Discovering Presicce, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy

Let's start by saying that Presicce was included in the list of the most beautiful villages in Italy a few years ago by the association of the same name—established in 2001—which aims to protect and enhance the historical, artistic, cultural, environmental, and traditional heritage of Italy's smaller towns, relegated to the margins of tourist traffic.

As soon as you arrive in the historic center of Presicce, you find yourself catapulted back in time, and your heart opens before a treasure trove of surprises. Through a succession of picturesque views, it tells the story of this village with its dual soul, one noble and the other rural.

Our discovery of Presicce begins with the Baroque charm of the Mother Church, built in 1778 on the site of the old 16th-century church that, according to contemporary accounts, was damaged in the 1745 earthquake. This contrasts with the Renaissance bell tower and the monumental beauty of the Norman Ducal Palace.

The façade of the Paternò dukes' palace, graced with 16th-century cornices and arches, dominates the Piazza del Popolo, while the spectacular Hanging Gardens, created in the 18th century from the embankment of the ancient Norman walls, overlook Piazzetta Villani behind it, where you can admire the façade of the Mother Church and the Votive Column of Saint Andrew the Apostle, the city's patron saint.

Inside the Palazzo Ducale we visit the Museum of Peasant Civilization, set up with objects donated by the community, linked to manual labor and domestic life.

We continue our exploration of Presicce through narrow streets and small squares, absorbing the atmosphere of times gone by and admiring several aristocratic buildings, including Palazzo Alberti, embellished with a band of Neapolitan majolica tiles with floral motifs, Palazzo Lia, and Palazzo Valentini (to name just a few), until we reach Casa Turrita, one of Presicce's most valuable architectural works.

Built in the 16th century as an integral part of the town's defense system, along with two other towers positioned at the entrances to the village, Casa Turrita still features some original features (such as the arrow slits) and is distinguished by the lower part of the façade decorated with diamond-pointed ashlar. It's magnificent during the day, but I've only seen it in photos at night, and it looks even more beautiful when lit up.

We continue our tour of the historic center until we reach the Corciuli district: a long courtyard (with two exits) where men and pack animals lived in symbiosis. These are classic courtyard houses (a room with an adjoining cellar) grouped around an outdoor space containing the well and washhouse.

Underground Presicce

Salento has always been a renowned olive oil producing region, and Presicce, thanks to its excellent yellow gold extra virgin olive oil, has earned the title of City of Olive Oil.

In fact, the town's true treasure, what makes it unique, lies underground, home to a surprising maze of underground olive presses—also known as cave olive presses—which still preserve the ancient presses and millstones used between the 13th and early 20th centuries to produce the "lampante" oil that was shipped from the port of Gallipoli to illuminate the streets of half of Europe.

Of the twenty-three active olive oil mills, the first dug barehanded by the small community that struggled to resist the Saracen invasion, seventeen remain today, some of which have been recovered (and partially restored), such as the mill on Via Gramsci and those under Piazza del Popolo, dating back to the 14th century.

Credit: https://www.laglobetrotter.it

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