Morning in Otranto

After two very busy days while docked in Monopoli, I was looking forward to the next day’s relatively light schedule. We sailed down the coast overnight and docked at the port of Otranto around breakfast time. We’d spend the morning in Otranto – not to be confused with Ortona or Orsogna, which we’d visited earlier in the week. 

Otranto, the most eastern point of Italy, is located at the heel of the boot-shaped Italian peninsula, directly across the Adriatic Sea from Albania. Nowadays, it’s a relatively small town of approximately 5600 people. With its beautiful sandy beaches and clear blue waters, it’s a very popular holiday destination for Italians, especially those that live in the North.

 

In the past Otranto had a much larger population. During Roman times, it served as an important commercial port. It was also used as a departure point for Roman military expeditions to the east. For several centuries after the fall of Rome, Otranto remained part of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. It came under Norman rule in 1068.  Later on, the Angevins (from modern-day France) took control. They were followed by the Aragonese (based in the Iberian peninsula). Like much of southern Italy and Sicily, Otranto eventually came under Spanish rule. 

 

Due to its location, Otranto was subject to frequent attacks from across the Adriatic. In fact, the first thing I noticed on our approach to the town was its massive 15^th century fortified castle and defensive walls. Both were built to repel the Ottoman Turks. 

One of the most memorable attacks occurred in 1480, during the period of Aragonese rule, when an Ottoman Turkish fleet of around 150 ships came ashore and besieged the town. The Turkish forces stormed the castle, killed all of Otranto’s adult males, and took all the women and children as slaves. 

 

The 813 survivors who managed to escape the Turks took refuge in the cathedral along with their bishop. They were soon captured, however. Offered the option of converting to Islam, they refused to renounce their Christian faith and were all beheaded on a hill, now called the Hill of the Martyrs, on the outskirts of the city. The Turks occupied Otranto for a little over a year before abandoning it.  

 

We walked around the historic center of Otranto with a local guide. 

The highlight of our walking tour was a visit to Otranto’s Romanesque cathedral and bell tower. The cathedral was consecrated in 1088, during the period of Norman rule. 

 

The floor of the cathedral is completely covered with a magnificent 12^th century mosaic. It depicts a Tree of Life and tells the story of human history, beginning with Adam and Eve. Our guide pointed out Biblical figures, historical figures (Alexander the Great), real and imaginary animals (dragons, unicorns), and various figures from Greek and Hindu mythology. It was quite impressive, but it would have been much easier to appreciate without the wooden pews that covered much of the design. 

 

The Baroque wooden ceiling was installed in 1693. 

An ossuary behind the altar of the cathedral contains the bones of the 813 martyrs massacred by the Turks in 1480. (By the way, they were canonized by the Pope in 2013.) In the crypt, which contains columns with different capitals, we saw 13^th century frescoes that were mostly destroyed during the 1480 invasion. 

 

Before we left the historic center, Marco took us to one of his favorite gelato shops. I sampled two flavors he recommended – caffe alla mandorla (coffee and almond) and pistacchio di Bronte (a town in Sicily known for its pistachio nuts). Mmmmm. 

In the countryside not far from Otranto, we visited Le Constantini, a weaving center started by 2 noblewomen in the early 20^th c to preserve local cultural heritage and to help young women become financially independent by teaching them traditional weaving. Now also includes hospitality training. They produce items for Dior and other designers, and for high end properties such as luxury hotels and fancy restaurants. The items we saw, such as cloud-soft cashmere scarves and shawls, were beautiful, but very expensive. 

 

Then it was time to say goodbye – or ciao – to the Italian mainland. As we enjoyed our lunch onboard the MV Athena, the ship set sail for the island of Sicily. It would take 24 hours to reach the port of Siracusa. I was looking forward to spending most of the afternoon on the sun deck, looking out over the open waters of the Mediterranean. Later, I’d watch the sun sink below the horizon and finally, I’d look up into the starry sky. However, it seems that Neptune had other ideas. 

 

Shortly after lunch, I paid a visit to the bridge to learn about the ship’s high-tech navigation equipment.

Towards the end of the visit, I started feeling just a tiny bit queasy. I hoped, somewhat naively, that I’d feel better after taking a couple of Dramamine and resting in my cabin. After all, I hadn’t experienced any seasickness up until this point. Of course, our ship had stayed close to shore and the seas had been calm. 

 

I was okay while lying down, but when I attempted to get up a couple of hours later, I found that the rolling of the ship had intensified and I had to struggle to keep my balance. I managed to get to the lounge for the nightly port talk and the captain’s weather report. “Secure everything in your cabin before you go to bed tonight,” he warned. “The seas will be much higher and anything that’s not secured will fall onto the floor and roll around all night.” 

Immediately after dinner (yes, I was able to eat), I went back to my cabin and cleared off every surface. It was a rough night, but all was better the next morning, and by the time we docked in Siracusa, I was feeling fine.