A Journey through Italy: one photo every day #52 - FELLINE [ENG/ITA]

Hello everyone,
I began a Photo Journey through Italy. I will post one photo every day with a little note of explanation. I hope you like it!

Felline is characteristic village and tourist attraction in the province of Lecce, in the Southern Italian region of Puglia. It is a medieval small village of Greek origin is situated on the Ionic side of the Salento between Gallipoli (only 20 kms far) and Santa Maria di Leuca; it is far 56 kms from the baroque city of Lecce.

Felline distinguishes itself for its maze of narrow streets on which all the renaissance balconies of the neibourhood houses look out, the gorgeous court houses and a medieval castle, as well as the Sanctuary of Madonna dell’Alto Mare, ancient building of Basilian monks, situated on a hill just outside the centre of town. The Church of San Leucio also worth a visit.

The medieval castle of Felline is a building dating from the 12th century. It was built by the Bonsecolo family, remodeled in the 13th century by the Malaspinas, and in the 16th century by the Tolomei family. It has a rectangular plan with four towers on each side.

It is a town frequently crowed by many people thanks to the weekly town markets and fairs. In July and August, indeed, a lot of events take place (Sagra della patata, Sagra della polpetta, Sagra della carne ferrata, etc). You will find many occasions for dancing, walking and listening to popular music (especially the “pizzica” songs).

Interesting fact: due to its “bioenergetic” position, on the 40th parallel, which joins this village with New York, Madrid, Thessaloniki, Ankara and Beijing, Felline was chosen by the Basilian monks as a worship place.

Thing to see: the Historical Center, the Baronial Castle, the Sanctuary of Madonna dell’Alto Mare, the Church of San Leucio, the narrow roads of the old part of the village.