Informations

Beyond the Walls: The Four Historic Gates of Lecce

The Salento region boasts a fascinating millenary history, particularly in the city of Lecce, also known as the “Florence of the South.” Lecce is not only a jewel of Baroque architecture, but also a place where the past can be experienced through its monuments and ancient walls that once protected the city.

In medieval times, the only way to enter the city was through one of its four monumental gates. These passages, now important historical landmarks, represented not only physical access to the city but also a strategic defense against enemy attacks. Some gates were named after saints, while others took their names from roads leading to important destinations.

Lecce’s defensive system was strengthened in the 16th century by order of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, who had imposing city walls built to protect the population from frequent attacks by Saracen pirates. Today, the three surviving gates evoke stories of defense, faith, and power, while the fourth, now lost, is remembered as an integral part of this rich historical heritage.

The Four Gates of Lecce: A Detailed Look

The four gates of Lecce are monuments that have witnessed centuries of history. Porta Rudiae, Porta Napoli, and Porta San Biagio are still standing, while Porta San Martino was demolished in the 19th century. Let us explore them in detail.

Porta Rudiae: Porta Rudiae takes its name from the ancient road leading to the Messapian city of Rudiae, now an archaeological site that offers a glimpse into the oldest roots of Salento. Mario Cazzato, in his Guida della Lecce Fantastica (Congedo Editore – 2006), tells us that near Porta Rudiae there was once an entrance to the underground Malenniana road, which began in the square and connected the city of Lecce with ancient Rudiae. Located on what is now Via Adua, this gate was built in the 17th century on the remains of an even older medieval entrance.

The Baroque style of the gate is unmistakable, with a statue of Saint Orontius, the patron saint of Lecce, at its center, seemingly watching over the city from above. Beside Saint Orontius stand the statues of Saint Irene and Saint Dominic, considered “minor protectors,” bearing witness to the profound faith that permeated every aspect of life in Lecce. On the sides of the arch, there are also other ancient figures worthy of note and respect in the history of Salento. They are: Malennio, son of Dasumnus and grandson of Salo; Daunus, son of Malennio; Euippa, sister of Daunus; and finally Lizio Idomeneo, who, according to legend, refounded the city and gave it its name. Each of these figures was most likely jointly involved in the founding of the city. Following the marriage between Euippa and Idomeneo, the city of Lecce came under the control of the Cretans, who contributed greatly to the art and culture of Lecce and the entire Salento region.

Although its original defensive function had already become obsolete by the time it was built, Porta Rudiae was erected with a strong aesthetic impact, designed more to impress than to protect.

Porta Napoli: The eastern entrance to the city of Lecce stands at the beginning of the road that once led to Naples, then the capital of Italy. Its construction, which replaced an earlier gate known as San Giusto, was commissioned by the Lecce nobleman Loffredo Ferrante and probably designed by the architect Gian Giacomo dell’Acaya. Dating from 1548, it was dedicated to Emperor Charles V of Habsburg, founder of the city’s first defensive system.

Porta Napoli is a true Triumphal Arch, characterized by a round arch framed by two elegant, slender Corinthian columns. The central pediment bears the coat of arms of the Habsburg dynasty, the most prominent architectural feature of the entire structure, accompanied by depictions of cannons and Roman armor.

The tribute to the emperor is completed by an inscription in his honor, carved in Latin into the stone just below the imperial coat of arms. The inscription refers to the bloody battle against the Turks that devastated the Salento area in 1480 and was subsequently brought under control by the Habsburg emperor.

Porta Napoli towers over Piazza Napoli, which has recently undergone careful urban redevelopment and has become one of the main gathering places for Lecce’s nightlife, as well as an important cultural landmark, given the presence of several university facilities in its immediate surroundings.

Porta San Biagio: Porta San Biagio, named after a nearby medieval chapel dedicated to Saint Blaise, patron saint of physicians, already existed during the Renaissance and was even then a strategic point in the city: a favored exit for the people of Lecce taking walks outside the city walls toward an idyllic suburban destination, Torre del Parco, the residence of Prince of Taranto Giovanni Antonio del Balzo Orsini, the last Duke of Lecce.

