Italian Political Geography

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names Further reading

Otranto

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

Otranto , town (1991 pop. 5,114), in Apulia, extreme S Italy, on the Strait of Otranto, which links the Adriatic and Ionian seas. It is a small fishing port and a seaside resort. Originally a Greek settlement, Otranto became an important port under the Romans. Later ruled by the Byzantines and the Normans, it never recovered from its devastation (1480) by the Turks. Of note are an 11th-century cathedral (restored 17th-18th cent.), with a fine mosaic floor (12th cent.), and the ruins of an imposing Aragonese castle (15th cent.) that provided the setting of Horace Walpole's Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto.

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Otranto

Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names | 2005 | | Copyright

Otranto, Apulia/Italy Hydrus, Hydruntum A port, a cape and a strait between Italy and Albania. The original Greek name comes from hudōr ‘water’ to give ‘Water (Town)’. This became the Latin Hydruntum from which the present name has evolved through Idrunta and Idronto.

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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Otranto." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Otranto." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Otranto.html

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Otranto." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Otranto.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Christian heroism amid a jihad: the Muslim invasion of Otranto in 1480. Magazine article from: Catholic Insight; 10/1/2009
	Hamlet and Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto.(Critical essay) Magazine article from: Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900; 6/22/2009
	Adriatic station: a civilized new services building in the historic port of... Magazine article from: The Architectural Review; 1/1/2003