Things to do in Zollino Italy – what to see attractions and activities

The Porta San Vito was erected during the fourteenth century for reasons of defending the ancient city of Soleto. The structure is surmounted by a statue of the Madonna in stone. Today, the door is in excellent condition.

The Corigliano Castle is one of the most special architectural models found in the municipality of Corigliano d'Otranto. It was built in a quadrangular shape with four corner towers and surrounded by a deep moat. On the facade we can admire paintings by several famous people of the time. Between 1514 and 1519 the building was renovated by Giovan Battista de' Monti. In 1667 the structure passed to the Trani family who transformed it into a ducal palace.

The Franciscan Basilica of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, today a national monument: it was commissioned and made by Raimondello Orsini del Balzo and consecrated in 1391.

The Castle of Amely was built on the edge of an ancient city wall by the architect Gian Giacomo dell'Acaya, at the behest of Pompeo Paladini, around the 16th century. Fortunately, it still retains its original shape and is in excellent condition. Today it is open to the public.

The Baronial Palace D'Amely, also called castle, looks like a large tower built in the second half of the 16th century on commission of Pompeo Paladini, seventh baron of Melendugno and Lizzanello. Access to the property was possible through a drawbridge. With the advent of the Barons D'Amely, the drawbridge was replaced with a masonry one surmounted by the noble emblem: two lions supporting a crenellated tower on their backs. Above the coat of arms stands the statue of the Immaculate Madonna.

The Abbey of San Niceta is located in Melendugno in the province of Lecce. It is dedicated to Saint Niceta a martyr, protector of Melendugno, who was burned for his Catholic faith on the orders of the Aryan king Athanaric.

The Menhir di Ussano, within the competence of the municipality of Cavallino, is 5 km from the town. The term menhir, of Breton origin, is obtained from the union of the words' men 'and' hir ', i.e. 'long stone'. This is 2.50 m tall and octagonal.

The Castle was built around the fifteenth century at the behest of Baron Gaspare Petraroli of Ostuni. He had this building built after Ferdinand of Aragon gave him the city. Overall, it is a modest, not imposing construction that looks more like a residential building. It is currently in good condition and you can still see its original form.

The Bilge Mirror, is a megalithic monument present within the Messapian settlement. Among the many mirrors existing in the Cavallinese territory, this is the most important in size. Its function is that of defense and vigilance and takes its name from the Latin verb speculor which means “observing around”. The large pile has elliptical base and a height of 3 meters.

The Doge's Palace or Castromedian-Limburg Castle is a construction from the second half of the 15th century. The interior, characterized by an atrium in which there is a statue in Lecce stone depicting the founder of the Castromediano family, houses vast rooms decorated with architectural elements typical of the Baroque period. Of particular artistic value are the gallery, whose cross vault is enriched by the symbols of the zodiac, the arms room and the living room.

The Acaya Castle was built in around 1535 and represents an excellent military architectural example of the era of Charles V. The wall perimeter shows a rectangular shape, with a structure shaped like trapeze. The only connection system with the ground was the bridge. Inside the building a chapel was found used solely by the Baron, as well as an oven and a mill. In the 18th century the castle was destroyed by the Turks.

The Walled Village of Acaya, located in the town of Vernole in the province of Lecce, is part of the homonymous castle. The construction dates back to medieval times, and was modified around the middle of 1500 by the architect Gian Giacomo dell'Acaya, on commission of his father Alfonso d'Acaya. Currently it can be visited by all interested parties and tourists.

Located in the heart of Lecce, it is one of the most symbolic monuments of the city of the of medieval and Renaissance period. The tower, more than 23 meters high and built on three levels, is surrounded by a moat in which were bred bears.

The building was built at the end of 1500, by the will of Baron Pietro Barone Massa. Currently, the building is owned by the Municipality.

In the sea cave called Poesia Piccola, the ancient temple of the god Thaotor Andiras, numerous rock inscriptions have been discovered in Messapian, Greek and Latin languages.

The tower of San Foca was built in 1568 by Antonio Saponaro, for defensive reasons against Turkish invasions. The building has a square base structure. After some restorations, today, the tower is home to the Harbor Authority.

Porta San Biagio is one of the three gateway to the ancient nucleus of Lecce, dedicated to San Biagio. It constitutes the southern access to the ancient urban nucleus and is located near Piazza d'Italia.

