Porto Cesareo (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpɔrto tʃeˈzaːreo]; Salentino: Cisaria) is a town and comune in the Italian province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy.

Porto Cesareo
Comune di Porto Cesareo
Location of Porto Cesareo
Map
Porto Cesareo is located in Italy
Porto Cesareo
Porto Cesareo
Location of Porto Cesareo in Italy
Porto Cesareo is located in Apulia
Porto Cesareo
Porto Cesareo
Porto Cesareo (Apulia)
Coordinates: 40°16′N 17°54′E / 40.267°N 17.900°E / 40.267; 17.900
CountryItaly
RegionApulia
ProvinceLecce (LE)
FrazioniTorre Lapillo
Government
 • MayorSalvatore Albano
Area
 • Total34 km2 (13 sq mi)
Elevation
1 m (3 ft)
Population
 (30 June 2012)[2]
 • Total5,930
 • Density170/km2 (450/sq mi)
DemonymCesarini
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
73010
Dialing code0833
Patron saintBeata Vergine Maria
Saint day23 August
WebsiteOfficial website
Torre Cesarea.

The area around the sea of Porto Cesareo is a beautiful example of "Maquis Shrubland". Beyond the importance of nature, the sea of Porto Cesareo is of fundamental traction for tourism thanks to the presence of a sandy bottom that remains low for tens of meters and more transparent waters recalling Caribbean atmospheres, as well as due to the large and very long beaches.[3]

The coast is characterized by numerous capes, islets and reefs, among which is of particular importance the large island, also known as the Isola dei Conigli ("Rabbits island"),[4] Isola della Malva, Isola della Testa and Lo Scoglio.

The great natural and economic consequence of Porto Cesareo wealth is still represented by the totality of its sea, so valuable that its protection is a National Marine Park was established.[5] In 1971, professor P. Parenzan (from the Museum of Marine Biology) found Iris revoluta (a rare species of Iris) on the islet of Mojuso near Porto Cesareo in the gulf of Taranto, Southern Italy.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ Population from ISTAT
  3. ^ "Porto Cesareo". Qui Salento.
  4. ^ "Porto Cesareo". Enchanting Italy.
  5. ^ "Area marina protetta Porto Cesareo". Orca Diving Center. 11 November 2009.
  6. ^ Franco, Alain (2 December 2013). "(SPEC) Iris revoluta Colas". wiki.irises.org (American Iris Society). Retrieved 2 January 2016.