According to a recurring interpretation, Aeneas landed at Porto Badisco.
However, the literal references in the third canto of the Aeneid refer to a well-populated place, with a temple dedicated to Minerva placed very high above the coast and with an arched port defended by a rock.
Elements that lead to the identification of the Roman port of Castro as a potential landing place, where the cult of the goddess Minerva and the Cretan origins of the foundation of the city of landing are documented.
In confirmation of this version, in July 2015 in Castro a group of archaeologists led by Amedeo Galati found a large mutilated female statue. The work can presumably be dated to the 4th century BC and could depict the goddess Minerva, thus confirming the hypotheses of the discoverers of the find. If it were possible to recompose it, the statue would be at least four meters tall.
Today it is preserved in the archaeological museum of Castro.
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