The church of Carmine, together with the adjacent convent of the Carmelites, is an architectural complex of Lecce. In 1546, following an earthquake event, the friars settled inside the church of St. Nicholas, which the Carmelites dedicated to Our Lady of Carmel. In that place they built the new monastery and later erected the current church, which began in 1711.

The castle of Lecce was founded in 1537 at the behest of King Charles V. The structure of the fortress was erected with military architecture techniques. It has two doors: “Royal Gate” which still allows access, and the 'False or Rescue Door' on the back side. It was founded, not only for defense but also cultural purposes, with a beautiful theater.

The Tower of Roca Vecchia is located in the Municipality of Melendugno, province of Lecce. Currently, the building is in a very bad state of preservation. There is only part of the walls left of the structure.

The Chinese Missionary Museum and Natural History owns various objects that the missionaries of the Friars Minor collected during their pilgrimage to the East. These are objects such as statues, tapestries, musical instruments, shells, examples of earthly fauna. Important for the enrichment of the museum is the collaboration with the University of Salento, with the WWF and the Environment League.

The construction dates back to the end of the 16th century on a previous building. It was built as a building for public meetings. The central part of the exterior is formed by an elegant arch above which there is a loggia with three refined arches. The volumetric shape outlined is provided by the four angular pillars. Inside it has shops that are rented by the municipal administration. The palace took on several roles over time as the seat of the City Hall, seat of the National Guard, and at the end of the nineteenth century, seat of the Civic Museum.

It is a rare example of "enclosed square" where the baroque style is dominant and in which time ago the doors in the evening, of which are still visible impressive hubs, were shut.

Dedicated to Saint Irene, it has a grand facade and interior, with a Latin cross with a nave, it is modulated in a much more sober way than to outside .

It is the elegant living room of the city and it is partially occupied by the Roman Amphitheatre of the III century AD, unearthed at the beginning of the twentieth century. In the square stands the column with the statue of Sant Oronzo, protector of

The Franciscan Art Gallery is located inside Palazzo Fulgenzio that dates back to the 16th century. It is an art museum that was run by the Franciscan Friars. Currently it houses a large collection of works, a hundred sixteenth-century, seventeenth-century and eighteenth-century paintings. All the furniture in the room is very nice with furniture from the period. Admission to the art gallery is free of charge for all interested in art.

The construction dates from 1694 to 1709 and was designed by the architect Giuseppe Cino. The exterior of the building is created from a strict order of raised tiles. Between them are two floors of eight windows with drawn frames. Inside there is the chapel that preserves the works of 1696 on canvas. On the first floor, the palace serves as a Diocesan Museum and as the Innocentian Library of the Diocesan Historical Archive.

It was first built in 1144 and was renovated between the years 1659-70 by Giuseppe Zimbalo to whom we owe the adjacent bell tower, 70 meters high and divided into 5 floors with very slender windows.

Built on the ruins of an oldest collapsed door, the Rudiae Gate was rebuilt in 1703 by the noble Lecce Prospero Lubelli. The door consists of a single arch, flanked by two columns on each side resting on a podium and supporting a frieze.

The Government Palace or Palazzo dei Celestini, for three centuries the seat of the convent of the Celestine Fathers, is a Baroque monument of Lecce. The Palace is a single complex with the Basilica of Santa Croce. In 1549, following the will of Charles V to expand the walls and build a new fortress, the convent previously existing on the site was knocked down.

The interior is a Latin cross with three naves, the central one it is surmounted by a coffered ceiling in gilded walnut, the two sides are covered with vaulted ceilings and open towards seven chapels, each equipped with altars.

The Cesine Nature Reserve is a natural oasis managed by WWF Italy and is located near the coastal stretch of Vernole. Its name comes from Segine, which means abandoned area. The Reserve consists of two ponds divided by a cord of sandy dunes called Salapi and Pantano Grande. The oasis is characterized by the presence of the diving duck, called the Moriglione, which occurs in the autumn and winter months in the stagnant and brackish areas of the Reserve.

Porta Napoli is a triumphal arch of Lecce, which marks the entrance to the historic center of the city. It is located in the vicinity of the square Arc de Triomphe

The Bay of the Turks, a few kilometers north of Otranto, is the place where, according to tradition, Turkish warriors landed during the siege of the city of Otranto in the fifteenth century. Sandy and unspoiled, the bay belongs to the precious protected oasis of the Alimini Lakes, one of the most important ecosystems of Salento and Puglia.