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History of Porto Cesareo

The history of Porto Cesareo, whose ancient name was "Portus Sasinae", has always been conditioned by its geographical position which places the town like a balcony facing onto one of the most beautiful seas in Italy.
"Portus Sasinae" came under Greek influence, as can be seen from the Mycenean ceramics, but even earlier, it was a Messapic town with a settlement where they produced purple, and because of its strategic position on the sea it was later occupied by the Ancient Romans who re-christened it "Cesaria". Divers often come across archaeological finds on the seabed along the coastline although most are happy enough to find molluscs and crustaceans, turtles and posidonia; collections of these can be seen in the Marine Bilogy Mueseum.

The marine fauna of Porto Cesareo is so rich that even in mediaeval times it supplied the whole of Lecce, Nardņ and other nearby towns with their fish. Like today, the life of the town revolved around the ancient Carlo V tower which stands in the centre of the town. The tower is only a short stretch of sea from the Isola Grande, nicknamed Isola dei Conigli, which is host to 200 species of vegetation, some of which are exclusive to the islands, due to the periodical submersion of the lower-lying areas.
On the side facing the coast, however, recent re-forestation has developed woods composed of pine trees, acacias and cypresses. The tower standing all along the coastline and the fortified farmsteads are some of the most popular spots for tourist excursions.