Erchie is a small town with an ancient charm situated south-west of Brindisi. Its origins go back to the 6th century B.C. when the Messapians are said to have founded a place of worship in honour of Hercules (Herculea) on this site. This local legend was first recounted by Marciano, author and historian of the Terra d’Otranto in the early 1600s. Whatever the truth of this story, numerous archaeological remains found in the town’s vicinity confirm that its origins are indeed extremely ancient.
Beginning in the Roman era, a slow and unrelenting decline took place, and by 1377 the town counted only about 20 inhabitants.
The town was repopulated in the 17th century. The fiefdom of Erchie passed from the Montefuscolis, to the Mairos, the Bonifacios, the Albrizzis and finally to the Lavianos to whom we owe the construction of the Palazzo Ducale.