The gate, which today appears imposing to anyone arriving in Piazza d’Italia from the east, is a reconstruction of the 16th-century gate that had fallen into ruin.

Built in 1774, the gate is characterized by pairs of smooth-shafted columns resting on high bases and is topped by the coat of arms of King Ferdinand IV of Naples and by two versions of the coat of arms of the city of Lecce, placed on either side. Above the entablature rises the crowning pediment, which contains a commemorative inscription. A sculpture of Saint Blaise in episcopal robes completes the artistic decoration of the gate.

Just as there was a chapel dedicated to Saint Blaise next to the gate, another chapel dedicated to the same saint stood near Torre del Parco, to whom Duke Giovanni Antonio Orsini del Balzo was devoted. In the medieval period, the two chapels were connected by a straight, tree-lined road that effectively celebrated the saint. In the 16th century, this route was embellished and became the preferred destination for an exceptional walk outside the city walls.

Saint Blaise, who lived between the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, was traditionally born in Lecce, but later left for Armenia, where he became the Catholic bishop of the city of Sebaste. He was beheaded for refusing to renounce the Christian faith.

Porta San Martino: None of us, not even the oldest residents, ever had the chance to see it: it was demolished as long ago as 1830. The “Fourth Gate” is mentioned in documents dating from the second half of the 13th century (between 1261 and 1291).

Dedicated to the 4th-century Christian bishop Martin of Tours, a native of present-day Hungary, it stood at the intersection of what are now Via XXV Luglio and Via Matteotti, a few dozen meters beyond the Government Palace, better known as the Prefecture.

After the construction of the Prefecture, known in the 19th century as the Intendenza, its fate was sealed, as the authorities of the time, gathered under the name of “Decurionato,” decided that “the most insignificant of the city’s Four Gates could not compare with the beauty of the new building.” Porta San Martino was also demolished as part of a broader process of urban expansion and modernization. At the time, many Italian cities began demolishing their ancient walls and gates to facilitate urban development and improve transportation. Lecce was no exception, and the decision to demolish Porta San Martino was made to facilitate expansion beyond the city walls and for logistical reasons related to population growth and increasing urban traffic.

Unlike other gates in Lecce, such as Porta Napoli, Porta Rudiae, and Porta San Biagio, which survived the city’s urban transformations, Porta San Martino was never rebuilt, and today no visible remains of this ancient structure exist.

Porta San Martino was the easternmost of the four gates; not surprisingly, it faced east, and its passage led toward Lecce’s seaside area, San Cataldo.

Of all four gates, it was the simplest: it appeared as an archway for people, animals, and vehicles, and was characterized by rusticated stonework and the crenellations typical of medieval constructions.

An “essential” image of it, dating from the late 17th century, can be found in the posthumous work of the Roman abbot Giovan Battista Pacichelli (1634–1695), Il Regno di Napoli in prospettiva. In it, the gate can be seen aligned with Charles V’s Castle, with a simple and linear form and architecture.

A Heritage to Discover: visiting Lecce today means immersing yourself in a fascinating journey through the past, passing through gates that have witnessed centuries of history and crucial moments. These imposing monuments, once defensive strongholds, now symbolize the city’s power, faith, and art. They are among Lecce’s most iconic attractions and represent an irresistible invitation for anyone wishing to explore the historic heart of Salento. Lecce’s gates offer an ideal starting point for discovering the ancient and precious soul of this extraordinary city.

by marianoimmobili

Tarantism: Between Myth and Reality, Rituals and Dances in Salento

It is to Greek culture that some scholars trace the origins of the archaic choreutic-cathartic ritual of tarantism, in which a person writhes to the rhythm of music until they are freed from the poison of the spider that supposedly bit them. Some associate it with the Greek maenads, others with the myth of the virgin weaver Arachne, transformed into a spider by Athena. Still others recognize a possible Greek origin, though not necessarily connected to the maenads, while some emphasize the alleged links between tarantism and the clash between two cultures — Islamic and Christian — during the Crusades, when Salento was a land of arrival and departure for knights heading toward the “lands of the infidels.”

But beyond its uncertain origins, which perhaps could encompass all the hypotheses put forward by scholars, what exactly is tarantism? And how was it perceived over the centuries?

