Porto Cesareo
Comune
Comune di Porto Cesareo
Location of Porto Cesareo
Porto Cesareo Location of Porto Cesareo in Italy Show map of Italy Porto Cesareo Porto Cesareo (Apulia) Show map of Apulia
Coordinates: 40°16′N 17°54′E / 40.267°N 17.900°E / 40.267; 17.900
Country	Italy
Region	Apulia
Province	Lecce (LE)
Frazioni	Torre Lapillo
Government
• Mayor	Salvatore Albano
Area [1]
• Total	34 km2 (13 sq mi)
Elevation	1 m (3 ft)
Population  (30 June 2012)[2]
• Total	5,930
• Density	170/km2 (450/sq mi)
Demonym	Cesarini
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	73010
Dialing code	0833
Patron saint	Beata Vergine Maria
Saint day	23 August
Website	Official website

Porto Cesareo (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpɔrto tʃeˈzaːreo]; Salentino: Cisaria) is a town and comune in the Italian province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy.

The area around the sea of Porto Cesareo is a beautiful example of "Maquis Shrubland". Beyond the importance of nature, the sea of Porto Cesareo is of fundamental traction for tourism thanks to the presence of a sandy bottom that remains low for tens of meters and more transparent waters recalling Caribbean atmospheres, as well as due to the large and very long beaches.^[3]

The coast is characterized by numerous capes, islets and reefs, among which is of particular importance the large island, also known as the Isola dei Conigli ("Rabbits island"),^[4] Isola della Malva, Isola della Testa and Lo Scoglio.

The great natural and economic consequence of Porto Cesareo wealth is still represented by the totality of its sea, so valuable that its protection is a National Marine Park was established.^[5] In 1971, professor P. Parenzan (from the Museum of Marine Biology) found Iris revoluta (a rare species of Iris) on the islet of Mojuso near Porto Cesareo in the gulf of Taranto, Southern Italy.^[6]