What is Ugento known for?

Messapian city named on the fourth-century-BC Soleto Map, with walls and necropolis tombs still traceable on the edge of the modern centro. Bronze statue of Zeus cast around 530 BC, found in 1961 in a private cellar, now in the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto. Long Ionian sand strip with the Bandiera Blu marinas of Torre San Giovanni and Lido Marini, the town's summer engine.

Ugento is a comune in the province of Lecce, Apulia region of Italy, about 120 kilometers from Taranto.

Apulia · Lecce

Ugento

A Messapian-Roman town five kilometers from the Ionian, where a Baroque castle sits on the walls of the ancient city of Ozan.

120 km / 75 mi

Nearest hub (Taranto)

11,988

Population

May–Sep

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Ugento lies in lower Salento five kilometers from the Ionian coast, on the site of the Messapian city of Ozan, named on the fourth-century-BC Soleto Map. The Messapian walls of the fourth century BC are still traceable, and the necropolis of Cozza Petrosa preserves trullo-shaped chamber tombs typical of the civilization that held the lower peninsula between the seventh and third centuries BC. The Castello di Ugento began as a Norman motte-and-bailey on Messapian foundations and was rebuilt by the d'Amore family as a Baroque palazzo in the 1690s, with frescoed grand salons commissioned by Francesco and Nicola d'Amore in 1694. The Zeus of Ugento, a 74-centimeter bronze cast around 530 BC, was found here by chance in 1961 and is now in the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto; a bronze copy stays in the local Nuovo Museo Archeologico. The marinas of Torre San Giovanni and Lido Marini carry the Bandiera Blu and most of the August traffic.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Ugento fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

Gallery

5 photos · scroll →

Known for

Castello di Ugento
Norman fort rebuilt as a Baroque palazzo by the d'Amore family in the 1690s, with first-floor grand salons frescoed in 1694 to celebrate family history.
Nuovo Museo Archeologico
Town archaeological museum displaying Messapian finds, the Cozza Petrosa necropolis material and a bronze copy of the Zeus of Ugento.
Mura Messapiche e Necropoli di Cozza Petrosa
Fourth-century-BC Messapian walls and the trullo-shaped chamber tombs of the necropolis, the oldest layer of the city of Ozan.
Cattedrale di Maria Santissima Assunta
Baroque cathedral rebuilt between 1577 and 1855 on earlier foundations, with stuccoes and altars typical of late Salento Baroque.
Marine di Ugento
Coastal frazioni of Torre San Giovanni, Lido Marini, Torre Mozza and Fontanelle, with Bandiera Blu beaches and one of the longest sand strips of the Ionian Salento.

When to visit

Best months · May–Sep

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May, June, September and the first half of October are the gentle months on the Ionian Salento: warm sea, cool evenings, the centro and the coast usable in the same day. July and August are dry and very hot, with the Marine packed and the centro storico empty between two and five in the afternoon. The Bandiera Blu beaches at Torre San Giovanni and Lido Marini do most of the August traffic and rates climb accordingly. November through March is cool and quiet, with frequent Ionian wind and many beach establishments closed; the Castello and the Nuovo Museo Archeologico stay open year-round and the centro keeps a steady weekend rhythm.