Specchia is a town and comune in the province of Lecce. in the Apulia region of southeast Italy.
Located in the lower Salento, 53 km from the provincial capital, is part of the club The most beautiful villages in Italy. In 2007 the municipality was recognized as the best emerging rural destination in Italy of the “Eden Project”. It is also part of the “Jewels of Italy” evaluated by MiBACT.
The name of the village derives from the Latin specula, a place artificially raised. In fact, it originates from the specchie, conical stone heaps that the Messapi used as a point of sighting and defense or as a territorial demarcation system.
Geographical notes : The municipality of Specchia is located in the hinterland of the lower Salento halfway between the Ionian sea and the Adriatic Sea. The town is located on a small hill at the foot of the Serra Magnone almost completely cultivated with olive trees and organized in terracing on dry stone walls. The territory of the municipality is characterized by the typical rural buildings of the pajare. The municipality also includes the town of Cardigliano, an agricultural village built in the Fascist era (1930) for the processing of tobacco.
It borders to the north with the municipality of Miggiano, to the east with the town of Tricase, to the south with the municipalities of Alessano, Presicce and Acquarica del Capo, to the west with the municipality of Ruffano. When to go : From a meteorological point of view, Specchia is part of the territory of the low Salento that has a typically Mediterranean climate, with mild winters and humid hot summers. On the basis of the reference averages, the average temperature of the coldest month, January, is around +9 ° C, while that of the hottest month, August, is around +25.1 ° C. The average annual rainfall has a minimum in spring-summer and a peak in autumn-winter.
Access : Coordinates:39.941667°, 18.308333° / By car : Arrive at Bari via motorway (A14 if coming from North otherwise the Naples-Bari). Here go toward Brindisi-Lecce. Once in Lecce, take the ring road, then exit San Cataldo. Arrived, continue southward on the coast until you reach Specchia . By train : Specchia can be reached along the Adriatic (Milan, Bologna, Pescara) or through the Rome – Caserta. By plane : By plane you can reach Torre Specchia by flying to Brindisi, where you can rent a car. (For more information on public transport www.salentointrenoeinbus.it) By bus : Marozzi VT operates a bus from Rome to Specchia twice daily. Tickets cost 40€ – 50€ and the journey takes 7 h 40 min.
Highlights :
- Specchia is one of the stops on the olive Oil Trails, thanks to the precious nectar it extracts from the nearby olive groves. Scupola underground olive oil mill
- Risolo Castle forms the heart of the town / Mother Church (15th century) / Church of the Francescani Neri (early 16th century) / Baroque church of Assunta.
- Church of San Nicola di Mira, founded in the 11th century but largely rebuilt in the 16th century, when it was converted to the Latin rite from the Byzantine one.
- Church of Santa Eufemia (9th-10th century) / Dominican church and convent / Palazzo Risolo (16th century), occupying the former site of the medieval castle / Palazzo Ripa (17th century).
Events
Candlemas Fair – 2 February
St. Nicholas Festival and Fair – 2nd Sunday of May
Royal Cinema Festival – 24 to 27 July 2013 [12]
The White Night – 12 August (edition n ° 14 in 2018)
Madonna del Passo Fair – 8 September
Pittula Festival with bonfire – December 24th
