Gnatia

Gnatia, commonly known as Egnazia in archaeological literature, is an ancient settlement and archaeological site on the Adriatic coast of Apulia in southern Italy with remains spanning the Iron Age to the Roman period.

The site presents exposed ruins of the ancient town, including street layouts, building foundations and an extensive necropolis with rock-cut tombs along the coast. Finds from the site are displayed in a local archaeological museum that interprets the settlement’s development through pre-Roman and Roman times.

The settlement was occupied from the Iron Age onward and became integrated into the Roman world, developing urban features such as fortifications, public buildings and necropoleis; it declined in the later Roman and early medieval periods. Archaeological excavations since the 19th and 20th centuries have revealed artifacts documenting continuity and change at the site.

Situated in the Brindisi-Bari region of Apulia near the modern town area of Fasano on the Adriatic coast, the site is accessible from nearby coastal roads and towns in southern Italy.

• Necropoleis: Visible necropoleis with rock-cut and chamber tombs lie near the coastal area, providing one of the most distinctive features of the site.

What to See#

• Archaeological park: The archaeological park contains the remains of the ancient town’s walls, streets and building foundations dating from the Iron Age through Roman times, visible across the exposed site area.
• Archaeological museum: The local archaeological museum displays finds recovered at the site, including pottery, inscriptions and funerary objects from pre-Roman and Roman periods.

• Enter through the archaeological park's main entrance near the Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Egnazia and pair the ruins visit with the museum to understand the finds from the site.
• Visit early morning or late afternoon to avoid the intense midday sun and to get better light on the excavated walls, houses and colonnaded streets for photography.
• Walk the fringes of the site: the necropoleis and Roman road sections outside the main enclosure are often overlooked but hold well‑preserved tombs and contextual remains.