melpignano baroque city salento lecce puglia italy

navigate by keyword : building monochrome landmark cathedral church architecture history facade monastery synagogue basilica chapel tower melpignano belongs historic region grecanot salentina ancient language greek griko village concert taranta festival groves pastures endless stone walls cultures town lecce material buildings courtyard houses romans greekbyzantines monuments giorgio convent augustinians palazzo marchesale luca roundarched renaissance porticoes mother madonna assunta clock linguistic island origin hosting notte always languages dominated characterized customs local former stands enclosed baroque city salento puglia italy

Melpignano, Baroque city of Salento. Lecce, Puglia, Italy Royalty Free Stock Photo

Melpignano, Baroque city of Salento. Lecce, Puglia, Italy

Melpignano belongs to the historic region of GrecÃ¬a Salentina, a linguistic island where an ancient language of Greek origin, Griko, is spoken. The village is famous for hosting the final concert of the Notte della Taranta Festival. Olive groves, pastures and endless flat expanses, divided only by dry stone walls, are home to the village of Melpignano, which has always been a crossroads of trade, cultures and different languages.. Colonized by the Romans, it was then dominated for over five centuries by the Greek-Byzantines who radically characterized its uses, customs and the local language: Griko.The monuments of interest are the Church of San Giorgio, the Church and former Convent of the Augustinians, the Palazzo Marchesale De Luca, In the heart of the village stands Piazza San Giorgio, enclosed by a series of round-arched Renaissance porticoes, the Mother Church, the Chapel of the Madonna Assunta and the Clock Tower.