Porto Cesareo's Underwater Archaeological Park Opens in Puglia

The Parco sommerso e costiero di Porto Cesareo, a submerged and coastal archaeological park on the Salento coast in Puglia, inaugurated on July 25, 2026. The park offers unique access through archeowalking and archeosnorkeling, allowing visitors to explore a Bronze Age settlement and a Roman necropolis near Torre Chianca, with sarcophagi and tombs carved into the rock. Discovered in 1963 by Domenico Novembre of the University of Salento, the site also contains evidence of Byzantine and medieval trade routes, including wrecks, anchors, and amphorae. Underwater finds include basalt statuettes of the Egyptian god Thout and seven marble columns from a 2nd-century AD shipwreck en route from Asia Minor to Italy. The park, funded by the Smart-In Archeologia program of the Regione Puglia, is accessible from Scalo di Furno. Scientific direction is led by Rita Auriemma, professor of underwater archaeology at UniSalerno. Opening day activities include guided tours, solar boat trips, canoe and SUP tours, and electric bike rentals. Anna Peluso, environmental councillor of Porto Cesareo, hailed the park as a milestone for cultural and archaeological tourism.