The First Appearances of the Phenomenon

Tarantism was already being discussed between the 9th and 14th centuries, and the oldest document providing evidence of it is the Sertum papale de Venenis, written in 1362, which states that “those who are bitten by the tarantula take the greatest delight in one kind of music or another.” During the same period, the physician Cristoforo degli Onesti also discussed the phenomenon in his treatise De venenis, and even Leonardo da Vinci included it among his reflections.

By that time, tarantism had spread throughout southern Italy, sometimes taking slightly different forms — such as the lively Neapolitan tarantella — and involved the use of energetic, rhythmic dances to cure the bite of a spider, which appeared to affect women particularly often. Music was therefore used in an attempt to treat those showing symptoms of spider-poison intoxication.

Throughout history, some scientists consequently focused on the music therapy aspect, investigating the effects that dance and music had on the body and mind, while physicians examined the nature of the illness and the causes of the disorder. They wondered whether the condition experienced by so-called tarantate was caused by a toxic reaction resulting from the bite of an arachnid or was instead a psychological disorder.

While it is true that spiders such as Latrodectus tredecimguttatus or Lycosa tarantula could, through their bites, cause muscle contractions and spasms, it was nevertheless strange that the phenomenon predominantly affected women. In summer, those working in the fields or handling tobacco leaves were not only women; men worked there too, yet they appeared to be less frequently affected by trance, hallucinations and spasms.

The matter became even more complicated with the intervention of the Church, which attempted to “domesticate” what appeared to be a pagan ritual by incorporating it into the cult of Saint Paul. Referring to the Acts of the Apostles, which recount that Saint Paul emerged unharmed after being bitten by a viper, and establishing June 29 — the saint’s feast day — as the day of definitive healing, the Church sought to unite faith and superstition, fear and hope.

Thus, the practices of tarantism, later studied and documented in Galatina (Lecce) by ethnologist Ernesto De Martino and his research team, became part of a complex religious and popular tradition.

What did the ritual consist of?

As De Martino documented in the poorest and most economically disadvantaged areas of Salento, some women began to experience symptoms supposedly associated with a spider bite: discomfort, hysteria and convulsions.

In an attempt to cure them, a sort of domestic musical-choreutic exorcism was performed, traditionally on June 28. The tarantate were placed in a dark room of the house — although in earlier times the ritual was performed outdoors — and lay on sheets spread across the floor.

Next to them were a basket for offerings and brightly colored images of Saints Peter and Paul. The tarantate — who were predominantly women — could also choose a colored handkerchief to tie around their waist or hold in their hands. The colors could be red, green or blue, supposedly corresponding to the color of the spider that had caused their illness.

Then the music began, generally performed with a violin, accordion and tambourine, instruments characteristic of the area. Skilled musicians played the opening notes of a pizzica or tarantella, and the tarantata would begin moving only to the rhythm of the composition she felt was capable of relieving her suffering.

She would writhe within the space marked by the sheet, stand up, roll on the ground, and make convulsive movements intended to eliminate the poison — whether real or symbolic. Sometimes she recovered, often she did not.

She would then turn toward an image of Saint Paul, speaking to him and asking what might cure her condition. Outside, people gathered to watch the frenzied dance.

The following day, June 29 — during the 1950s and 1960s — women suffering from the condition would come from all over Salento to the Chapel of Saint Paul in Galatina, where they drank water from the well believed to make the symptoms disappear.

Scenes of delirium, illness, screams and distress unfolded, much of which was functional to the healing ritual. Festivities then followed, accompanied by music. Some women recovered, while others prepared to be bitten again the following year.

What lay behind tarantism?

There could be, and still are, many explanations for the phenomenon. Once the likelihood of an actual spider bite was questioned, De Martino suggested that tarantism might be connected to a state of inner distress, unhappiness caused by extremely difficult living conditions, or a need for attention.

Psychiatry also considered — and continues to consider — the possibility that it could be associated with latent unconscious conflicts and forms of moral constraint. Several recurring characteristics of tarantism seemed to support this interpretation: the young age of the sufferers, the cyclical recurrence of the condition, the supposed time of the bite — noon — and the exorcism carried out through music and the intercession of Saint Paul.

