Sciana
The city of Maglie, with its very central geographic position, which sees it on the Otranto-Gallipoli axis, on one side, and Lecce-Leuca, on the other, has for centuries been a very important crossroads and junction for the economy of these lands, to the point of becoming their nerve centre.
From the seat of a fervent and valuable craftsmanship it has become, since the second half of the 20th century, one of the richest and most varied commercial centers in Italy. The streets of Maglie alternate with sacred and civil architecture of extraordinary interest, precious examples of the Lecce Baroque built between the 16th and 18th centuries.
Via Roma, the city’s main street, connects the central square dedicated to the illustrious citizen Aldo Moro, a few steps from his birthplace, to the Parco della Rimembranza, which houses the Monument to the Fallen and the Church of the Saints Cosma and Damiano. In the middle of Via Roma are the city’s oldest churches.
The Cathedral, also known as the Collegiate Church, dates back to the end of the 18th century and is dedicated to Saint Nicholas. It is surmounted by the large five-story bell tower, the second tallest in the province, after the one in the capital Lecce, which stands out in Piazza Duomo. Inside there is a high altar dedicated to the Madonna della Misericordia (pictured here)
The Church of the Madonna delle Grazie, built in the 16th century in Baroque style, overlooks the Column of the Madonna delle Grazie, 15 metres high and modelled on the more famous column of Sant’Oronzo in Lecce.
The sixteenth-century Church of Santa Maria della Scala, the oldest in the town, is located on a side street of Via Roma (Via Ospedale). All within walking distance.
In Maglie there are also examples of particularly valuable civil architecture, today the headquarters of important institutions. Palazzo Capece, in Piazza A. Moro, is home to the historic and prestigious Classical High School.
Palazzo Sticchi, in via V. Emanuele II, houses the oldest public library in Puglia (and one of the oldest in Southern Italy, founded in 1666 by the archpriest Francesco Piccinno, to whom it is dedicated) and at the same time the Civic Museum of Paleontology and Palethnology “Decio de Lorentiis”. Palazzo Piccinno, still in via V. Emanuele, houses the Museum of Industrial Archaeology.
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