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Galatina is located 20 km south of Lecce. Its origins date back to the first Byzantine colonization. Some 1200 sources cite the importance of the centre of Greek culture. The city also has contaminations of Latin culture, primarily in its religious functions, due to the dissemination by the Normans at the beginning of the 11th century. The Popes called for the latinisation of Galatina to the detriment of the Greek and Byzantine culture. According to tradition Saint Peter introduced Catholicism here upon his return from Antioch, a circumstance that gave it the name of San Pietro in Galatina until the Unification of Italy. The Orsini del Balzo lords, in addition to increasing the economic development of the area, guided Galatina’s population towards the liberation of Pope Urban VI from the prison near Nocera. The eighteenth century building expansion resulted in the construction of churches and elegant buildings decorated with impressive portals and balconies, the “building with central courtyard” which various buildings overlooked was the typical architectural style of the period. Following the urban reorganization Galatina became one of the few cities paved with exposed stone.