Earth from space: The heel of Italy

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over a section of Italy’s heel in the southern part of the boot-shaped peninsula.

The area featured includes part of the Puglia region at the top, and part of Basilicata in the bottom left and is bound by the Adriatic Sea (top) and Ionian Sea (bottom). The light blue of the water, especially along the Adriatic, is caused by sediment being carried into the sea by rivers and then spread along the coast by currents.

Various nature reserves can be seen as dark green strips along the western Ionian coast, with the largest being the Aleppo pine forest of the Stornara Nature Reserve. It takes its name from the many starlings that migrate there during winter.

Many patches of agricultural fields can be seen throughout the image. Thanks to the Mediterranean climate, the region’s food sector is one of the strongest aspects of the economy.

Gray dots of different sizes across the image denote urban areas. Major cities visible on the Adriatic coast include Puglia’s main city, Bari, in the top left, and the port city of Brindisi in the bottom right.

Known as the “Florence of the South,” the largest urban sprawl on the bottom right of the image is Lecce, renowned for its fascinating, historical Baroque-style buildings. Another important coastal city is Taranto on the Ionian coast.

Within Basilicata, the city of Matera can be seen north of the San Giuliano Lake. Its elongated aqua-green water is visible in the left of the image. Famous for its cave-like houses cut into the rock, Matera also hosts an important space hub, including one of the ground stations for the reception and processing of Copernicus Sentinel data for ESA.

On the Adriatic coast, halfway between Brindisi and Bari, lies Borgo Egnazia, currently hosting the G7 Summit. The informal forum brings together Italy, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, UK and US, as well as the Presidents of the European Council and Commission representing the European Union, to discuss selected economic, financial and environmental topics.