Sightseeing in Brindisi - what to see. Complete travel guide

Brindisi is a small port town in the southern part of the country. This is a great destination for tourists who dream of trouble-free calm rest. Despite the fact this town has started developing as a resort not long ago, here you will find almost ideal conditions for beach rest. Each hotel in Brindisi has a well-equipped beach on its territory. Tourists can attend diving and surfing schools, inventory rental services, and wonderful restaurants located directly in beach zone.

Despite picturesque coast and tender sun visitors are traditionally attracted by large choice of wines and inimitable Italian cuisine. Brindisi is the largest center of wine-making, so you will find rich selection of wine in any restaurant. Local restaurants also serve unique dishes with seafood and here you can try authentic Italian paella. The best time for beach rest in Brindisi is the period from middle April until the end of October.

In this town there are also several interesting historical places of interest like the Cathedral built in the 12th century, Castle Castello Svevo, Fontana Tancredi, Church of San Giovanni al Sepolcro, and the monastery Chiesa di S. Benedetto. All these buildings are known as real pieces of architectural art and have a great value for the country. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The resort is just starting to gain popularity among overseas tourists. Currently the majority of visitors are the travellers from France. The main advantage of rest in Brindisi is calm and solitary atmosphere, remoteness from big cities and the absence of noisiness that is so inherent in many large resorts. If you find this rest quite boring, you can try something new and make an excursion to Greece, where you can easily get by a ferryboat.

The Medieval strongholds remain the most popular sights in Brindisi. As early as in the 15th century an impregnable wall was built for the defense of the city. Later the defensive line was reinforced during the reign of Charles V. Apart from the defensive walls there are also a few bastions in the historic district. San Giacomo bastion is considered to be the most interesting among them. It was recently fully reconstructed and is now used to conduct all kinds of exhibitions.

Swabian castle is a very interesting historical site, it was built in 1227. It was rebuilt and changed its mission not once during hundreds of years of its existence. In the first half of the 19th century it was used as a meeting room. In the early 20th century the historic building came under the supervision of the Navy. During the World War II a military base was situated there. Different parts of the castle reflect different historical periods, and it is still remarkably impregnable. Another interesting object is Roman columns, the symbol of the city. A lot of interesting stories are connected with them. Some researchers reckon that at a certain point back in the past these columns marked the ending points of the Appian Way. But they were actually a part of the monumental platform which existed in the period of the Roman Empire. During hundreds of years these columns served as a guidemark for the seamen who came to the port. When it comes to the religious sights, the interesting one is Church of Santa Maria del Casale, situated at the street of the same name. This church was built in the early 14th century at the direction of Philip I of Taranto. The architectural style of the building represents the unique combination of Romanesque and Gothic styles. Sandstone served as the main building material. The large yellow-and-gray coloured stone blocks are still the main distinctive feature of the church.

There are very interesting places in the city, a great example of which is «Tourist house». This is an old, beautiful mansion. A few years ago it was fully renovated, and is now used to conduct various cultural events, such as art and photography exhibitions, literary soirees and events devoted to national culture.