Population: 1979 inhabitants
In total area: 8 kmXNUMX
Density: 217 inhabitants/kmXNUMX
Accessibility : The town of Seclì is 29 km from Lecce, the capital of Salento; it can be reached from the SS. 101 Salentina-Gallipoli road.
Common address of Seclì, Lecce: Via G. Puccini
Tel .: 0836 - 554213
Seclì is a municipality in the province of Lecce not far from Galatina.
To visit:
A paved road connected the Ducal Palace with the monastery.
Attached to the monastery there was and still is the temple dedicated to the Madonna degli Angeli, today called Sant'Antonio due to the particular cult that the religious people of Seclì have towards the Saint of Padua.
Around 1960, as our grandparents tell us and as the photos show, the church was renovated, 6 of the 9 altars were demolished, the main altar and the floor, which was originally made of majolica, were redone; the furnishings were also changed (chandeliers, ceiling lamps, armchairs, etc.)
According to some scholars, the Ducal Palace was built around 1570, a period in which Seclì was a fiefdom of the D'Amato family.
The most important element that validates this thesis is the "singular loggia" which experts consider one of the most beautiful corner solutions in all the architecture of Salento.
In the second half of the 16th century, the D'Amato family became the protagonists of a change that brought about a radical change in the life of the small hamlet and contributed significantly to the beginning of a phase of notable economic, cultural and artistic growth and prosperity, which has never been touched again since.
By actively participating in the most significant historical, political and religious events of the time and by tying themselves through marital and hereditary bonds with other great families in the area, these lords managed to insert the small centre into an area made up of continuous exchanges and relationships.
The Palace which takes its name from the Dukes of D'Amato stands in a place which in the past was called “Tresciule”.
The Ducal Palace of Seclì dates back to the 500th century, and was renovated first at the end of the 700th century and finally again in the 20th century following the earthquake of 1743 February XNUMX.
Most likely it arose as a defensive fortress; it was later embellished by the D'Amato family with forms influenced by the climate of détente after the terrible Saracen raids.
Today the building is owned by the municipality and is undergoing restoration.
Some rooms of the palace are already accessible, such as the one where the council chamber has been set up.
Source: www.comune.secli.le.it