Naturalistic/Archaeological

The naturalistic-archaeological itinerary is a course through the towns of Ugento, Salve, Morciano di Leuca, Presicce and Acquarica del Capo. The itinerary taps on numerous types of monuments, from archaeological sites to architectural ones, from rural churches to farm complexes and to stone monuments of Salento, until reaching the famous Parco Naturale “Litorale di Ugento” characterized by dune ridges, wetlands and ponds connected with each other through canals and with the sea through three outlets. The tour stops in major museums and private collections including the Museo Archeologico di Ugento and the Collezione Colosso, which gather the evidences of ancient civilizations that have taken place in the territory of Ugento from the Prehistoric to the Middle Ages. In addition to evidences of an important past are the remains of the necropolis and walls identified in Ugento, along the road identified as the Via Sallentina, an important artery road of the second century A.D. that restated Messapian paths and later in the Middle Ages became one of the major "pilgrimage routes to the East", true crossroads for all those who were headed to the Holy Land. The hinterland is also rich in crypts, like the Crocefisso in Ugento, and caves which have yielded tangible traces of their submergence on the sea in ancient times and remains of stone tools and paintings dating back to the Middle Paleolithic (70,000 years ago). Through an agricultural landscape characterized by Mediterranean shrubbery and olive trees and also by stone walls, monumental pajare, specchie and striking sixteenth century farms; the trip ends with a visit of some important monuments in the historic centers, which are not only churches and palaces but manmade works in the Middle Ages as the underground oil mills of Morciano di Leuca.