Galatina - Salento

Information on where to sleep in the municipality of Galatina (Lecce)

Population: 29296 In total area: 816 kmXNUMX Density: 353 Accessibility: The urban center of Galatina it is approximately 20 km from Lecce, the capital of Salento; can be reached from SS.476. Common address of Galatina, Lecce: Via Umberto I Telephone: 0836 – 633111 Galatina It is located halfway between the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic Sea, 20 km south of Lecce, is one of the most populous centers in the southern area of Puglia. Le fractions of the municipality of Galatina are:

Collemeto
Although
and Santa Barbara.

Galatina It is an important wine production centre with ancient origins, dating back to the feudal period. In the past the city belonged to the following families:

Of the Balzo
then to the Fragoso of Genoa
benefited by Ferdinand I of Aragon
to the Scanderbergs
to San Severino
to the Carafa of Corato
to the Braydas
and to the Spinolas
In the Middle Ages it was a Greek colony and later the county of Soleto.

What to visit in Galatina?

The city of Galatina in the past, between the Renaissance and Baroque periods, enjoyed a happy artistic moment, represented in the historic centre by the numerous churches and palaces, such as

the Vernaleone Palace
Galluccio-Mezio Palace
Venturi Palace
and the Gorgoni Palace.

Il Historic center of Galatina, like many others in Puglia, can be defined as an "open-air museum", due to the presence of numerous artistic testimonies. In the centre of the town you can admire the baroque Mother Church dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul built from scratch in 1633, on the site of a previous sacred building where services were held in the Greek rite until the time of Pope Sixtus IV (1471-1484). La Church of St. Catherine of Latin rite, opposed to the Greek rite existing in the area, and frescoed by craftsmen of the Venetian and Tuscan schools, it is today National Monument. It is one of the few examples of Gothic architecture in Salento. It has five naves and the façade is tricuspid, in Apulian Romanesque style, with a large stone rose window and finely carved portals. The interior, majestic in its proportions, is a veritable art gallery. Walls, pillars, archivolts, vaults, and frescoes are everywhere. Due to the vastness of the pictorial cycles of these frescoes, the Galatina Basilica is second only to Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. The splendid church has been declared Pontifical Minor Basilica from 1992. Another distinctive element of the city, a few steps from the villa, is the small church of San Paolo.

The Tarantate in Galatina

According to the tradition which can also be found in the itinerary on tarantism, from the well inside the church, currently walled up for hygiene reasons, water flowed which had the power to heal those who were bitten by arachnids such as tarantulas (in dialect, tarante). Secondo the tradition the tarantate They performed a musical exorcism at home; subsequently, amidst the pressing rhythms of local music, they went to the chapel to invoke the Saint or thank him for the grace received. Only after drinking the miraculous water and vomiting into the well could the grace be considered obtained and every year, the 28nd June, they returned to “renew” the grace. Hence the annual celebration of the tarantate, which is still alive today.