Torre dell'Orso
By driving along the coast road between S. Cataldo and Otranto, after passing Marinas of S. Foca and Roca, you reach Torre dell’Orso’s bay. Here there is a sandy beach in a rocky bay. The water is crystal clear and its changing blue colour along with the wonderful seaside will delight the visitor.
The bay lies just a few kilometres North of Otranto along the Adriatic coast. The beach is a cove between two rocky cliffs, which have an average height of 15 m above sea level. They are Roca Promontory to the north and Punta Matarico to the south, which set a wide beach surrounded to the west by a line of sand hills, about 800 m high. Sands of shore cover the mouth and bed as well of an old torrential stream, called Canale della Brunese . The cove of Torre dell’Orso is not only one of the most beautiful places in Salento but also a spot of archaeological interest, in particular the Grotto of St. Christopher, artificially excavated in the cliffs along the southern side of the bay. It dates back to the 4th century BC and its walls are covered in ancient graffiti and Latin, Greek and Christian inscriptions dating between the first century BC and the 13th AD. These inscriptions consist of dedications, prayers of those man landed on the beach such as sailors, merchants, travellers . There is no proof evidence of any worshipped God in the past. However, since the 4th century AD the Grotto has become a Christian worship dedicated to St. Christopher, “the ferryman” and the patron saint of boatmen. The extreme north of the bay is home to an underground rocky village cut into the cliff, beneath the coast watch tower built between 1568 and 1569. This watch tower and the other ones as well were built by the Spanish Viceroy Parafan de Ribera with the purpose of defending the whole southern coastline of Italy. These buildings have been lined up along the coastline with a brief distance each other and represented a safe shield from any Pirates’attack or raid coming from the sea.In short Torre dell’Orso bay was initially considered to be a landing place. It laid indeed at the end of marked routes such as the route crossing the Canale d’Otranto.
