"The most easterly point on the Italian peninsular" Otranto Off The Beaten Path Tip by salmayo

The recently restored lighthouse, the 'Faro di Palascia' at Otranto marks the most easterly point on the Italian peninsular. Built in 1867 and used as a lighthouse until the 70s, it has been recently restored and transformed into a small museum and research centre for Mediterranean ecosystems (Osservatorio su Ecologia e Salute degli Ecosistemi Mediterranei).

The museum is still in the set up phase. There is some material in English, but not everything has been translated and I'm not sure whether the very knowledgable guides (environmental scientists) speak English or not. In any case, the view is fantastic and it's a really pleasurable walk down to the lighthouse from the road.

Despite the lighthouse seeming so imposing upon approach, it is tucked away on the headland of the Cape of Otranto and is not visable from the road. You need to take the dirt track around the headland down to the lighthouse from the military base which is prominent and clearly visable from the coastal highway. The location is just a couple of kilometres suth of the town of Otranto although access along the coast would be hard going... better to drive to the military base or walk along the road to the same point.

The museum is open on weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and holidays from 10 am to sunset, otherwise by appointment.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to find contact details for the centre, but the website below provides a link to my website which provides contact details for enquiries.

Website: http://www.cultournet.it