The village of Montesardo is located near Alessano, at 184 m above sea level. It is the third highest locality in the province of Lecce, after Serra dei Cianci (196 m) and Monte Sant’Eleuterio (195 m).
The town develops on the southern continuation of the Serra dei Cianci, which here takes the name of Serra di Montesardo from which you have a breathtaking view of Capo di Leuca.
The oldest news of a settlement dates back to the 16th century, when Galateo, in De situ Japigiae, describes the remains of a large wall circuit and ruins of ancient dwellings, located on a hill about seven miles away from Capo di Leuca.
The stretch of wall still visible, at the base of the Romasi castle, is made with blocks of local stone squared and installed without the use of mortar, according to a technique also used in the nearby town of Vereto. It was probably built between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire it was always used as a fortress, thanks to its mighty bastions and a solid circle of walls, interspersed with towers, in which four doors opened. The walls and towers were demolished in 1867. The frequentation of the area in the Byzantine age is instead testified by the rock settlement of Macurano and by a funerary epigraph, today in the Castromediano Provincial Museum of Lecce, dating back to 1130.
In the Middle Ages, equipped with its fortified castle and numerous towers along the walls, it appeared as an impregnable fortress. It was the seat of important schools of mathematics, philosophy and music. During the Second World War the town was occupied by German troops.
Maccheroni Pasta
Orecchiette Pasta
Leave a comment