Galatina: and its history,...

Placed in the heart of the Salento, Galatina, firstly called St. Pietro in Galatina, was probably a Greek colony from the place-name of the city "beautiful Athens" or "Athens of milk." Originally the coat- of- arms of the city represented two crossed keys, symbol of the fidelity towards the Roman church and the Vatican. In fact the coat-of-arms was given by the Pope Urbano V to Raimondello Orsini del Balzo, who had saved him from the Angevin siege of Nocera Umbra and sheltered him in Genoa. So the Pope gave Raimondello Orsini the permission, by a Papal, to build up the Church of Saint Caterina in Alexandria with an hospital, (the actual Town hall of the city) and the Franciscan Convent. At the end of the XIV century, the scholars of the time, in order to remember the Greek origins of the city, added to the original coat-of-arms the owl (symbol of Athens), the goddess Minerva and the baronial crown with three tips put inside the shield and above the keys. 

...the boundaries and the ancient doors. 

Galatina was once surrounded and defended by strong boundaries build up for the first time in 1355 and reconstructed two centuries later. The only accesses were represented by the doors, some visible still today. The main door to enter the city was the so-called "Porta Terra", now destroyed, which linked Aligheri Square to St. Peter Square. The other accesses were "Porta Cappuccini" or "Arco Cadura", realized in 1725 and put in the east of the boundaries, "Porta St. Pietro" or "Porta Nuova", situated in the north side of the boundaries, and "Porta Luce", reconstructed in 1795 and the most ancient one. 

The artistic beauties... 

The historical centre of Galatina is contained in the boundaries of the city and has got stupendous baroque portals, some rococo buildings, the bronze fountain of Gaetano Martinez, who took part in 1936 at the Venice Biennal Exhibition with this work (the title of the fountain was "The lamp without light"), St. Pietro Square with its splendid Church, Piazzetta Orsini embellished by the Basilica of Saint Caterina in Alexandria and Gioacchino Toma's native house, the small church of "San Pietro" where at the dawn of 29 Th June of every year there is the ancient rite of the "tarantate". The Church of the "Carmine" and the ex Monastery of the "Carmelitani" face the walls of the city, from 1860 to 1964 the monastery was the centre of the Civil Hospital. Out of the boundaries, in Aligheri Square, once called Fountain Square, there is the Church of "Santa Maria della Grazia" or of the "Immacolata", built in 1720 as residence of the Dominican monks. Here we can admire the Cloister and the Convent, now centre of the library and the town museum. Other monuments to be visited and to be admired are the Church of "Santa Caterina Novella" with the Olivetani Monastery, the Parish Church of "San Biagio" and the Church of the " Spirito Santo dei Cappuccini".

...and religious.

The building of the Franciscan Basilica of "Santa Caterina di Alessandria" is tied up to the Orsini's family, and today it is a national monument. It was commissioned by Raimondello Orsini del Balzo and consecrated in 1391. This fact is testified by the registration on the left portalino (door). Maria of Enghien, Raimondello's wife, was also important for the construction of the Church, she was the buyer of the frescos (1417-1446), today still visible. The cuspidal façade in Romanesque style, is embellished by the central rose window and by two smaller ones on the sides and by a beautiful oriental portal surmounted by a bas-relief of Jesus and the twelve apostles. At first the façade was also entirely dressed by frescos, today completely disappeared. Inside the Basilica there are five aisles with walls and painted vaults: the history of the Apocalypse, the Genesis, angels, archangels, Jesus' life, the four evangelists and the Doctors of the Church, Saint Caterina's life in Alexandria are represented. Another architectural masterpiece in Galatina is the "Chiesa Madre" o Matrice, devoted to the SSs. Pietro and Paolo, patrons of the city. They both are celebrated on June 28 th -29 th -30 th . the Church, in Baroque style is adorned by the leccese stone and the prospectus is divided into two levels by pilaster strips. The central part is overhung by the statue of the Immaculate Conception, on the left there is the statue of St. Peter and on the right St. Joseph one.