Marina di Ginosa is a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'' (a type of territorial subdivision in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

) of the municipality of

Ginosa Ginosa ( Barese: ) is a small town and ''comune'' in the province of Taranto, Apulia, southern Italy. Main sights The most important monument of Ginosa is the ''Castello Normanno'' (Norman Castle). It was built in 1080 by Robert Guiscard to def ...

(in the province of Taranto, Apulia). It is a seaside resort in Gulf of Taranto. Its inhabitant is called Marinese. It is also called Ginosa Marina.

History

It was originally called ''Ginosa Scalo'' for the presence of the

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

. It was also known as ''Stornara'', because of the common starling many of which return in autumn, or ''Twenty-five'' for the location of the toll-booth at km 25 of the former SS580 (i.e. at its end) and the

signalling control On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetab ...

number. In 1956 the village was given the official designation of Marina di Ginosa by the then President of the Republic. Today Marina di Ginosa has a larger urban fabric than Ginosa City and it has a permanent population of about 5,000. Marina di Ginosa was severely hit by a

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

in the night from 1 to 2 March 2011.

Climate

Marina di Ginosa has a hot-summer

mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Csa''). Being in the interior of a bay, the location receives inland heatwaves more frequently than most mediterranean coastlines. This leads to unusually warm coastal days in summer by mainland Italian standards. Rainfall is infrequent, but heavy enough when it arrives to ensure about annually. The municipal seat is likely even hotter in summer due to the relative distance from the coastline.

Physical Geography

For the quality of the sea and sandy beaches, the

Foundation for Environmental Education The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation promoting sustainable development through environmental education. FEE is active through five programmes; Blue Flag, Eco-Schools, Young Reporters fo ...

(FEE) has awarded Marina di Ginosa the Blue Flag numerous times: the first in 1995, then in 1997 and 1998, in the years from 1999 to 2001 and continuously from 2004 to 2021.It received, for the 2009 summer season, the 3 Blue Sails from

Legambiente Legambiente is an Italian environmentalist association with roots in the anti-nuclear movement that developed in Italy and throughout the Western world in the second half of the '70s. Founded in 1980 as part of the ARCI, it later became a stand-a ...

. The predominant feature of the beaches of Marina di Ginosa is the pine forest of Mediterranean bush that frames the entire coast for kilometers. These pine forests are part of the protected natural area "Pinete dell'Arco Ionico". There is a small lake, Lake Salinella, which is located about 5 km from the town on the road to

Metaponto Metaponto is a small town of about 1,000 people in the province of Matera, Basilicata, Italy. Administratively it is a frazione of Bernalda. History The town was built by the ancient Greeks to defend Sybaris from the growth of Taranto. A 1 ...

, which is destined to become a natural oasis. On the shore of Lake Salinella there is an ancient coastal tower, dating back to the

XVI century The 16th century begins with the Julian year 1501 ( MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 ( MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in October 1582). The 16th cent ...

, built to defend the Ionian coasts from Turkish incursions into southern Italy: "Torre Mattoni". To the west of the inhabited area flows the torrent of the Galaso river.

Places and Monuments of Interest

The main place of interest in Marina di Ginosa is Lake Salinella, a coastal lake behind the dunes on the border between

Puglia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

and Basilicata, occupying the terminal stretch of the ancient river bed of the Bradano river; the lake is an important place where many migratory species stop where it is possible to devote oneself to birdwatching. Also worth visiting are:Torre Mattoni,a coastal watchtower from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

at the mouth of the Bradano,The Pineta Regina and the Pineta Cavese, green lungs of the town.

Culture

The municipality of

has established a library system by equipping Marina di Ginosa with the Marinese Civic Library.

Sport

Football The reference football team is Ginosa, but from 1979 to 1997 the fraction had its own football team called Stella Maris, which played 15 Third Category championships and 2 Second Category championships. Two amateur level clubs had already been founded in 1971: Stella Marina 74025 and Polisportiva Maris, which in 1979 merged into a single company renamed Stella Maris di Marina di Ginosa and affiliated with the

FIGC The Italian Football Federation ( it, Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio; FIGC), known colloquially as ''Federcalcio'', is the governing body of football in Italy. It is based in Rome and the technical department is in Coverciano, Florence. It ...

to compete in amateur championships. The initial prerogative of the team was to field only players residing in Ginosa Marina. In the 1979-1980 debut year, the Marinese team won its first championship. The second promotion is that of 1996-1997 with the white-starry team that wins all the matches on the calendar. The company dissolved the following year, in 1997-1998, at the end of a negative tournament that saw it relegated back to the Third Category. Tennis In 1969 the Tennis Club "Pro Loco" Marina di Ginosa was founded which after more than forty years continues its activity with the tennis starter school and with the traditional national tennis tournament of 3rd and 4th Category. The regular open tournament has been organized since 2013.

Festivities

The

patronal feast A patronal feast or patronal festival ( es, fiesta patronal; pt, festa patronal; ca, festa patronal; it, festa patronale; french: fête patronale) is a yearly celebration dedicated, in countries influenced by Christianity, to the "heavenly advoc ...

of Sant'Antonio di Padova is held on 12 and 13 June. Another recurrence felt by the entire community is the Marinese Carnival which, with its allegorical floats and the participation of national-popular guests, takes place both in winter and in summer (the last Sunday of August) starting from Viale Ionio and ending in Piazza Croce Rossa,also known as "Piazza Eventi".Participation is also the feast of

San Giuseppe San Giuseppe is the Italian name of Saint Joseph. It may refer to: Places of Italy Municipalities * San Giuseppe Jato, in the Province of Palermo, Sicily *San Giuseppe Vesuviano, in the Province of Naples, Campania * Rima San Giuseppe, in the Provi ...

, which every year proposes its traditional bonfire of the Mariners.

Infrastructures and Transports

Marina di Ginosa has a

, which acts as the main link between the province of Taranto and the

province of Matera The province of Matera ( it, Provincia di Matera; Materano: ) is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Matera. It has an area of and a total population of 201,133; the city Matera has a population of 61,204. Th ...

References

{{Reflist Geography of Apulia Frazioni of the Province of Taranto Seaside resorts in Italy