The Salento city of Galatina does not overlook the crystal clear sea of this beautiful land, but it is certainly one of the most elegant cities in Salento. Rich in palaces, churches and ancient courtyards, Galatina encompasses a centuries-long history in its historic center, a past in which noble families intertwined their lives with that of the peasants who have always nurtured a visceral and almost sacrificial bond with their land.
Let's dive headlong into the discovery of one of Salento's most beautiful cities, tracing its history of villas and palaces, monuments and churches, all the way to the gastronomy and pizzica that here inflame every corner to the sound of music and flavors!
The history of Galatina, the most elegant city in Salento
As explained on the official website of the city of Galatina, the term "galatina" was "an adjective used to indicate the land galatina or people galatina, that is, the land of origin or lineage." The term stands to identify the Mediterranean area, in the center of the Salento peninsula, where the Galatina ethnic group was located and later developed. One of the earliest activities practiced by the people of this ethnic group was precisely agriculture, which aimed above all to transform the Mediterranean scrub or forest into crops that could in turn give rise to foodstuffs for consumption and useful to feed the poor people. It was only around the year 1000 that Galatina was transformed into a real urban center, with the subsequent construction of the walls, the square and the church.
What to visit in Galatina
The historic center of Galatina is full of palaces, churches and courtyards that each tell a story, very often linked to the families to whom these buildings belonged. Among the oldest palaces are Palazzo Angelini, Palazzo Baldi, Palazzo Berardelli, Palazzo Calò and Palazzo Ducale, all or most of which belonged to noble and wealthy families who inhabited the city for centuries. In Galatina, the grandeur and architectural beauty of these palaces "clashes" with the domestic and peasant simplicity of courtyard houses, the dwellings of the majority of the population who often lived in precarious conditions. These buildings are usually located among the narrowest alleys of the city, where the relationship with the neighbors was more intimate and it was possible to live one's life quietly and quite simply, away from the business and noblemen who bustled through the meanders of the old palaces. The courtyard houses are fascinating places in which to lose oneself in the discovery of the most authentic Salento.
Of great prominence in Galatina is the Basilica of St. Catherine of Alexandria, a true artistic as well as religious monument. This basilica is famous throughout Apulia not only for its structure, but especially for its frescoes that make it one of the most important southern churches in the entire country. Here there is a real mixture of styles, in particular a marriage of Romanesque and and Gothic styles, which appear connected together: this is the Apulian Romanesque, which draws its origin from Romanesque, although with some Byzantine influences, along with then the Gothic with Norman influences.
Other churches worth mentioning include the Church of Santa Lucia, the Church of Madonna della Luce, Madonna delle Grazie- Noha, etc.
Galatina: there where Salento folklore explodes in all its nuances
The buildings of Galatina tell stories full of curiosity and permeated with old traditions. It is precisely in Galatina that the pizzica and tarantismo take hold, stealing the hearts of all visitors who are transported almost enraptured by the pressing and powerful rhythm of the tambourines. As is already well known, Salento is the land of the pizzica tarantata, which originates from the ancient therapeutic dance of tarantism (a real cultural and anthropological phenomenon of Salento, symbolic of the marginalization and suffering of those who were forced to live on the margins of society and of which women were very often the protagonists), made of fast steps and leaps, of spins and rhythms that cannot help but follow the music, in an exhausting and magnificent dance that leads the dancers to dance and dance until they are exhausted.
The pizzica, the taranta are a piece of the history and culture of this territory and of Galatina, of its identity and its folkloric manifestations. Then again, despite the advent of modernity, this little piece of Salento does not forget tradition, elevating it to pride and allowing it to cross even national borders, taking elsewhere and out of our country a piece of history and culture that is ours alone and that is eager to shout out loud the beauty and spontaneity of a dance that encompasses the power, resourcefulness, eros and charm of a people proud of their identity and traditions!
