Castro (Salentino: Casciu) is a town and comune in the Italian province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-eastern Italy.
Castro
Griko: Kàstro | |
|---|---|
| Comune di Castro | |
 Castro | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Castro  | |
  Castro Location of Castro in Italy  Castro Castro (Apulia) | |
| Coordinates: 40°1′N 18°24′E / 40.017°N 18.400°E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Apulia |
| Province | Lecce (LE) |
| Frazioni | Castro Marina |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Luigi Fersini |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.56 km2 (1.76 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 100 m (300 ft) |
| Population (30 June 2017)[2] | |
• Total | 2,395 |
| • Density | 530/km2 (1,400/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Castrensi or Castrioti |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 73030 |
| Dialing code | 0836 |
| Patron saint | Maria SS. Annunziata (principal) and Santa Dorotea |
| Saint day | 25 April and 6 February |
| Website | Official website |
History
editCastro derives its name from Castrum Minervae (Latin for "Athena's castle"), which was an ancient town of the Sallentini, about 15 kilometres (9 mi) south of Hydruntum. Its ancient temple of Minerva was said to have been founded by Idomeneus, who formed the tribe of the Sallentini from a mixture of Cretans, Illyrians and Italian Locrians (Central Greek tribe).[3]
It is also said to have been the place where Aeneas first landed in Italy, the port of which he named Portus Veneris ("Port of Venus"). The temple had lost some of its importance in Strabo's day.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ Population data from Istat
- ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 485.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Castro, Apulia (Italy).
External links
edit- Castro Marina
- Castro vacation Archived 2019-04-27 at the Wayback Machine