The Serra of Cianci, 201 meters above sea level, is the largest high ground in the province of Lecce, part of the famous Serre Salentine, reliefs of modest height that go across Salento from Northwest to Southeast.   The name Serra of Cianci refers to that part of the greenhouse, in the territory of Alessano, that further north is called Serra dei Peccatori and then Serra Magnone, both in the territory of Specchia. It characterizes the territory of Specchia and Alessano and constitutes a continuous morphological sign in rural landscape with olive trees.   It is in fact organized with systems of terraces planted with olive trees, some of them centuries old, with trunks twisted and wrinkled, dominated by stone walls, pajare  and the evergreen vegetation of the ...

In the northeastern area of the town of Specchia, Serra Magnone denominates the section of greenhouse further on the south that takes the name of Serra dei Peccatori and Serra dei Cianci, respectively in the territory of Specchia and Alessano. The greenery, almost entirely planted with olive trees and organized in terracing on dry stone walls of containment, welcomes on the crest the Masseria del Monte, a rural settlement with a chapel dedicated to St. Anthony, dating back to the seventeenth century, as shown in the engraving: ‘HOC VILLA FUNDITUS CONSTRUCTA/ ET DOTATA FUIT TEMPORE GUARDIA/.ATUS ....BONAVENTURA .../ A.D. 1604’. The ruins of the oratory of St. Angelo, of which a cell with a small votive shrine is visible, are preserved in the highest part of the ...

The hill of Monte Orco is located on the northwest of Tricase, in the territory of Sant'Eufemia. It is a sloped hill that houses thorny oak trees which are up to 4 meters high. From the hill, which extends to the area of ​​ Santuario della Madonna di Fatima in Caprarica del Capo, anyone can enjoy a splendid view of the surrounding territory. For this reason, since 1976, the area has been chosen to represent the Presepe Vivente or Christ's Nativity. For twenty years now, the Presepe Vivente of Tricase attracts thousands of visitors every year.   In the representation of Christ's Nativity, local tradition-with men and women engaged in the most ancient Salentine crafts -is mixed with historical tradition, which involve a scrupulous representation of Roman sceneries like ...