Faggiano (source: Visual Puglia )
An agricultural town near the Serra dei San Crispieri, Faggiano takes its name, as tradition would have it, from a beech (faggio) wood that surrounded the area in antiquity, although another theory maintains that the name is derived from the Latin word “fagus”, because of the well known local gastronomic tradition. The surrounding woods still provide an invite to lose oneself in nature. It is not unusual to see species of fauna on the brink of extinction here. The countryside abounds in many crops, and the wine, oil, wheat and figs are of excellent quality. A poor and sparsely populated hamlet in the 13th century, it became a large flourishing centre of the Albania Salentina area in the 15th century. At one time it was the fiefdom of noble families of the area, from the Muscettolas to the Piscicells, and finally became an autonomous municipality in the Napoleonic period.
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Taranto and its province have their most ancient roots in rock settlements and Greek culture. Two civilizations which developed well in this area of Southern Apulia thanks the conformation of a land once rich in water and very fertile, so much that Greek settlers were attracted by it and founded Taranto in 706 b.C. The presence of water courses, now flowing underground, is also witnessed by the several caves and creeks one can see in this area. A result of erosion, they are an ideal scenario for the development of those rock-settlement civilizations that spread over the whole region and particularly in Taranto area. Today, this province show a slightly sharper aspect in its inland, sandy sea beds and limpid sea in Taranto Gulf area. Ancient civilizations are still visible in the charm of wonderful landscapes included in natural settings.
In Taranto Murge there are deep ravines resulting from the action of ancient rivers as well as several karstic caves where a flourishing rock-settlement civilization rose since prehistory. Often a haven for shepherds and peasants, these same caves were used in Middle Ages as a place of worship by Basilian monks. Traces and witnesses of rock settlements, hypogeous hamlets and frescoed walls can be seen near Mottola and Massafra
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In Taranto province inland area, characterized by a green landscape, olive groves and vineyards, there are several small towns like Manduria or Grottaglie, which roots can be found in ancient Messapi civilization. These towns often offer very interesting archeological and naturalistic parks
The Ionian coast is characterized by wide beaches and a limpid water sloping gently into deepness. Cities such as Taranto, also known as the "city of two seas" stand over this coast, and Pulsano with their tourist vocation and famous local food
Project created in collaboration with InnovaPuglia.
Regione Puglia
Regione Puglia