Salento Explained

Official Name:Salento
Settlement Type:Historical Region
Flag Alt:Unofficial flag
Nickname:Terra di Otranto
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Italy
Subdivision Type1:Regions
Subdivision Name1: Apulia
Mapsize:180px
Flag Border:yes
Flag Link:Senyera
Native Name:Salentu (Salentino)
Σαλέντο (Salentino Griko)
Image Blank Emblem:Coat of Arms of Terra d'Otranto.svg
Blank Emblem Type:Coat of Arms
Named For:Latin salum “Surrounded by Sea”
Subdivision Type2:Provinces
Subdivision Name2:Taranto, Brindisi, Lecce
Population Demonym:Salentini
Salentino
Utc Offset:+1
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Area Land Km2:5856.57
Population Est:1785500
Pop Est As Of:2017

Salento (Salentino: Salentu, Salentino Griko: Σαλέντο), also known as Terra di Otranto,[1] is a cultural, historical and geographic region at the southern end of the administrative region of Apulia, in southern Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the Italian Peninsula, sometimes described as the "heel" of the Italian "boot". It encompasses the entire administrative area of the Province of Lecce, a large part of the Province of Brindisi and part of that of Taranto.

The peninsula is also known as Terra di Otranto, and in the past Sallentina. In ancient times it was called variously Calabria or Messapia.

History

Messapia (Greek: Μεσσαπία) was the ancient name of a region of Italy largely corresponding to modern Salento. It was inhabited chiefly by the Messapii in classical times. Pokorny derives the toponym from the reconstructed PIE *medhyo-, "middle" and PIE *ap-, "water" (Mess-apia, "amid waters"). Pokorny compares the toponym Messapia to another ancient Italic toponym, Salapia, "salt water", a city in Apulia.

Late Bronze Age settlements were complex and comparatively rich. They lost their wealth at the beginning of the Iron Age and degraded into dispersed huts.[2] Farmers cultivated cereals and used meadows for stock grazing. In the subsequent archaic time stone built houses were erected accompanied by funerary plots. Trade with the Greeks was established. Surplus production and the intensification of wine and olive oil production enabled the culture of the Hellenistic period. The Romans conquered the Salento in the third century BC leading to a consolidation process of farms.

Geography

The Salento peninsula is composed of limestone, dividing the Gulf of Taranto to the west from the Strait of Otranto on the east, with the Adriatic Sea to the north and the Ionian Sea to the south. Known also as "peninsula salentina", from a geo-morphologic point of view it encompasses the land borders between Ionian and the Adriatic Seas, to the "Messapic threshold", a depression that runs along the Taranto-Ostuni line and separates it from the Murge.

The climate is typically Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters which provides suitable conditions for the cultivation of olives, citrus fruits and palm trees. The generally flat topography and surrounding seas can make Salento prone to windy weather year round.

Winters are mild and rainy with temperatures generally hovering in the teens °C during the day. Occasional bora winds from the northeast can bring colder temperatures to the east of the Italian Peninsula. Snowfall has been recorded as recently as 2017 but is generally very rare in coastal Salento. In contrast, southerly sirocco winds can bring warm temperatures of 20°C+ even during the midwinter months.

Alongside much of southern Italy, summers are hot, dry and sunny. While the seas which surround Salento moderate it from the extreme heat seen in Foggia and Basilicata, summer temperatures are still high with temperatures occasionally reaching 40°C or higher during heatwaves. Sirocco winds from the south occasionally deposit dust and sand from the Sahara in the coastal towns of Salento during such heatwaves. Humidity levels can be high and summer thunderstorms are not unknown.