Whatever the true causes that drove the tarantate, what remains of authentic tarantism is the extraordinary rhythm that continues to involve and exhilarate people, the overwhelming melodies, and the cathartic and liberating power that only pizzica and tarantella can still unleash today.

The Chapel of Saint Paul and the Myth of Tarantism

Among the many churches found in Galatina, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, the patron saints of the city, deserves particular attention. Located just a short distance from the historic center, the church has been completely restored but remains an important artistic and historical testimony of considerable significance.

Adjacent to the church is the Chapel of Saint Paul, better known as the Chapel of the Tarantate. It is an 18th-century place of worship incorporated into Palazzo Tondi in the center of Galatina.

A small and simple structure, the chapel has an understated façade in the distinctive Lecce Baroque style.

Legend has it that the Apostles Peter and Paul, while traveling around the world, stopped in Galatina and were hosted by a devout local man in his home, which stood where the chapel is now located.

To thank him for his hospitality, Saint Paul granted the man and his descendants the power to heal anyone bitten by poisonous spiders, known in the local dialect as tarante.

Simply by drinking the water from the well located inside the courtyard of the house and making the sign of the cross over the wound, it was believed that this terrible illness could be defeated.

Inside the small chapel, above the only altar made of Lecce stone, there is a noteworthy painting entitled Saint Paul and the Tarantato by the painter Saverio Lillo of Ruffano (Ruffano 1734–1796).

The canvas is one of the artist’s final works; his signature and the date can be seen in the lower right-hand corner.

The composition is dominated by the figure of Saint Paul, wrapped in broad flowing draperies, standing against a background depicting a stretch of coastline, with a sail visible on the horizon to the left.

The saint’s luminous and solemn face, framed by a dark beard and thick hair, is turned toward the viewer. His left hand holds his cloak, while a long sword rests against his arm. His right hand points toward an angel holding a large open book, whose pages contain references to letters written by the Apostle to the Ephesians, Romans and Corinthians.

Saverio Lillo’s unusual pictorial narrative is closely connected with the phenomenon of tarantism. In the foreground on the left, a sick man — the tarantato — lies languidly supported by a woman, waiting to drink the miraculous water from the well, offered by a kneeling woman holding a small bucket attached to a rope.

The man’s suffering may be attributed to the snake, scorpion and tarantula depicted near his feet and those of Saint Paul.

The painting also contains elements alluding to the Apostle’s episode on the island of Malta: in the upper left, along the horizon, a sailing boat can be seen, while a crawling viper appears on the right, near the saint’s feet.

The numerous iconographic details in the painting — the tarantato supported by a woman, the bucket containing the miraculous water drawn from the Galatina well, and the poisonous animals — were intended to illustrate to the faithful the healing powers of the saint who could cure poisonous bites.

The other mural depicting Saint Paul, located in the niche of the second actual opening of the miraculous well in the courtyard of the building, can likewise be attributed to Lillo’s artistic style.

A stylistic comparison with other works by the painter has revealed that the saint’s facial expression corresponds to the characteristic features adopted by the Ruffano artist. It is presumably contemporary with the 1795 canvas displayed in the chapel.

The composition is classically structured: Saint Paul stands upright, his left hand holding a book and a sword, while his other hand is raised toward the sky in a gesture of preaching.

The phenomenon of tarantism represents a complex intertwining of beliefs, rituals and practices that have crossed the centuries, reflecting not only the social and cultural conditions of Salento but also the interaction between local traditions and external influences.

Although the exact origins of tarantism remain shrouded in mystery and interpretations range from scientific to cultural explanations, what clearly emerges is the cathartic and liberating function of the ritual.

The dances and melodies that accompanied the tarantate have become symbols of a living and pulsating tradition, capable of evoking and transmitting the emotional intensity and dynamism of that era.

The Chapel of Saint Paul in Galatina, with its history and legends, remains a precious witness to this intangible heritage, preserving the essence of a tradition that has evolved and endured through time.

Through art and music, tarantism continues to fascinate and engage, offering a glimpse into human resilience and creativity in the face of hardship and uncertainty.

Thus, even though scientific explanations may have clarified certain aspects of the phenomenon, the fascination and evocative power of pizzica and tarantella persist, keeping alive a fundamental part of Salento’s cultural identity.

by marianoimmobili