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THE "RIVIERA NERETINA" |
  
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| Along the Ionian Sea the coast winds for kilometres in a series of little bays, where sandy beaches alternate with rocky cliffs, in the centre are the two bays of Porto Selvaggio and Uluzzo. This is the "Riviera Neretina", between Torre Squillace and the "Four Columns". Nardò is of ancient Messapian origin. Semi-destroyed in 206 B.C. during the Roman occupation, it flourished again under Octavian Augustus. It was later invaded and sacked by the Goths, Longobards and Saracens. It was conquered by the Normans in 1055. Its old town centre has many fine palazzi, portals, balconies and courtyards. The baroque Piazza Salandra is particularly interesting for its architecture. A short distance away is the Norman cathedral, built around 1090, with fine frescoes. The Osanna temple dates back to 1603 and is composed of eight columns forming the perimeter and a central one supporting the domed roof. Farther inland, where the contryside is more undulating because of the Serre hills (lying from north to south, none heigher than 200 metres), we come to Copertino, with its fine castle, the home town of Giuseppe Desa, a Friar Minor, honoured by the Church with the name of Saint Joseph of Copertino (the patron saint of students). Farther on is Galatina, the largest town after the provincial capital. The church of Saint Catherine is one of the rare examples of Gothic style in Salento. The little church of Saint Paul is also very famous, where the "tarantati" meet every year. Tarantism is a phenomenon midway between hysteria and old rites of magic origin. The parish church of Saints Peter and Paul is noteworthy for its grandiose baroque façade. Lastly we come to Maglie, a Greek colony around the year 900. In the centre of the town stands the eighteenth-century baroque church of Saint Nicholas. Not far off is the church of the Madonna delle Grazie, near which stands a tall column bearing the statue of Our Lady.
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