The first historic accounts of Nardo, the second city of the province after the capital to which is it tied by ancient cultural rivalry, come from various archaeological remains of Baia di Uluzzu, attributed to the Mid and Upper Palaeolithic. Founded around the 10th century BC by the Messapi, it was later conquered by the Romans in 269 BC, along with its port Empiorium Nauna (the current S. Maria al Bagno). It was then absorbed at the fall of the Roman Empire by the Byzantine Empire and for a brief period was part of the Longobard Kingdom.First conquered by the Normans in 1055, and then the Angevins in 1266, it was entrusted in 1497 by the Aragonese to Andrea Matteo Acquaviva, under his son, Belisario, who became duke, it became a cultural and religious centre for the entire Salento. After the insurrection against the Spanish in 1647, it experienced an economic and cultural renewal, in part thanks to the work of the Accademia degli Infimi Rinovati.
The Baia di Uluzzu, with its remains of prehistoric figurative art it has defined an era called “Uluzzian Paleolithic” and is an obligatory stop in an area which boasts such ancient historical roots. The city centre’s baroque architecture is imposing and refined, starting from the Castello degli Acquaviva, to the Palazzo di Città rebuilt after the 1743 earthquake in Rococo style.Essential stops on an ideal tourism route include the Baroque churches of S. Domenico, S. Chiara and S. Antonio da Padova (built on the site of a synagogue), and the Cathedral erected in the Norman period and with an interior with Romanesque and Gothic styles. Guglia dell’Immacolata with its unique majesty is very charming. It was built after the 1743 earthquake as an offering from the people who had escaped the danger. The beautiful Piazza Calandra, surrounded by Baroque buildings, with arches, balconies and loggias in Rococo style, overlook the Sedile, dating back to the second half of the 17th century, and the Church of S. Trifone, mostly likely built on a Greek Orthodox chapel. The Tempietto di Piazza Osanna, outside the walls, has an octagonal shape and eastern and Gothic additions, its origins remain shrouded in mystery. The crystalline sea of the coastline of Nardò, including Portoselvaggio and Santa Maria al Bagno, beckons to tourists.
Sources: By the editorial staff Updated on: 09/09/2010
Project created in collaboration with InnovaPuglia.
Regione Puglia
Regione Puglia