Area Marina Protetta di Porto Cesareo

The Porto Cesareo Marine Protected Area encompasses 16,654 hectares of Ionian waters and 32 kilometres of coastline between Punta Prosciutto and Torre Inserraglio. Established by ministerial decree in 1997, it protects marine habitats while recognizing the area's long-standing relationship with fishing and coastal communities.

Why it matters

The municipality describes the reserve as Italy's third-largest marine protected area and the only state marine reserve in the Salento. Its waters include several protected habitat types and form part of an international conservation framework: the area joined the Mediterranean's Specially Protected Areas list in 2011.

What to notice

The seabed includes meadows of Posidonia oceanica, coralligenous formations and submerged caves. Isola Grande, also known as Isola dei Conigli, is among the area's coastal features. The range of habitats reflects the varied seabed and shoreline of this part of the Gulf of Taranto.

Context and history

The reserve was established by decree on 12 December 1997 and entrusted to a consortium involving the municipalities of Porto Cesareo and Nardò and the Province of Lecce. Its marine area overlaps several Sites of Community Importance and adjoins protected land areas. In 2015, a state-funded surveillance project incorporated historic coastal towers into a monitoring network, linking the area's defensive heritage with its later environmental management.