Alessano, la città che fece esclamare Dedalo

Editorial Staff 26 November 2022

Alessano, located in the lower Salento, 57 km from the capital, includes the hamlet of Montesardo and the coastal town of Marina di Novaglie.

The legend linked to its name says that Daedalus, the winged inventor of Greek mythology, landed in the area after his famous flight, and exclaimed “Alae Sanae!” contemplating his still intact artificial wings, thus inspiring the name of the town. In reality, the toponym derives from the Greek name of the person Alexis or Alexus with the addition of the suffix of belonging -anos. According to a deep-rooted tradition, although not historically confirmed, the founder of the city was the Byzantine emperor Alexius I Comnenus.

During the Norman domination, Alessano played a prominent role in the entire Capo di Leuca; it was the seat of a diocese until 1818 and the county seat. Today it is recognized as a City of Art by the Puglia Region, it is part of the Union of Municipalities of Terra di Leuca and since 2016 of the association Borghi Autentici d’Italia.

Between the 15th and 16th centuries, under the rule of important noble families, the city hosted a lively cultural movement and at the same time became an important commercial centre, attracting families of rich Venetian merchants and even a small Jewish community, which had its own Synagogue in today's Via della Giudecca. The urban centre was thus enriched with valuable buildings in pure Renaissance style. The Palazzo Ducale del Balzo, Palazzo Sangiovanni and Palazzo Legari are the most evocative that can still be admired in terms of civil architecture. A separate discussion must be made for the fortified castle located in the hamlet of Montesardo, commissioned according to some by the Caracciolo di Marano, according to others by the Del Balzo-Orsini, between the 15th and 16th centuries. Among the religious architectures we mention the Mother Church, from 1763, dedicated to San Salvatore; the Capuchin Church, built in 1628, which houses a monumental wooden altar, finely inlaid and carved; the 13th century rock church of Santa Barbara.

Among the most illustrious citizens are the philosophers Cesare Rao and Girolamo Balduino, the painters Aniello and Oronzo Letizia, the sculptors Placido Buffelli and Emanuele Orfano, the Bishop Don Tonino Bello, declared venerable in 2021 by Pope Francis.

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Alessano, the city that made Daedalus exclaim

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Alessano, the city that made Daedalus exclaim

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