Minervino Tower – Acaya Castle loop from Corigliano d'Otranto

Minervino Tower – Acaya Castle loop from Corigliano d'Otranto

Hard

riders

Minervino Tower – Acaya Castle loop from Corigliano d'Otranto

05:01

123km

600m

Road cycling

Hard road ride. Very good fitness required. Some segments of this route may be unpaved and difficult to ride. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: November 4, 2026

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After 66.6 km for 317 m

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Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

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31.5 km

Villa Sticchi, Santa Cesarea Terme

Highlight • Monument

Santa Cesarea Terme is a spa town overlooking the Canale d'Otranto. The properties of its sulphurous thermal waters have been known since ancient times but, given the difficult position to reach, the inhabited center developed only in modern times in conjunction with the construction of the coastal road at the turn of the 14th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Among the architecture of the city, Villa Sticchi stands out, an admirable example of the Moorish style very popular in this area of Puglia in the early 1900s.

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32.3 km

View of the Santa Cesarea Terme Coast

Highlight • Viewpoint

On the road from Otranto to Santa Cesarea, this panoramic point allows you to observe the Salento coast in all its beauty. You are in one of the most touristic and wild areas of Puglia: the Santa Cesarea spa is a real must for those visiting these areas for the first time.

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35.8 km

Minervino Tower

Highlight • Historical Site

The Minervino Tower is part of a complex of lookout points built by Charles V in the 16th century to prevent attacks by the Saracens. The system guaranteed the possibility of communicating between one tower and another through visual signals, fires at night and smoke during the day, so that the whole coast was alerted as soon as enemy ships were sighted from one of the towers. In this context, the Torre Minervino is fundamental as it manages to cover the sea area around Punta Palascia, the easternmost point of Puglia and Italy. Given the limited space inside the structure, it is believed that the sentries did not stay inside the tower but that they took over for guard duty. The tower was restored around 2010.

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37.7 km

Porto Badisco Bay

Highlight • Beach

Porto Badisco is a seaside resort in Salento, in the municipality of Otranto, and is famous for its bay of sand and rocks, with crystal clear sea and unspoiled nature. Porto Badisco is linked to the legend of the landing place of Aeneas, the Trojan hero who fled from his destroyed city and landed on this coast, as described in Virgil's Aeneid

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42.6 km

View of the Otranto Coast and Watchtower

Highlight • Viewpoint

Beautiful panorama along the coast

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43.2 km

Punta Palascìa lighthouse

Highlight • Monument

The road that leads from Otranto to the lighthouse is a provincial road, therefore suitable for all bikes, but it is possible to go down to the lighthouse only if you have a Mtb or a gravel bike (not suitable for bdc because it is a dirt road). If possible, it is worth going down to the lighthouse, stopping sitting on the rock to take a break looking at the immensity of the sea. To be avoided in summer during the hottest hours.

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49.2 km

Grotte di San Giovanni

Cave Entrance

56.3 km

Mouth of the Alimini Lakes

Highlight • Lake

Here the Alimini Lakes reach the sea. The lake closest to the coast, called Alimini Grande, is of lagoon origin and is made up of brackish water. The smallest, on the other hand, called Alimini Piccolo or Fontanelle, is fed by underground springs and is therefore composed of fresh water. The two lakes are in communication through a channel called Lu Strittu. The whole lake area is of particular naturalistic importance as it offers shelter to various species of migratory birds in their movements from north to south. The flora surrounding the two basins is also unique and there are very rare plant species.

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66.8 km

Area archeologica di Roca Vecchia

Archaeological Site

81.9 km

Acaya Castle

Highlight • Castle

The Castle of Acaya was built to protect the fortified citadel by Gian Giacomo dell'Acaya, trusted architect of Charles V, who had been entrusted with the strengthening of the defensive walls of Lecce and its castle. He did the same here, between 1521 and 1535, transforming the small agricultural village into a typically Renaissance fortress.

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