Ceglie Messapica
Encyclopedia
Ceglie Messapica is a town and comune
located in the province of Brindisi
in the Puglia region, southern Italy
, in the Murge traditional area.
: its typical elements include trulli
, farms, lamie (typical southern single room square dwellings), rupestrian churches, carsic caves, dolinas, specchie and paretoni (remains of city walls), dry-stone walls, olive groves, vineyards, maquis shrub
, ancient oak trees, cattle pastures and arable land.
(near the modern church of San Rocco) and Venus
(on the Montevicoli hill).
The city was the military capital of the Messapi (the civil capital being located in the nearby Oria
), a fought against the Greek Taranto
in the latter's attempt to gain a passage to the Adriatic Sea
. The Messapic Ceglie had some 40,000 inhabitants. In Roman times it was already decaying, and in the Middle Ages was a small village known as Celie de Galdo, with a little castle. After several minor families, in 1584 its fief was given to the Sanseverino
family, who enlarged the castle and founded two convents for the Capuchines (now disappeared) and for the Dominicans.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
located in the province of Brindisi
Province of Brindisi
The Province of Brindisi is a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Brindisi. Surrounded by vineyards and artichoke fields, Brindisi is a major sailing port for the southern part of Italy....
in the Puglia region, southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, in the Murge traditional area.
Geography
The area of Ceglie Messapica is located between the Murge and the Upper SalentoSalento
Salento is the south-eastern extremity of the Apulia region of Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the main Italian Peninsula, sometimes described as the "heel" of the Italian "boot"...
: its typical elements include trulli
Trulli
Trulli may refer to:* The plural of trullo, a traditional Apulian stone dwelling with a conical roof* Formula One driver Jarno Trulli* Kart chassis named after Jarno Trulli...
, farms, lamie (typical southern single room square dwellings), rupestrian churches, carsic caves, dolinas, specchie and paretoni (remains of city walls), dry-stone walls, olive groves, vineyards, maquis shrub
Maquis shrubland
thumb|220px|Low Maquis in Corsica.220px|thumb|High macchia in Sardinia.Maquis or macchia is a shrubland biome in the Mediterranean region, typically consisting of densely growing evergreen shrubs such as holm oak, tree heath, strawberry tree, sage, juniper, buckthorn, spurge olive and myrtle...
, ancient oak trees, cattle pastures and arable land.
History
According to legend, it was founded by the Pelasgi, to whom belonged the megalithic structures known as specchie. After the arrival of Greek colonists around 700 BC, it received the name of 'Kailìa' (Καιλία). Nearby the village were extraurban sanctuaries dedicated to the God ApolloApollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
(near the modern church of San Rocco) and Venus
Venus (mythology)
Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...
(on the Montevicoli hill).
The city was the military capital of the Messapi (the civil capital being located in the nearby Oria
Oria, Italy
Oria is a town and comune in the Apulia region, in the province of Brindisi, in southern Italy. It is the see city of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oria.- History :...
), a fought against the Greek Taranto
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
in the latter's attempt to gain a passage to the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
. The Messapic Ceglie had some 40,000 inhabitants. In Roman times it was already decaying, and in the Middle Ages was a small village known as Celie de Galdo, with a little castle. After several minor families, in 1584 its fief was given to the Sanseverino
Sanseverino
Sanseverino is a surname, and may refer to:* Roscemanno Sanseverino, 12th century cardinal* Ferdinando Sanseverino , prince of Salerno and Italian condottiero* Gaetano Sanseverino , Italian theologian...
family, who enlarged the castle and founded two convents for the Capuchines (now disappeared) and for the Dominicans.