Horace Walpole’s Gothic tale The Castle of Otranto is no guide to this white, sun-baked seaport: he picked the name at random and never saw the place. It has had its horrific moments, however, as you realize when the sacristan shows you the cathedral crypt and opens a cupboard and 400 human skulls fall out. They are of townsfolk who kept a Turkish fleet at bay and, after capture, were beheaded for refusing to abjure their faith. Four centuries later a chapter of First World War history was written when the British Royal Navy sealed the Adriatic with a mine barrage from Otranto.

The only serious seafaring activity today is the ferry service for Corfu. Tourism is quietly taking hold of the sandy beaches, rocks and pine groves. The two Alimini lakes, 8 km north, are stagnant pools but fragrant with cypress, pine and aromatic shrubs – excellent places for picnics, and the fishing (mullet, dory, eels) is first-class.