Vento del Sud

Santa Caterina is a marina of the Municipality of Nardò, located on the Ionian coast. The territory consists of a hilly part and an enchanting promenade.

To the north we find the splendid Torre dell 'Alto, built in the second half of the 16th century by the Spanish viceroy Don Pietro da Toledo to allow the sighting of enemies coming from the sea.

The military building is located 51 meters above sea level and is accessed via a stairway located near "the Damned", a sheer drop overlooking the sea whose name is the subject of two legends, the first of which tells the story of a girl who threw herself off the precipice to escape the "first night right" that the local gentleman wanted to exercise over her. A second tells, instead, the sad vicissitudes of Marta, a wealthy girl guilty of loving a poor farmer and, for this reason, locked up by her father in a room of the farm where she lived, a few steps from the tower. One night, the girl escaped from the window using a rope of sheets as a rope, she headed for the house of her beloved and, not finding him, in desperation she threw herself from the tower.

Through a staircase and a suggestive walk among the unspoiled nature of a pine forest, we meet the Regional Natural Park of Porto Selvaggio and the Palude del Capitano, a protected marine area full of numerous caves both emerged and immersed, with the beautiful Uluzzo Bay, the Grotta del Cavallo and Torre Uluzzo.

Going further north we can reach Torre Inserraglio and Porto Cesareo.

To the south, 60 meters above sea level, we find the Santa Caterina Tower, also built in the 16th century with defensive functions.

Moving further south we find instead the marina of Santa Maria al Bagno, the Lido Conchiglie, the marina of Rivabella and Gallipoli.

The marina of Santa Caterina hosts a small tourist port and the small and welcoming Church of Santa Caterina d’Alessandria.

In Santa Caterina there is also one of the most famous diving in Salento, the Costa del Sud Diving Center of Andrea Costantini which organizes courses and guided excursions at all levels. He and his highly specialized staff will be happy to accompany you on splendid and suggestive dives on walls, in caves and on the numerous wrecks in the area.

The low and indented coast with some stretches of sandy nature, the crystalline waters, the wonderful backdrops, the suggestive and enchanting sunsets, the square full of bars and clubs open until late at night and the friendliness of its inhabitants make Santa Caterina the place ideal for those who want to spend a beach holiday in the name of tranquility and fun, for nature lovers and lovers of photography and scuba diving.