Galatina, located 20km south of Lecce, is home to wonderful art which started to flourish during the 14th century, under the Orsini del Balzo family. The three gates to the old town, Porta Luce, Porta Nuova and Porta dei Cappuccini, are the starting points for streets heading into the historic centre. The statue lampada senza luce (a lamp with no light), called la pupa by the inhabitants of Galatina, stands on the street leading to Palazzo Orsini, today the Town Hall. From here, 18th-century porticoes and palaces, decorated with impressive portals and balconies, cluster together as far as the stunning Basilica Orsiniana of St. Catherine of Alexandria, a treasure trove of religious art. The Civic Museum Pietro Cavoti offers a journey back in time and history with archaeological finds from the Middle Ages and the works by local painters, as do the three Basilian crypts of St. Mary of the Cave, St. Anna and St. Mary of the Gate, which provide tangible signs of monks escaping from Byzantium to the regions of Southern Italy.
Apulia Film Commission
Cineporti di Puglia/Bari — c/o Fiera del Levante - Lungomare Starita 1 — 70132 Bari
Phone: +39 080 9752900
Fax: +39 080 9147464
Email: email@apuliafilmcommission.it
