Galatina

Galatina is a village in Lecce district, a destination not to be missed if you are on holiday in Salento, a fantastic land of Puglia region located in the heel “of Italian boot”.

Visiting Galatina you’ll find yourself in a hamlet full of small alleys that hide many typical shops and whence you will have small glimpses of the daily life of its inhabitants.

It’s famous not only for its breathtaking architectures as Chiesa Madre dei Santi Pietro e Paolo or Basilica di Santa Caterina d’Alessandria, completely frescoed, but it’s more famous for being the place where the Pasticciotto Leccese was invented by Ascalone family in 1745 year.

For those who don’t know Pasticciotto yet, it’s a little cake made of shortcrust pastry and baked in the oven, filled with Crema Pasticcera (custard), the symbol of Salento land.

If you’ll travel here during summer, remember to check when Notte della Taranta takes place to see and feel the real soul of Pugliese dance.

You will be delighted and mesmerized by this dance, called Taranta. The legend tells that movements of this dance were traced back to people bitten by a tarantula and suffering from “tarantism” whom were treated with the frenetic cadence of this music.