Information - Itinerary ri

In both prehistory and protohistory, Puglia has occupied a position of extreme importance. There are numerous caves in which both Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens resided. Evidence of their existence can be found in sites and artefacts the equivalent of which are rarely found anywhere else in Europe. Salento is the only Mediterranean mainland that hosts a considerable amount of dolmens and menhirs. The father of history, the Greek Herodotus, wrote that the Salentines, called Messapians, originally came from the island of Crete about 1500 B.C. and created a sophisticated and mysterious culture. This statement has been confirmed by a recent discovery made in Lucera in Apulia by the historian Mario Marincola, who found letters of the ancient Cretian ideograms carved on a stone. The Messapians erected imposing walls of defence around their cities which are still visible today. The Romans conquered Salento in 266 B.C. Remains of their long domination can be found in the form of theatres, roads, sculptures, stone inscriptions etc. At the end of the 6th century A.D. Salento came under the influence of the Byzantine empire. Around 700 A.D. there was a new wave of immigrants from Greece, who initiated a large Greek enclave still existing today where the old language and traditions are practiced. Innumerable crypts and churches have been left as evidence of the Byzantine era. At the beginning of the year 1000 the Normans made their first appearance in Apulia. At that time Salento had been totally Greek for centuries in terms of race, language, religion and culture. The Normans founded the kingdom of Southern Italy, which ended as late as 1861. Lecce, the capital of the region, became the most sophisticated and developed city of their kingdom. It is there that one can find one of the most interesting monuments left behind by the Normans, the church of Saints Niccolò and Cataldo. After the Norman reign Salento was ruled first by the Swabian and

then by the Angevin dynasties, both of which left noticeable traces of their rule. The house of Aragona followed, leaving imposing monuments like the fortification of Otranto. In mid 16th century, under the rule of the Habsburg, the kingdom of Southern Italy became part of the Spanish empire and changed its name to Viceregno. To defend Salento the Emperor Charles V erected a series of towers all along the coastline that still form an integral part of our marine landscape. During this period Lecce became the second most important political and commercial city in Southern Italy. Renowned for the abundance of its beautiful buildings, a distinctive form of Baroque evolved here that became internationally acclaimed and was called ‘Baroque Leccese'. Most of the old towns, the villas and monuments in Salento are constructed in this style. Southern Italy became independent again in the mid 18th century under the rule of the Bourbon-Naples family, but in 1861 it became part of the new unified Italian state.

Salento - History and art - Traditions - Crafts - Food and wine - Land and sea - Towns and cities - Flora and fauna - Climate - Information

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