The old town
Our itinerary in the old town begins with the Stone Bridge that divides the Naples Door promontory from the Island. Turning on the left we arrive at the "Marine", the internal sea-front that looks out on the Little Sea, along which we find the typical market of fish and the long series of coloured fishing-boats moored.
A few steps inside and we are soon in the heart of the Island. The walk among the houses and the buildings of ancient beauty begins with Cava street. Trough some incredibly narrow alleys, on the other side of the island, we get to Vittorio Emanuele II nd. promenade called "ringhiera". From here the view is different. As the height is increasing the scene becomes wider; the land extends towards the magnificent Cheradi islands and the Great Sea that, on the right side, receives the merchant port.

Above the medieval centre the fourteenth century church of Saint Domenico Maggiore stands with its baroque elegant staircase from which the famous rites of the Holy Week begin. Attached to the church there is a nice old monastery that today is the seat of the Archaeological Service for the Puglia Region. Beside Saint Domenico church there is the sumptuous Pantaleo palace. It is an eighteenth century palace that now presents some artistic collections of the National Magna Greece Museum.
Walking along the ringhiera, we find the Amati palace, seat of some university courses about marine studies.

Then, among the noble palaces, we find Saint Cataldo Cathedral with the archbishop palace attached. The Cathedral dates back to 1071, the structure with three naves was built on columns of different ages and styles, while the façade is baroque. The most valuable artistic element is the great baroque chapel dedicated to the patron Saint Cataldo.
It is a "casket" of wonderful inlaid works made with the marble taken out from the archaeological finds that once covered the town. The chapel was a desire of Archbishop Tommaso Caracciolo and was built by two of the most famous marble - workers in the age such as the Neapolitan Fanzango and Lombardelli from Carrara. The vault pictures (1713) are by De Matteis.

Following the cathedral street we find the sixteenth monasteries of saint Francesco d'Assisi and saint Chiara - the new seat of the Juvenile Court - and other noble palaces that today are the seat of cultural and social institutions. Now we get to Castle's square. On the right we make out the columns of the Doric Temple and behind it another ancient building: saint Michele's monastery.
In front of the ringhiera there is the Town Hall that is a building of the end of nineteenth century. Near, always in front of the Great Sea we see the eighteenth century D'Ayala's palace.

On the opposite side of the square there is the wonderful Aragonese Castle, an imposing defensive work that Ferdinando Ist of Aragon in 1942 enlarged and restored. Today in the Castle there is the Navy but it is also the seat of the two nicest art galleries in the town managed by Municipality and Navy itself.