Poggiardo

A few kilometres from the splendid Salento sea, Poggiardo is a village of graceful courtyard houses, which encloses, in its small centre, treasures of great historical and artistic value, such as the Mother Church, dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua, with its splendid 18th-century façade, as well as the Ducal Palace of the Guarini family and the rupestrian Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli. Entering the latter is like taking a trip back in time and suddenly finding yourself in the golden years of Byzantium: the crypt was once completely frescoed, while today all the frescoes are in the museum dedicated to them, at Villa Episcopo. Cradle of history is also the hamlet of Vaste, where the Parco dei Guerrieri (Warriors' Park) is located, a large archaeological area containing numerous testimonies of the ancient Messapian civilisation.