MAGLIE
Maglie is a City of Salento
in the province of Lecce, half way between Gallipoli and Otranto.
It developed around its castle during the Medieval period.
During a previous era, the territory was most likely populated
by the Dolmens of Calamauri, Chianca, Specchia and by the
Menhir of Franite, Spruno and Calamauri, as demonstrated and
testified by Palaeolithic finds.
Other finds, in turn, testify about the activity of the populations
during the subsequent Bronze Age (3.500-12th Century BC).
No nucleuses of the future Maglie were formed in the area
until the 12th Century AD with Longobard the settlements.
During the Byzantine era (7th-11th Century), Maglie began
to develop and the Sant’Egidio, San Vito and the San
Basilio Towers were built. Some Basilican monks who were escaping
iconoclastic persecution were active over the territory.
The new centre took the name of Megalia, later changed to
Meglie. This name probably derived from the Messapian Malle,
meaning height.
With the arrival of the Normans during the 11th Century, the
suburb grew and enjoyed a period of economic development,
which continued with the Swabians.
It was the Angiòs who constructed the Castle in 1266.
Maglie passed under Aragonese domination (1442) and experienced
the scourge of Turkish invasions, as with other cities in
Puglia. Sadly, the most famous of these happened in 1491.
During 1449, the suburb was given as a feudatory to the Lubelli
Family, who administered it until 1608, when the Castle was
sold to the Maresgallo Family. It was then passed to the Prato
Family (1707), the Filomarino (1711) who were the first to
modify the Angioina fortress, and the Capece of Barbarano
(1723), who added the beautiful Baroque doorway.
In 1806, the year feudatory rights were abolished by the Bonaparte
government of Naples, the last Capece descendant left the
castle to the Jesuits, with a condition that it become a College
(1843).
In 1861, Maglie became part of the Reign of Italy, as with
the whole of Puglia.
A visit to Maglie, includes the Castle which became Palazzo
Capece, the Chiesa Madre (Mother Church) with its beautiful
adjacent bell tower, the ancient Madonna delle Grazie and
the S. Giovanni Church (end of 16th Century). Just outside
Maglie, one can also visit the Baroque Sanctuary of the Madonna
Addolorata.
Every year in August, the City hosts the Mercatino del Gusto,
an ideal time to understand the history and traditions of
this beautiful Salento locality.
On the outskirts of Maglie, one can also visit the abandoned
Roca Vecchia rural home.
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