History and legend meet in beautiful Castro, which perches on a cliffside overlooking the Adriatic, 48km from Lecce, and runs down to a marina which has been awarded the Blue Flag certification by the Foundation for Enviromental Education. Previously the Roman Castrum Minervae, the village has ancient origins and has conserved its importance over the centuries, becoming one of the first places in the Salento to be made a county.
High up in the heart of the village, Piazza Armando Perotti looks out at the sea while the Aragonese Castle towers above, today the cultural centre of the village. Here legend became reality after the discovery of the statue of Athena Frigia proved the existence of the Temple of the Goddess Minerva (Minerva being the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Athena), the same temple that Aeneas is said to have praised from the sea before landing on the shore after his legendary flight from Troy.
The evocative streets also hold the 12th century ex-Cathedral, which conserves part of its original Romanesque façade and the ruins of a small Byzantine 10th century church.
Apulia Film Commission
Cineporti di Puglia/Bari — c/o Fiera del Levante - Lungomare Starita 1 — 70132 Bari
Phone: +39 080 9752900
Fax: +39 080 9147464
Email: email@apuliafilmcommission.it
