Holidays in Palau

The name Palau dates back to the 14th century, deriving from the Catalan word“parar”which means to shelter; from here came the terms “parago” and “parao” used by fishermen to indicate the safest areas along the coast that offered protection from the winds.
It is clear how the place name Palau derives from its position.
Between the late 1700s and early 1800s, military events marked the history of Palau: Napoleon was driven off the island of Santo Stefano in 1793, Lord Nelson’s fleet was moored off Mezzo Schifo from 1803 to 1805 and, from 1887, the defence system was reinforced with the military batteries.
But we have to wait until 1875 before the town of Palau was founded, when Giovan Domenico Fresi, aka Zecchino, built the first house in what is now the centre of Palau.
The town was firmly established in the early 1900s.
Palau’s economy was originally based on shepherding and agriculture.
Among the important historical events, we should also remember the sinking of the warship TRIESTE in Sciumara Bay on 10 April 1943.
The wreck was recovered from the beach in 1950 and sold to Spain.