Palagiano (source: Visual Puglia )
The ancient via Appian way connecting Rome with the East cut across the plain where this town sprang up, West of Taranto and close to the Ionian sea with its extensive sandy beaches. A shoreline pinewood forest that has been declared a natural park buffers Palagiano from the sea. Architectural remains show that it was inhabited in Roman times. History records its existence from the 12th century onwards, when the inhabitants of nearby Mottola moved here after the Normans destroyed their town. It was a fiefdom under the Dapifero, Casamassima, and Giordano families, as well as Ugone Billotta and Marie of Valois. When it became a barony it was ruled in succession by the Capitignano, Lubelli, Caracciolo, Carmignano, Pappacoda and Cicinelli families. Its destiny was closely intertwined with the nearby provincial capital. The economy was always based on agriculture and grazing over the centuries. The many Palagiano farmhouses give us much valuable information regarding rural construction and architecture and are also a tangible sign of feudal power in the area. The ancient town makes up one fourth of the modern town. Its streets are narrow, crooked, and paved with stone and the houses are low with straight lines.
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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