Its borders are:

Cities and towns in Salento

!Provinces!Comunes
LecceAcquarica del Capo, Alessano, Alezio, Alliste, Andrano, Aradeo, Arnesano, Bagnolo del Salento, Botrugno, Calimera, Campi Salentina, Cannole, Caprarica di Lecce, Carmiano, Carpignano Salentino, Casarano, Castri di Lecce, Castrignano de' Greci, Castrignano del Capo, Castro, Cavallino, Collepasso, Copertino, Corigliano d'Otranto, Corsano, Cursi, Cutrofiano, Diso, Gagliano del Capo, Galatina, Galatone, Gallipoli, Giuggianello, Giurdignano, Guagnano, Lecce, Lequile, Leverano, Lizzanello, Maglie, Martano, Martignano, Matino, Melendugno, Melissano, Melpignano, Miggiano, Minervino di Lecce, Monteroni di Lecce, Montesano Salentino, Morciano di Leuca, Muro Leccese, Nardò, Neviano, Nociglia, Novoli, Ortelle, Otranto, Palmariggi, Parabita, Patù, Poggiardo, Porto Cesareo, Presicce, Racale, Ruffano, Salice Salentino, Salve, San Cassiano, San Cesario di Lecce, San Donato di Lecce, San Pietro in Lama, Sanarica, Sannicola, Santa Cesarea Terme, Scorrano, Seclì, Sogliano Cavour, Soleto, Specchia, Spongano, Squinzano, Sternatia, Supersano, Surano, Surbo, Taurisano, Taviano, Tiggiano, Trepuzzi, Tricase, Tuglie, Ugento, Uggiano la Chiesa, Veglie, Vernole, Zollino.
BrindisiBrindisi, Carovigno, Cellino San Marco, Erchie, Francavilla Fontana, Latiano, Mesagne, Oria, Ostuni, San Donaci, San Michele Salentino, San Pancrazio Salentino, San Pietro Vernotico, San Vito dei Normanni, Torchiarolo, Torre Santa Susanna, Villa Castelli.
TarantoAvetrana, Carosino, Faggiano, Fragagnano, Grottaglie, Leporano, Lizzano, Manduria, Maruggio, Monteiasi, Monteparano, Pulsano, Roccaforzata, San Giorgio Ionico, San Marzano di San Giuseppe, Sava, Taranto, Torricella.

Culture

Language

In Salentino, the Salentino dialect of Extreme Southern Italian is predominantly spoken, although an old Hellenic dialect (known as Griko) is also spoken in a few inland towns.

Food and gastronomy

Some of the popular dishes from the Salento area include:

Transportation

The nearest international airports are those of Brindisi and Bari (the latter is out of Salento but not far).

A 2-lane freeway connects Salento to Bari. The main railway line ends at Lecce. Other locations are served by regional railroads.

Leisure ports are those of: Taranto, Brindisi, Campomarino di Maruggio's tourist and leisure Marina, Gallipoli, Santa Maria di Leuca, Otranto.

Tourism

In the province of Lecce, the Ciolo cave is one of the main tourist destinations.

Festivals

Salento's sagre food festivals show off local cuisine, cooking traditions and local culture. These communal feasts are vibrant, welcoming occasions that provide an introduction to Salento's cuisine.[4]

Salento is a major holiday destination for the Italian gay population, developing around the southern town of Gallipoli, the lidos at Baia Verde and nearby naturist beaches.[5] Salento Pride is celebrated annually.

Coastal towers

The coastal towers in Salento are coastal watchtowers, as the peninsula's coast was long subject to maritime attacks by the Saracens. The first towers may have been built by Normans. The remaining historic towers are mostly from the 15th and 16th centuries. Many are now in ruins.[6]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Salento region, its geography, story, language, culture and tradition . 2023-10-08 . Villa le Terrazze . en-GB.
  2. Web site: Parco Nazionale del Circeo . van Joolen . Ester . University of Groningen . 15 October 2022.
  3. Web site: Gnummareddi . 4 August 2023.
  4. Web site: Puglia's sagre food festivals. 1 November 2020. The Big Gay Podcast from Puglia.
  5. Web site: The Big Gay Puglia FAQ. 1 November 2020. The Big Gay Podcast from Puglia.
  6. Web site: The Towers Of Salento in Apulia - South Italy . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090519052029/http://www.nelsalento.com/en/art_0000014XX0001.html . 2009-05-19 . 2009-08-17 . Nel Salento.