Brindisi, Italy cruise port guide

About Brindisi, Italy

Brindisi is a historic Adriatic port city in Italy's Apulia region, ancient terminus of the Via Appia and once the principal naval port of the Roman Empire. Cruise passengers arrive at the Costa Morena terminal and find a compact, walkable historic centre layered with Roman, Norman, Crusader, and baroque history. The standout day excursion is the lavishly decorated baroque city of Lecce, reachable in under 30 minutes by train.

The Roman Column at the foot of Virgil's Staircase is the city's most iconic sight — one of the two original terminal pillars of the Via Appia, the other having been removed centuries ago to nearby Lecce. Frederick II's castle, constructed in the 13th century with massive round towers to command the inner harbour, dominates the waterfront and speaks to Brindisi's strategic importance through the medieval period. The adjacent Cathedral, where Frederick II married Queen Isabella II of Jerusalem in 1225 and from which he departed for the Sixth Crusade in 1227, is a short walk away. The Museo Archeologico Ribezzo holds finds spanning the Messapian, Greek, and Roman eras, while Santa Maria del Casale, the Church of San Benedetto, the Temple of San Giovanni al Sepolcro, and Palazzo Granafei Nervegna round out a rich architectural itinerary. Lecce — some 40 km south and reachable by regional train in 30 minutes (€2.80) or Frecciabianca in 15 minutes (€9.90) — is the premier shore excursion, showcasing some of the most extravagant baroque stonework in southern Italy.