Routeotranto

Gateway to the East

Experience Otranto as the gateway between Italy and the Balkans where the Strait of Otranto only 72 kilometers wide has been the crossing point between east and west for millennia, the Albanian coast visible from the city walls and the ferry connection to Albania making this the most internationally positioned small town in Italy.

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1
Albania Visible
See the Albanian coast from the Otranto city walls on a clear day when the mountains of Albania rise above the horizon only 72 kilometers across the Strait of Otranto, the visibility of another country from the Italian shore creating the most powerful sense of geographic position available in any Italian coastal town.
2
Strait of Otranto
Understand the historical significance of the Strait of Otranto as the passage between the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea where the narrow channel has controlled the maritime traffic between east and west since antiquity, the strait the route of Greek colonists, Roman legions, Crusaders, Ottoman armies, and modern migrants attempting the crossing to Italy.
3
Ferry to Albania
Take the ferry from Otranto to Vlore in Albania where the two-hour crossing of the Strait represents one of the shortest and least known international ferry routes in Europe, the connection used by Albanian workers returning home and by adventurous travelers exploring the last undiscovered country of the Balkans.
4
Ancient Crossroads
Stand at the ancient crossroads of the Mediterranean world in Otranto where the Via Traiana connected Rome to the Adriatic coast and the sea crossing to Epirus in Greece was the standard route to the eastern Mediterranean, the position of Otranto at the junction of the Adriatic and the Ionian seas making it one of the most strategically significant points in the ancient world.
5
Migration History
Learn about the modern migration history at Otranto where the boats from Albania and other Balkan countries carrying refugees and economic migrants began arriving in large numbers from the 1990s, the Strait of Otranto becoming in the late 20th century a front line of the European migration crisis and a place of tragedy for those who did not survive the crossing.
6
Sunset View
Watch the sunset from the Otranto waterfront where the western exposure of the harbor provides the perfect position for the evening light over the Adriatic, the sky turning orange and pink above the calm sea and the Albanian mountains on the eastern horizon silhouetted against the darkening sky in one of the most beautiful sunsets on the Italian Adriatic coast.