Maglie
Maglie: the Salentine city
Hello friends! Today I want to tell you a little about Maglie, a beautiful city located in Salento, in the province of Lecce, Puglia. Maglie has about 13,613 inhabitants and is strategically located for the middle-low Salento, being an important industrial and economic center of the area.
The physical geography of Maglie
The municipality of Maglie extends in the central part of the province and is located south of Lecce. With an area of about 61.72 km², Maglie is located inland from Otranto, in the southernmost part of the Salento plain. The morphology of the territory is mainly flat, but also has some small elevations. The climate is Mediterranean, with mild winters and hot and humid summers. Precipitation mainly occurs in autumn and winter, while spring and summer are characterized by long periods of drought.
The origins of the name
The name Maglie has several theories regarding its origin. According to a legend attributed to Luigi Tasselli, a monk from Casarano, the city originated from three farms joined together like the links of a chain: San Basilio, Sant'Egidio, and San Vito. However, historian Emilio Panarese believes that the name comes from the toponym of Messapic and therefore Illyrian origin, ''mal'', which means "height, top, or mountain." The Latinized form ''Malliae'' would correspond to Mallia, the toponym of the island of Siro (Greece), in the Cyclades, and to Malia (Greece), an ancient city on the island of Crete.
The history of Maglie
The first traces of human settlements in the area date back to the Bronze Age. The first inhabitants were presumably descendants of the populations of the Copper Age and the Neolithic, capable of cultivating, breeding, and building villages. During the Roman period, Maglie became an important commercial and agricultural center thanks to the fertile Salento plain and the water sources in the area. In the Middle Ages, the city was dominated by the Byzantines, Normans, and Swabians. During the Renaissance, Maglie had significant cultural and artistic development thanks to the Acquaviva family, lords of the city from 1463 to 1737.
Places to visit in Maglie
Visit Maglie, you will not be disappointed! One of the places not to be missed is undoubtedly the historical center of the city, which preserves many Renaissance buildings. Among the most important monuments, there are the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta, the Church of San Nicola di Bari, and the Palazzo dei Principi Acquaviva d'Aragona, which hosts the civic museum. You can also take a walk in the public garden Antonio Coppola, which offers a spectacular view of the city.
The cuisine of Maglie
Finally, you cannot leave Maglie without tasting its delicious cuisine. Salentinian cuisine is famous throughout Italy for its variety of traditional dishes. In Maglie, you can taste the famous "pasticciotti," sweet pastries filled with pastry cream, and "rustici," a type of focaccia stuffed with mozzarella, tomato, and onion. In addition, you cannot miss the fresh fish specialties and excellent local wines.
I hope you enjoyed this brief tour of Maglie! If you have the opportunity to visit this beautiful Salentine city, you will not regret it.
