauni Mountains of Albania, visible on clear Tramontana (north wind) days.
   • The historic Torre del Serpe (Serpent Tower), an ancient coastal tower and Roman-era lighthouse, part of the 15th-century Aragonese defensive system. Nearby, you can observe calcite crystals and bauxite nodules, typical of the Otranto coastal area.
   • Typical low Mediterranean scrub vegetation, with elements of garrigue and sub-steppe, including the Thyme Garrigue which colors the dry meadows in July.
   • Torre dell’Orte, now transformed into a farmhouse.
   • The evocative Grotta Palombara, a nesting site for a colony of jackdaws, with sheer rock walls overlooking a cobalt blue sea.
   • Baia delle Orte, with the Palascia Lighthouse standing out in the distance. Here you can take a break on the very small beach.
   • The former Bauxite Quarry, with its wonderful red lake inside an artificial crater and characteristic red earth dunes.
   • The Sentiero di Capo d’Otranto (Cape Otranto Trail), which runs parallel to the coast in the upper section.
   • The Sentiero della Palascia (Palascia Trail), one of the most scenic and breathtaking routes in the Park, descending to the rocky coast to reach the lighthouse from below.
   • The Palascia Lighthouse, a splendid example of a coastal lighthouse, often hosting projects and events, and visitable upon request. It’s an ideal spot to observe the Strait of Otranto, at its closest point to Albania.
     
     

3. For the return to Otranto, the itinerary ascends from the lighthouse along an artificial path with a wooden handrail. From here, you can follow the coastal road on the right and rejoin the Capo d’Otranto trail, or take an internal route that follows the ancient Via Traiano-Calabra, passing by the ruins of the ancient Casole Abbey, before rejoining the Via Francigena which leads back to the former Bauxite Quarry and finally to Otranto.

4. SANT’EMILIANO ITINERARY: From Porto Badisco to Punta Palascia and Back.
   https://www.sentierinelparco.it/gli-itinerari/itinerario-santemiliano/
   Although it starts from Porto Badisco, this itinerary is very close to Otranto and leads to the Palascia Lighthouse, offering an additional exploration opportunity for visitors to the area.
   • Starting and Arrival Point: Piazzetta Consiglio – Porto Badisco
   • Length: 13.878 Km (approximately 8.62 miles)
   • Time: 5 hours and 16 minutes
   • Difficulty: Hiking (E)
   • Mode: Trekking
     
     

5. Points of Interest along the route:
   
   • The small beach of Porto Badisco, with a natural karst freshwater spring.
   • “Cunicoli dei Diavoli” (Tunnels of the Devils), cave entrances connecting to the large complex of the Grotte dei Cervi (Caves of the Deer), considered the “Sistine Chapel” of the Neolithic period due to their countless rupestrian paintings depicting scenes of Neolithic human life (10,000-6,000 years ago).
   • A “fossil coral reef” characterized by rocks formed by fossil Rhodoliths.
   • Torre Sant’Emiliano, standing atop a cliff.
   • The Marmitta dei Giganti (Giants’ Cauldron), a particular karst formation (though damaged in December 2022).
   • The Valle dei Cervi (Valley of the Deer), offering a wide panoramic view of the Park’s coast.
   • The Grotta del Pastore (Shepherd’s Cave) and the small islet of Sant’Emiliano.
   • The intersection with the Via Francigena, leading to the ancient Masseria Cippano.

Other Park Itineraries

The Park offers numerous other routes that, while not starting directly from Otranto, are easily accessible and representative of the different areas of the Park. These include:

• Ergate Itinerary: From Porto Badisco to Santa Cesarea Terme and back.
• Belvedere Itinerary: From Santa Cesarea Terme to Castro and back.
• Myth Itinerary: From Castro to Tricase Porto.
• Vallonee and Sette Pajare Itinerary in Tricase.
• Salt Roads Itinerary: From Marina Serra to Guardiola and back.
• Ciolo and Cipolliane Caves Itinerary: From Novaglie to Ciolo and back.
• Mannute Itinerary: From Ciolo to Grotta Le Mannute and back.
  
  

Useful Information for Your Excursion:

• Interactive Support: The Park’s website suggests itineraries and allows users to send comments or proposals via email, creating continuous feedback. Proposals for new itineraries, once vetted, can be added annually.
• Maps and Details: You can download itinerary tracks and consult maps with points of interest and altimetry directly from the Park’s website, which also includes information on individual trails (such as N11 Sentiero Punta Palascia, N12 Sentiero Orte – Capo d’Otranto, N07 Sentiero Torre Sant’Emiliano – Porto Badisco, N16 Sentiero Storlacina, N10 Sentiero Punta Palascia – Isola Sant’Emiliano).
• Weather Conditions: It’s advisable to check weather conditions before departing.
• Responsibility: We remind you that undertaking the itineraries is a diligent act linked to the user’s sense of responsibility.