Salento
the Hill of Italy
The “La Fattoria” farmhouse is located just 2 km from the historic center of Otranto. A few km away you can reach the most famous tourist attractions of Salento. The sandy and rocky beaches closest to the structure are Otranto, Baia delle Orte, Baia dei Turchi, Laghi Alimini, Porto Badisco, all reachable in 5-10 minutes max by car.
Otranto
Otranto ( Utràntu in the local dialect , Derentò in greek Salento , Ὑδροῦς in greek classic Hydruntum in Latin) is an Italian town of 5,535 inhabitants in the province of Lecce in Puglia. Located on the Adriatic coast of the Salento peninsula Otranto is the easternmost town in Italy. Leggi di più
First messapico center and Roman , then Byzantine and later Aragonese , spread around the imposing Norman castle and cathedral . Archbishop’s residence and major tourist destination, has given its name to the Strait of Otranto, which separates Italy from Albania , and the Terra d’Otranto , an ancient district of the Kingdom of Naples. In 2010, the old town is a UNESCO World Heritage witness to a culture of peace. The club is part of the most beautiful villages in Italy . The immediate vicinity of Otranto was probably inhabited in the Paleolithic period , certainly from the Neolithic period , the town was then populated by messapi (which were discovered in 1995 the walls and a gate of the city ) , race prior to the Greeks, then – conquered by them – came in Ancient Greece , and again fell into the hands of the Romans, and soon became the town hall.
In the Roman period , Otranto was one of the most important maritime cities of Apulia. The work of local artisans and merchant was very flourishing , especially in the processing of purple and tissues. There was a Jewish community in Otranto and what makes us understand the commercial importance that the center could have and that went beyond the Ionian Islands . Before Otranto became a Roman colony , there was already a complex network of roads that connected the town with the rest of Salento and Puglia in general. The Romans did nothing but reinforce it , introducing it in their arteries of communication. In Otranto are still remnants of the Romans , two marble bases with Latin inscription , dating back to the second century AD, which lead back to the emperors Lucius Aurelius True and Marcus Aurelius Antoninus .
In the 162 cities asked and obtained permission to coin money and that was how it was opened a brand , which remained active until the second century AD Slowly the port of Otranto became increasingly important , even surpassing that of Brindisi . This reality did nothing but consolidated in the early Christian era.
Religious architecture
Cathedral of the Annunziata
Bell tower
St. Peter’s Church
Church of the Madonna dell’Altomare
Church of Santa Maria dei Martiri
Church of Santa Maria del Passo
Monastery of San Nicola di Casole
Crypts and Rupestrian Churches
Crypt of San Nicola
Crypt of the Almighty
Catacombs of San Giovanni
Church of the Madonna della Serra
Civil architectures
Lopez Palace
Military architectures
Alfonsina Tower and Walls
Castle
Natural areas
Bauxite Pond
Santa Cesarea Terme
The territory of the municipality of Santa Cesarea Terme, which occupies an area of 26.66 km², is between 0 and 129 meters above sea level. It has a flat morphology inside, with expanses of centuries-old olive groves, and a high and jagged coastal strip with stacks, caves and small bays. Leggi di più
The town of Santa Cesarea Terme is perched on a rocky outcrop overlooking the sea and is crossed by the coastal road that connects Otranto to Santa Maria di Leuca. The locality is characterized by the presence of thermal springs of sulphurous-salt-bromine-iodic waters which flow out at a temperature of 30° in four caves called Gattulla, Solfurea, Fetida and Solfatara.
Since October 2006, part of its territory has been part of the Costa Otranto – Santa Maria di Leuca and Bosco di Tricase Park established by the Puglia Region in order to safeguard the eastern coast of Salento, rich in valuable architectural assets and important animal and plant species.
Wet to the east by the Ionian Sea, it borders to the north with the municipalities of Otranto and Uggiano la Chiesa, to the west with the municipalities of Minervino di Lecce and Poggiardo, to the south with the municipalities of Ortelle and Castro.
Religious architecture
Mother Church of the Sacred Heart
Civil architectures
Villa Sticchi
Villa Raffaella
Military architectures
Miggiano Tower
Santa Cesarea Tower
Mirror Tower of Guard
Minervino Tower
Natural areas
Spas
Santa Cesarea Terme is located on a long stretch of coast affected by the phenomenon of thermal springs. The chlorinated, sulphurous and iodine waters of the Santa Cesarea springs gush out at variable temperatures in four natural caves, communicating with the sea, called: Gattulla, Fetida, Sulfurea and Solfatara. When the water from the caves arrives in the establishments, it undergoes a process of eutermalisation, which brings it from the original 30°C to the 36-37°C necessary for its therapeutic use. Their beneficial effect seems to have been known since ancient times by the inhabitants of the area, but their scientific valorisation can be dated back to the end of the 19th century and, above all, to the early 20th century when the Gattulla thermal establishment was inaugurated (1910).
The baths and thermal muds are particularly suitable for arthro-rheumatic, dermatological, respiratory tract pathologies, after-effects of trauma, as well as for aesthetic and anti-stress treatments.
