SALENTO, BETWEEN AMBIENT ART AND CULTURE
Infinite field blue that enframes to hinterland of ancient culture and luxurious architectonic art.
This is the Salento, Rich history earth where the cultures of the Mediterranean are meet and intersected, than since the ancients times they have contributed to render it only goal in its kind, destined to exigents tourists for the landscaped point of view who that cultural one.
The adriatic coast is rich of characteristic bights and coves, often accessibles only from the sea. The coasts from Otranto embed beautiful small marine city of valuable splendor. Between these remember S. Caesarean Terme, that it’s famous for its sulphureous waters and beautiful Castro, of which can be to admire the village defended on the hill and the innumerable coves which the “Zinzulusa”.
Arriving to the extreme south, in the point in which the two seas are melted (ionic and adriatic) and the earth it finishes can be admire S.maria di Leuca, with the majestic octagonal beacon and the 184 steps that from the sea they arrive until the sanctuary. This is a exclusive and aristocratic city , than is rich of natural beauties and historical-architectonic testimonies, with the residences of neogothic, moresque, Chinese and neoclassic style.
Various it is introduced instead the ionic coast, where very rarely there are reefs but is dominated from white field of sand encircled from the typical Mediterranean spot.
The bay of Gallipoli, opens from “Punta Pizzo ”. The tourist covering the long coastroad, reaches in the historical center remaining fascinated. The center of Gallipoli is erect on a island and is enclosed between thick walls from which born sinuous alleys than conduce in the hearth of city .
S. Caterina di nardò is undefiled and wild: zone a little kilometer of Gallipoli. Here can be admire the ancient and noble marine dwellings, the shelf is encircled of field pine wood is the Natural Park and the “Riserva Marina di Porto Selvaggio”(sea park) , to which to came here walking in the pine-wood or in the boat.
Porto cesareo evaluated for the white beach and crystalline sea.
The Salento is a earth from the thousand resource and propose to the tourist artistic itineraries beetween the alleis of your hundreds villages.
There are Palaces, churches and squared with bell-tower with thousand light that illuminate in suggestive way the cities.
An other beautiful goal of Salento is Lecce, City of art, the most appreciated of southern Europe for baroque testimonies. here Can be admire the majestic church of S. Croce, decorated in every its angle; the game of shadows of the church of S.Matteo.
Lecce is also the city that testifies the roman presence in the territory with its imposing Amphitheater, situated in the interesting center of S.Oronzo square.
New interesting diggings have moreover brought to light the rests of the ancient messapic center, testimony of the historical roots of city the going back to III the century a.c.
In the heart of this fascinating territory there is the Grecìa Salentina, formed from 9 countries, of which we remember Calimera, Martano, Melpignano, Soleto and Sternatia. Here speaking“griko”, a dialect similar of the ancient Greek.
The Grecìa salentina is characterized from the presence of dolmen and menhir.
To approximately 25 km from Lecce, we find Galatina, splendid city, testimony of the “ baroque minor ”, but known and admired in the world for the beautiful ” Basilica of S.Caterina of Alessandria” . Builtin the century XIV, the church, encloses the maximum of the Romanic-gothic style and beauty of five aisle frescoed in giottescque style from admirable artists of the age.
Equally artistic interest is the ” Chiesa Madre “, dedicated to the apostles S.Pietro and Paolo, patrons of the country. To little steps from this church there is the small Chapel of S.Paolo, place of cult of the people of salento that they reached between the 28 and 29 june, for drink the miraculous water of the sink and to recover from the “bite of the taranta”This phenomenon it has attracted many students and anthropologists.
In this city (Galatina ) has born the phenomenon of the “tarantismo”now remembered from dances known with the name of “pizzica”, and appreciates all over the world Many tourists reach in the Salento for the manifestations and summery artistic events, to enjoy and dance in the public squares to rhythm of tambourine and ancient songs
The event most important is the “notte della Taranta” that entrain many common of “Grecia salentina” that concluded to Melpignano with guest of international relief.
Tutto questo, trova la sua massima espressione ad agosto, durante le innumerevoli date che coinvolgono tutti i comuni della Grecìa, con il festival intitolato “ La Notte della Taranta”, che si conclude a Melpignano con ospiti di rilievo internazionale.
