Nardò and
Marinas
PLACES OF INTEREST AND WHAT TO SEE IN NARDÒ
Be inspired by the territory and the splendid Marinas of Nardò, discover what to see and visit during your stay in Salento, and choose a historic residence or a seaside home for your holidays in Puglia.
It is a land in continuous and sudden transformation that in recent decades has seen its economic configuration change profoundly: from an agricultural region focused on the cultivation of olives and vines, to a tourist region that has services as its engine of development.
The growth recorded in recent decades by the tourism sector of Nardò constitutes a primary confirmation of the exceptional endowment of cultural, naturalistic, and food and wine resources of the territory, but also a moment of reflection on the development model being pursued. Seaside tourism represents the primary type of offer in the area, but not the only one.
In fact, Nardò, nestled in a large plain extending along the Ionian coast for about 22 km, is the largest municipality in the province by area and population after the city of Lecce. From Torre del Fiume to Punta Prosciutto, the territory is varied and diversified: from countryside dotted with fortified farmhouses (masserie) dating back as far as the 15th century, to the rugged cliffs of Santa Caterina and Santa Maria al Bagno, from the Mediterranean scrub of the Porto Selvaggio Natural Park to the sandy shores of Torre S. Isidoro, from the picturesque Baroque center of Nardò to the prehistoric caves of the coastline and the eleven 16th-century coastal towers. This richness undoubtedly constitutes a powerful draw for that segment of the tourism market attentive to an integrated offer, making Nardò unique and inimitable.
Once again this year, the marinas of the Municipality of Nardò have obtained these prestigious awards.
Monuments and Places of Interest in Nardò
Cathedral Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta stands on the site where the ancient Basilian church of Sancta Maria de Nerito was founded by Eastern monks who fled iconoclastic persecutions in the 7th century. With the Norman conquest of the city in 1055, the Basilian monks were slowly replaced by Benedictines, to whom the monastery and church were entrusted.
Of notable significance is the 13th-century wooden crucifix, known as the Black Christ due to the particular dark coloring of the cedar wood. Several altars and the Chapel of San Gregorio Armeno, a 1680 work by Placido Buffelli, date back to the Baroque period. It was elevated to a Minor Basilica in 1980.
Church of San Domenico
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta stands on the site where the ancient Basilian church of Sancta Maria de Nerito was founded by Eastern monks who fled iconoclastic persecutions in the 7th century. With the Norman conquest of the city in 1055, the Basilian monks were slowly replaced by Benedictines, to whom the monastery and church were entrusted.
Of notable significance is the 13th-century wooden crucifix, known as the Black Christ due to the particular dark coloring of the cedar wood. Several altars and the Chapel of San Gregorio Armeno, a 1680 work by Placido Buffelli, date back to the Baroque period. It was elevated to a Minor Basilica in 1980.
Church of the Immacolata
The Church of the Immacolata was built in 1580 on the remains of a medieval building. Originally dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi, it was consecrated to the Immaculate Conception in 1830 and entrusted to the homonymous brotherhood. It features an elegant carparo stone facade divided into two orders by a projecting cornice and characterized by pairs of pilasters with festoons framing tympanum niches. The entrance portal, surmounted by a niche with a Lecce stone statue of the Virgin Mary, is aligned with the rose window of the upper order. The interior, with a single nave ending in the presbytery, houses three Baroque-style side altars. The adjacent Convent of the Conventuals, purchased by private individuals after its suppression in 1809, is used as a private residence.
Municipal Theater
The Municipal Theater of Nardò was built at the end of the 19th century based on a design by engineer Quintino Tarantino. It was inaugurated in 1909 with the staging of Arrigo Boito’s opera Mefistofele. Although the structure’s functionality was not constant, the activity carried out was intense; it was also used as a music and dance hall because, thanks to a pulley system designed by Tarantino, the stalls could be raised to the height of the stage. In 2006, fire safety compliance works were completed, involving local design groups and craftsmen. The inauguration ceremony was entrusted to the celebrated Maestro Francesco Libetta, who involved Carla Fracci, Franco Battiato, Salvatore Cordella, Gianni Calignano, and the dancers of the Balletto del Sud.
