Ugento

The area stretches from the hinterland, rich in centuries-old olive groves and vineyards, to the coast, with wide and popular white sandy beaches. Some sections of the ancient walls that surrounded the village can still be seen, including the castle with its finely decorated halls, the Palazzo Colosso in which artefacts dating from the 6th century B.C. to the early Middle Ages are preserved, the Clock Tower, the Cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta, whose underground tombs house the Museum of the Diocese of Ugento, considered one of the oldest dioceses in southern Italy. From a naturalistic point of view, the 'gravinelle', karst gullies running parallel to each other, and the Regional Natural Park 'Litorale di Ugento', which covers about 1,600 hectares, are remarkable. Moving slightly away from the centre of the village, you can visit the evocative monumental complex consisting of the Crypt of the Crucifix and the Chapel of the Madonna of Constantinople, as well as the remains of a necropolis from the Archaic period.