La Naca della Taranta

Galatina, a town rich in history and culture.

The city rises on the eastern slope of a slight hill, with the historic center at 78 meters above sea level. L. m. built to collect rainwater from the west in deep cisterns dug into the limestone. Galatina is the city where evidence of Latin culture and evidence of Greek culture coexist harmoniously, mixing with the magical - esoteric rites of "tarantism".

In fact, in the chapel of San Paolo, until a few decades ago, between 28 and 29 June (the day of the celebrations of the patron saints of the city), the "tarantate" (women who twist and squirm due to the bite of the tarantula) they came from all over Salento to drink the water from the well of the chapel considered miraculous for healing. Today the phenomenon is only recalled through the typical “pizzica” dance.

In Galatina there are numerous buildings of historical and artistic interest, so much so that in 2005 it was declared a City of Art. One of the most important buildings is the Church of Santa Caterina, a precious example of Apulian Romanesque declared a National Monument; then there is the Mother Church dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul and numerous noble palaces in precious and elegant Baroque style.

Without forgetting the three city gates, the only evidence of the old city walls, and the three Basilian crypts intended as places of worship and residence by the Basilian monks. Galatina owns three hamlets, Noha, Collemeto and Santa Barbara, which are important for agricultural production, in particular for the production of wine: Galatina is in fact part of the National Association of Wine Cities.

The city certainly has Greek origins, but few testimonies remain of this culture. The first written document which speaks of Galatina dates back to 1178, cited as Sancti Pietri in Galatina: in fact, tradition has it that St. Peter stopped in these lands on his journey from Antioch to Rome and therefore the city had this name until 'Unification of Italy, when it became simply Galatina.

One of the certainties about the history of the city is that in 1200 it was an important center of Greek culture, language and rite, despite the fact that the Normans had spread Latin. More secure documents date back to the 14th century when, in the Angevin period, the fiefdom of San Pietro in Galatina was entrusted to the Balzo-Orsini family. Later it passed under the Castriota Scanderberg, Sanseverino, Spinola, Gallarati-Scotti families, each for short periods. Between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries the city expanded and was enriched by the numerous and sumptuous palaces for which today Galatina is recognized as a city of art.