Santa Maria di Leuca
More precisely, by Santa Maria di Leuca we mean the area above the promontory on which the Basilica and the lighthouse are located, while Marina di Leuca is located lower down and is between Punta Mèliso to the east, located at the foot of the promontory, and Punta Ristola to the west, extreme southern edge of Salento. Leggi di più
Since October 2006, the territory of Santa Maria di Leuca has been part of the Costa Otranto – Santa Maria di Leuca and Bosco di Tricase Park established by the Puglia Region in order to safeguard the eastern coast of Salento, rich in valuable architectural assets and important animal and vegetables. Just off Punta Ristola, 85 meters below sea level, lies the hull of the Italian ocean-going submarine Pietro Micca, sunk during the Second World War with its crew of 58 sailors.
Legend has it that Santa Maria di Leuca (or perhaps Porto Badisco) would have been Aeneas’ first landing place. Subsequently Peter the Apostle would have landed here, who, having arrived from Palestine, began his work of evangelization, to then reach Rome where he founded the Church. It was then that Leuca assumed its full name of “Santa Maria di Leuca”. [citation needed] The passage of St. Peter is also celebrated by the Corinthian column of 1694 erected on the square of the recently renovated Basilica. A stairway of 284 steps connects the Basilica to the port below, framing the Apulian aqueduct which, ending in Leuca, flows into the sea: the construction of the work began in 1906, then, with the beginning of the First World War, the works they stopped and were resumed only after the conclusion of the war. Then the Apulian Aqueduct arrived in Leuca in 1939, the year in which the work was completed. The monumental staircase and the Roman column that marks its end were sent from Rome by Benito Mussolini.
Religious architecture
Basilica Santa Maria De Finibus Terrae
Church of Christ the King
Bishop’s Palace
Nineteenth-century villas
Villa Daniele
Villa Fuortes “Pro Loco Headquarters”
Villa Mellacqua
Villa La Meridiana
Villa Tamborino
Villa Loreta Stefanachi
Villa Episcopo
Villa Colossus
Villa Arditi
Villa De Francesco
Villa Seracca
Military architectures
The Dead Man’s Tower
Civil architectures
The Lighthouse of Leuca
Natural areas
Rada Caves
The West Caves
The Caves of the East
Lecce
Located in the flattest part of Salento, Lecce rises in the center of a densely populated area and is the fifth largest municipality in the region by population. It is the city where the development of Baroque art was most elaborate, exploiting the characteristics of the local stone, Lecce stone. Leggi di più
Legend has it that Sybar already existed before the Trojan War, a Messapian city built as a suburb of the ancient city of Rudiae, birthplace of Quinto Ennio. After the advent of the Japigi, and the subsequent Roman conquest in the 3rd century BC, it Latinized its name in Lupiae, passing from statio militum (military station) to municipium (city community affiliated to Rome).
It experienced a period of notable magnificence under the guidance of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The core of the city then moved about 3 km north-east and took the name of Licea or Litium. The new city flourished in the Hadrian era and was enriched with a theatre, an amphitheater, some temples and thermal baths and connected to Porto Adriano (today San Cataldo).
It is believed that the evangelization of Lupiae by the patrician Publius Orontius dates back to the Neronian Age, who, converted to Christianity by a disciple of Saint Paul, Giusto, would have been the first bishop and first martyr of the city. From 1463 it was subject to the Kingdom of Naples under the monarchy of Ferrante of Aragon, who transformed Lecce into the “Sacred Royal Provincial Council of Otrantino”, making it acquire more and more importance until it became one of the richest and most culturally lively Mediterranean cities. In this period it developed in commercial traffic with Florentine, Venetian, Greek, Genoese, Albanian merchants and was an important cultural centre. In the 15th century, its commercial activities were particularly successful. In the following two centuries Salento was repeatedly threatened by Turkish incursions, so much so that under the reign of Charles V the city was equipped with new walls and a castle and the current Porta Napoli. 1630 was the year in which the construction of many religious structures began. In the Spanish era, the city was transformed into a veritable open-air construction site, due to the many civil and religious works that individuals, clergy, ecclesiastical congregations worked hard to erect; in a crescendo of increasingly beautiful and important works. A tremendous plague epidemic devastated Lecce in 1656. There were thousands of victims and religious tradition tells that, after a long wait, a miracle occurred through the intercession of Sant’Oronzo, who was later proclaimed patron saint of the city for this reason. Previously the patron saint was Santa Irene. In 1734, after the brief Austrian domination, following the danger of a Spanish restoration, the nobility took power. In 1821 Lecce took part in the Carbonari movement and sent an army of resistance to the Austrian troops. In 1848 a provisional government was formed and the Liberal party was founded: during these years it signed the memorandum of the Confederate Provinces and participated in the liberal movement of the South. After the unification of Italy, especially between 1895 and 1915, the city experienced considerable building activity with the creation of numerous public works and the first expansion outside the walls. New neighborhoods are created in the neoclassical, neo-Moorish and neo-Gothic styles.
Religious architecture
Cathedral
Basilica of Santa Croce
Basilica of San Giovanni Battista
Church of Sant’Irene
Carmine Church
St. Matthew’s Church
Church of Saints Niccolo and Cataldo
Convents
Palace of the Celestines
Monastery of the Theatines
Carmelite monastery
Dominican convent of San Giovanni D’Aymo
Palace of the Jesuit College
Augustinian convent
Former Conservatory of Sant’Anna
Dominican cloister
Military architectures
Charles V Castle
Gates of the old city
Porta Rudiae
Port of Naples
Porta San Biagio
Archaeological sites
Roman amphitheater
Roman theatre
