A journey through the Baroque might begin at the village of Tuglie , 10 minutes from the Hotel Casina dei Cari farmhouse. Presicce has preserved its charming historic center with elegant noble residences built between the 16th and 18th centuries. The Ducal Palace is of Norman origin. Today the palazzo houses the captivating Museum of Peasant Culture. The Baroque influence is evident in the small square with the large, beautiful church of Sant'Andrea Apostolo.
The itinerary continues along the coast in Gallipoli, the pearl of the Ionic Sea defended by imposing Anjou dynasty fortifications. There, among the tiny passageways and narrow streets of the Island of Sant'Andrea, you will find numerous relics of antiquity, nobles' palaces, and the ornate façades of Baroque churches. The Greco-Roman fountain, Palazzo Balsamo, and the Chiesa del Carmine. Next stop is Galatina: the Baroque Church of San Pietro and the late Romanic Basilica of Santa Caterina, with its marvelous frescoes.
Afterwards comes Lecce (one hour by car from the Hotel Casina dei Cari) where the Baroque triumphs, enveloping palazzos and churches in a riot of exuberant shapes. Must-sees are the Santa Croce, Gesù, and Rosario churches and the Duomo; as for the buildings, don't miss Palazzo Loffredo and Palazzo dei Celestini.
Be sure to stop in Ugento , only 10 minutes by car from the hotel. In this ancient Messapic city (from Messapia, the forerunner of Salento), the Archeological Museum houses important relics from Greek and Roman domination. The coast between Gallipoli and Leuca is dotted with watchtowers. The most beautiful and equipped beaches are at Torre Vado, Torre Mozza, and Torre San Giovanni ; however long areas of shoreline are still contaminated and solitary, making them all the more evocative.
Yet Puglia is also bursting with peasant culture. In the farmhouses between and Leuca have cultivated olive trees and vineyards throughout the ages. All around the Hotel Casina dei Cari are rows of olive trees interspersed with characteristic dry-stone walls and ancient (round stone buildings similar to the trulli) all the way to Presicce, where you may still visit the trappeti ipogei , ancient underground . The Museum of Peasant Culture in Presicce tells the story of the oil mills.
During your visit among the farmhouses and hotels of Salento, the Salento Wine Road and the "Vigna del Sole" Wine Road give you the chance to cross Puglia on original itineraries and discover, in addition to the Lecce area's full bodied DOC whites, reds, and rosés, the exquisite extra virgin olive oils of the extra virgin olive oil itineraries : "Adriatica – Ancient Land of Otranto" and "Ionica – Ancient Land of Otranto".
Casina Dei Cari | S.P. Presicce - Lido Marini (LE) - Italy | Tel.-Fax: (+39) 0833.711284 | p.iva 03698280751