Acquaviva Castle
The first records of the castle date back to the second half of the 15th century, when its construction marked the transition from Angevin to Aragonese rule, which coincided in the city with the rise of the Acquaviva family. The structure was the work of architect Giulio Antonio Acquaviva, Duke of Atri and a pupil of Francesco di Giorgio Martini. The manor was completed at the corners by four massive almond-shaped protruding towers; one of which was later rebuilt by the “Guercio di Puglia” after the Neretine revolution of 1647, which broke out concurrently with the popular revolt in Naples led by Masaniello. The entire building originally spanned four levels with approximately 49 rooms. The slightly projecting cornices of the upper part of the towers, resting on small corbels, remain of admirable workmanship. The main facade, decorated with a rusticated motif, is also the result of 19th-century remodeling and today characterizes the definitive appearance of this noble palace, which houses the Town Hall.
Piazza Salandra
Piazza Salandra has always been the beating heart of the city, the center of religious and administrative life since its inception. Originally called “Piazza delle Legne” and later known as “Piazza Municipale,” it dates back to the 14th century. Connected by Via Duomo to Piazza Pio IX, and close to the ancient municipal theater, the Churches of the Immacolata and San Giuseppe, the “agora” is made even more significant by the presence of numerous monuments of historical and architectural importance. These include the Spire of the Immacolata, the Sedile, the Church of San Trifone, the old University Palace, the Church of San Domenico, and the Bull’s Fountain.
Museum of Memory and Welcome
The Museum of Memory and Welcome, designed by architect Luca Zevi, was inaugurated in 2009 in the presence of the Chief Rabbi of Rome. it houses photographic and video documents, a multimedia room, a library and newspaper archive, and three murals.
The collected material dates from 1943 to 1947, initially kept in the Historical Archive of Nardò, and illustrates the story of the 150,000 Jewish refugees who, having escaped the Holocaust, found welcome in the hamlet of Santa Maria al Bagno, where the Santa Croce Camp was set up to host them. Furthermore, Nardò is twinned with the city of Hof HaCarmel Atlit in Israel, where some of the refugees who escaped the exterminations took shelter. The murals were created by the Romanian Jew Zivi Miller, himself a refugee and concentration camp survivor. The works illustrate the suffering and pain regarding the extermination of the Jewish people through the use of the color gray, without the use of doors or windows.
Porto Selvaggio and Palude del Capitano Regional Natural Park
The Porto Selvaggio and Palude del Capitano Regional Natural Park is a protected natural area in Puglia located in the province of Lecce, established by regional law on March 15, 2006, no. 6.
In 2007, it was included by the Fondo Ambiente Italiano (FAI) in the list of “100 places to save.”
The park falls entirely within the territory of the municipality of Nardò. It includes the area of the “Porto Selvaggio – Torre Uluzzo” regional natural park (established in 1980) and the Palude del Capitano (classified as a natural area in 1997). The coast is rocky and jagged, characterized by pine forests and Mediterranean scrub. Located along the coastline are Torre dell’Alto, Torre Uluzzo, and Torre Inserraglio. Within the park territory is also the Grotta del Cavallo, a natural coastal limestone cave, part of a larger system of natural caverns located in the Bay of Uluzzo.
Santa Maria al Bagno
Known in the past by the names Sancta Maria De Balneo or Sancta Maria ad Balneum, the locality has been inhabited since ancient times, as evidenced by the numerous prehistoric archaeological finds (arrowheads, blades, ceramic shards, and more) found in the nearby “Grotta del Fico.”
For the hospitality shown, on January 27, 2005, the President of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi awarded the city of Nardò the Gold Medal for Civil Merit.
As a testament to that period, three murals created by some deportees, and particularly by Zivi Miller, still remain.
The Four Columns
The Torre del Fiume di Galatena, better known as “Le Quattro Colonne” (The Four Columns), is one of the many coastal watchtowers in Salento built by Charles V in the 16th century to defend the territory from Saracen assaults. At the site where the tower is located, there is a freshwater spring, also known to pirates who often attacked the area to resupply. Charles V therefore decided to protect this spring by having the tower erected. The tower featured a square-based truncated pyramid structure with pentagonal corner bastions and a height of 16 meters. In the upper part, there was a stringcourse with corbels. The central part of the ancient tower probably collapsed not long after its construction, following an enemy attack or seismic phenomena. Today, only the four corner bastions remain: for this reason, the tower is also called “of the Four Columns.”
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