About 8 kilometres south of the centre, on a rocky cape jutting into the sea, stands the small fortified abbey of Santo Stefano. The Benedictines built it in the eleventh century, and it later became a Knights of Malta commandery — the cross of Malta is still visible carved into the walls. The setting is the main draw: a low cluster of buildings on a flat headland, fields of olives on one side, the open Adriatic on the other.
The interior holds Byzantine-style frescoes and a quiet single-nave church. The grounds are reached by a side road off the coast highway and are open most days; ask at the gatehouse if the church is locked. The headland is also a popular wedding venue, so weekend afternoons in summer can be busy.