Torre Guaceto

Torre Guaceto protects about eleven hundred hectares of land and twenty-two hundred of sea north of Brindisi: dunes, a coastal marsh fed by a freshwater spring, Mediterranean scrub and a rocky reef offshore, with a sixteenth-century watchtower giving the reserve its name. A no-take zone established in the marine reserve has been widely studied, and monitoring found fish stocks recovering inside it and catches improving in the surrounding waters as fish moved out, an effect used as an argument for reserves elsewhere. Loggerhead turtles nest on the beaches, which are reached on foot or by shuttle from car parks set back from the shore.

What you actually see

• The watchtower - a sixteenth-century tower on the dune shore.
• The no-take zone - a protected area studied for its effect on catches.
• The dune and marsh - freshwater wetland behind the beach.
• The turtle beaches - loggerhead nesting sites with restricted zones.

When to go

May to September for swimming and snorkelling; spring and autumn for birds. Turtle nesting in summer closes sections of beach. Guided snorkel trails run in season.

Honest expectations

Cars are kept back from the shore with a walk or shuttle to the beach. Sections close for nesting. Facilities on the beach are deliberately minimal.

Nearby

Ostuni lies north; Brindisi is south.