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A visit to Castrignano del Capo

A visit to Castrignano del Capo

Leuca and more

Castrignano del Capo, as not many people know, is the most southern municipality in all of Puglia and Leuca falls inside its boundaries. Most visitors know about the beauty of Leuca but not many know of the other beauties of Castrignano. Today, we would like to present its many interesting places.

The toen has very ancient origins, some aercheological remains show that there were populations here dating to before the Romans, but the development of the village as we know it today is from Medieval times. The name Castrignano comes from the Roman Castrum that means ‘castle’ and maybe it was called this way because of the many towers and fortifications present on its territory. The historic centre is called with a particular name, Borgo Terra, because in Medieval times the soil (terra) was an all-engaging element for men. Borgo Terra is in the typical Salento style, with low, white houses, winding, narrow streets that help keep warm in winter and fresh in summer, and with its exposed stones. There are many stately mansions that stand out for their majesty and elegance both inside and outside the historic centre. One of these is Palazzo Fersini, a building dating back to the end of the 1400s. Another building worth mentioning is Palazzo Muzi that is on Piazza Mercato, formaerly called Piazza San NIcola. The simple facade hides many secrets within. It was a palace with a thousand purposes: defensive bastions, as the strong walls would suggest, from which to throw boiling oil and stones; self-sufficient ‘masseria’ (typical Puglia farmsteads) with a mill, wells, and an olive mill; home to noblemen and eminent people. The legend says that Joseph Bonaparte stayed here.

There are many underground oil mills, real treasures of Salento, in the historic centre of Castrignano del Capo and often can be visited when open.

Castrignano doesn’t only have Leuca among its fractions, but also Giuliano and Salignano, both full of history and charm. Giuiano di Leuca is less known treasure with a splendid overpowering and severe castle dating back to the 1500s, a menhir dating back to the Bronze Age, and the crypt of the Pantocrator, a Byzantine crypt with its original frescos.

In Salignano, you must go to see the marvellous defense tower made with the local ‘carparo’ and that towers over the centre square like a cherry on a bun. The church of the Madonna delle Grazie, old and rustic but very ancient testmony of devotion, and the church of San Giuseppe, forced stop for pilgrims on their way to Santa Maria di Leuca, are equally important.
There are many small splendours to discover in Castrignano, but we don’t want to be biased, therefore we will leave the pleasure of continuing to explore our magnificent municipality, full of history, nature and beauty, to you.

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