Santa Cesarea Terme, Italy

Santa Cesarea Terme Italy

Santa Cesarea Terme is a town and municipality of about 3,100 inhabitants in the province of Lecce, in Apulia, southern Italy. Located on the coast at the entrance to the Strait of Otranto, on a stretch of shoreline that slopes down to the sea, Santa Cesarea Terme is one of the main spa destinations in the Salento region. The therapeutic use of its waters, which emerge from four caves, dates back to the 1500s, and the town’s economy is largely based on these thermal baths and their modern facilities. Two legends, one Christian and one pagan, are said to explain the town’s origins. In the pagan tale, the coastal area, known for centuries as Leuterni, was named after giants called the Leuterni. In Greek mythology these giants waged war against the gods and were believed to be invincible because they were hardened by the local fire and sulfur. Hercules defeated some of them at the Phlegraean Fields near Naples, while others fled and hid in the caves along the Salento coast, where Santa Cesarea now stands. The decay of their bodies seeped into the ground and gave the waters their sulfurous quality. Around the 15th century, this pagan myth was replaced by a Christian story. By then, the beach called Lido Leuterno had taken the name Santa Cisaria, later Santa Cesarea. According to local tradition, a young girl named Cisaria ran away from home to escape her father, who had evil intentions toward her, and hid in the Sulfurous Cave. When he found her there, sudden bursts of sulfur drove him away and saved her. In both legends the sulfurous waters are linked to the decay of evil beings, but in the Christian version the waters are purified through the faith and innocence of the young girl, and are now believed to have healing properties.
Recommended airport
Casale (BDS)
Nearby destinations
  • Otranto, Apulia a 13.14 km
  • Ugento a 27.91 km
  • Gallipoli a 39.50 km