All the things you must see in the Gallipoli Historic Center
The historic center of Gallipoli has many hidden treasures within its ancient walls, narrow alleys and whitewashed houses. There are buildings and structures, some ancient others more recent that are extremely interesting to visit and get to know and that will enrich your holiday.
The first jem is the municipal library in Via Sant’Angelo. It is in a historic building, the ex-convent of the Immacolata dei Nobili. Inside it has many stucco decorations on its walls and extremely ancient books of great interest. On the lower floor you will find the Church of Sant’Angelo, which at present, is the seat of the historic archives and preserves documents from the 1800s. If you are looking for the right occasion to visit, there are laboratories dedicated to children to get to know literature classics through games, theatre and word games, untill the 21st December. The next meetings for this project called “Lettori animati – s-drammatizziamo i classici”, will be on the 26th October, 23rd November and 21st December.
The Diocesano Museum is an attachment of the library and is next to the Cathedral of Sant’Agata, a magnificent expression of the Lecce Baroque style. The Museum has paintings made by Baroque artists from Gallipoli, treasures from various churches in the city that testify of ancient splendours, and Latin epigraphs of great historic value. You can’t miss the splendid panoramic view of Gallipoli from the terrace of the Museum.
In the heart of the historic centre, in Via Garibaldi, there is the Municipal Theatre, built in 1825 and restored many times. The furniture and decorations are very elegant and precious: golden stuccoes, damask upholstry and carvings will take you on a journey back in time. On the 29th October, during the “Notte bianca della cultura”, a free performance will take place at the Garibaldi Theatre called “Orwell Circus” produced by ZeroMeccanico Teatro. It is a play that will make you laugh but also think about humanity and its search for power.
The “Emanuele Barba” civic museum is another must. It is on Via De Pace3, the main road in the historic centre. This museum is in a great Neoclassic style building and is a real treasure mine: archaeological relics, paintings, Renaissance weapons, ancient books and a large collection dedicated to the animal kingdom and to medicine. An incredible journey into discovery.
In via De Pace and surrounding streets, in the shadow of the great, thick walls, there are ancient underground oil mills that can still be visited, where you can discover the century old art of oil production and the learned ability of Gallipoli people in the construction of bare stoneworks.
Strolling along the historic centre of Gallipoli, don’t forget to admire the historic buildings like Palazzo Balsamo, with its Spanish style facade, and Palazzo Pirelli with its painted ceilings.
The Palazzo del Corso Hotel is waiting to accompany you on a treasure hunt of all theses splendours.
