Parco delle Querce

The Parco delle Querce in Castro preserves a remnant holm-oak wood and the megalithic Dolmen Sgarra I within a public green space.

Why it matters

The woodland is one of the few surviving holm-oak stands along the Otranto–Leuca coast. It preserves a fragment of the vegetation that once covered the Salento shoreline and brings natural history into contact with the region's prehistoric remains.

What to notice

Holm oaks form the canopy, with laurel, hawthorn, terebinth and wild medlar among the associated species. The dolmen stands within the woodland as evidence of ancient human activity in the area. The shady undergrowth includes the rare orchid Epipactis microphylla.

Context and history

The wood was enclosed and adapted as a municipal park, preserving a relict holm-oak habitat amid a wider landscape of olive groves and Mediterranean scrub. Dolmen Sgarra I reflects the megalithic traditions of the southern Salento, where similar monuments mark prehistoric occupation.