Santa Maria di Leuca, often spelled simply Leuca (, from ''Leukos'', "white"), is a '' frazione'' of the '' comune'' of

Castrignano del Capo Castrignano del Capo (Salentino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy. It has three ''Villages'': Santa Maria di Leuca, Giuliano, Salignano. See also *Angelo Buccarello References

...

, in the

Salento Salento (Salentino: ''Salentu'', Salentino Griko: ''Σαλέντο'') is a cultural, historical and geographic region at the southern end of the administrative region of Apulia in Southern Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the Italian Peninsula, ...

peninsula ( Apulia), southern Italy. A part of the town once belonged to the ''comune'' of

Gagliano del Capo Gagliano del Capo (Salentino: ) is an Italian comune situated in the province of Lecce, the southernmost one of Apulia. In its territory is located Ciolo, a rocky cove that is part of the Regional Natural Coastal Park of "Costa Otranto-Santa Maria ...

. The territory between

Otranto Otranto (, , ; scn, label=Salentino, Oṭṛàntu; el, label=Griko, Δερεντό, Derentò; grc, Ὑδροῦς, translit=Hudroûs; la, Hydruntum) is a coastal town, port and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce (Apulia, Italy), in a fertile ...

and Santa Maria di Leuca has become a Regional Natural Coastal Park of "Costa

- Santa Maria di Leuca e Bosco di Tricase". In this area, in the comune of

Gagliano Del Capo Gagliano del Capo (Salentino: ) is an Italian comune situated in the province of Lecce, the southernmost one of Apulia. In its territory is located Ciolo, a rocky cove that is part of the Regional Natural Coastal Park of "Costa Otranto-Santa Maria ...

, is located

Ciolo Ciolo is a narrow coastal inlet and a site of historical and environmental interest, which is located in Apulia, Italy. The location is also known as a geological site and for the presence of numerous sea caves, the largest one being the Grotta d ...

Description

Santa Maria di Leuca is famous for its iconic

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mark ...

. With its height of 47 metres, and position at 102 metres above sea level, is the second most important lighthouse in Italy, after Genova. Next to the lighthouse is the large Sanctuary, or Basilica, ''De Finibus Terrae'' ("End of the Land", 1720-1755), built to commemorate the passage of

St. Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

here during his travel to Italy. It is devoted to Saint Mary (from whom the town gets the name Santa Maria di Leuca). It lies on the former site of a Greek temple dedicated to

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...

. The edifice has a fortified structure, and during its existence it sustained several assaults by Algerian pirates. In the same site, a Corinthian column was erected in 1939 to celebrate the construction of the Apulian Aqueduct (''Acquedotto Pugliese''). The basilica is connected to the port through a 284-step staircase. Santa Maria de Leuca

''Punta Meliso'' promontory (the ancient ''Promontorium lapygium'' or ''Sallentinum'') is the southeastern extremity of Italy — traditionally considered the lowest point of the geographical "heel" of Italian peninsula, as well as the meeting point of the waters from the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to the ...

and the Ionian Sea. But Leuca is a bay so there's another promontory called Punta Ristola challenging this geographical particularity. According to Google Earth, Punta Ristola, at 39° 47′ 22.96″ N, is approximately 440 meters south of Punta Meliso, at 39° 47′ 37.73″ N. After World War II the town hosted Jewish Holocaust survivors for two years (1946-1948), giving them warm hospitality. Since October 2006 its territory is part of the Regional Park "Costa Otranto - Santa Maria di Leuca e Bosco di Tricase". Santa Maria di Leuca's littoral is marked by numerous grottoes with Latin and Greek inscriptions. Also famous are the 19th century patrician villas (c. 43 in number). Not far off Punta Ristola, at c. 85 m of depth, lies the shipwreck of the Italian submarine ''Pietro Micca'', sunk during World War II with its crew of 58 men.

Legend

Prehistoric remains have been found in some the about 66 caves of the coast of Leuca, like Grotta Porcinara and Grotta del Diavolo. According to Luigi Tasselli (17th century) the town takes its name from "

Leucasia ''Leucas'' is a genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae, first described by Robert Brown in 1810. It contains over 200 species, widespread over much of Africa, and southern and eastern Asia (Iran, India, China, Japan, Indonesia, etc.) with a fe ...

", a white beautiful mermaid ( from ancient Greek λευκός = white, bright) who conquered sailors and farmers by her charming voice. In the year 1992 the Salento writer and poet

Carlo Stasi Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: *Carlo (name) *Monte Carlo *Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince Char ...

Carlo Stasi, ''Leucasia (racconti, leggende e poesie di terra, di mare e d'amore...)'' (AGL, Presicce 1993, 1996, 2001) and Carlo Stasi, ''Leucàsia e Le Due Sorelle (Storie e leggende del Salento)'', Mancarella Ed., Cavallino, 2008, 2012). created a story (mistakenly believed a legend) on the siren Leucasia imagining that he had fallen in love with a handsome messapian, the shepherd Melìsso, who rejected her because he was in love with the beautiful Arìstula. The siren took revenge by overwhelming the two lovers with the waves unleashed by her two tails and their bodies were petrified by the goddess Minerva in the two points that today are called Punta Rìstola, from the name of Aristula, and Punta Mèliso, from Melisso. Lost her voice, Leucasia committed suicide and her petrified bones would be the white cliffs of Leuca. Santa Maria di Leuca was founded in fact in the early 1st century AD by some monks, after Saint Peter's passage. A cross was built in his honor and after some restructurings, still be there. According to a later legend, Virgin Mary once saved some boats from a storm, and her name was added to that of Leuca.

Gallery

Image:Leuca santuario.jpg, Panorama of the harbour of Leuca File:Punta Ristola.JPG, ''Punta Ristola'' File:Santa Maria di Leuca.jpg, The Sanctuary and the lighthouse File:Marina-di-leuca-von-punta-ristola.JPG, Santa Maria di Leuca from ''Punta Ristola''

References

Bibliography

*Luigi Tasselli, ''Antichità di Leuca'' (Lecce 1693, 1859). *Antonio Romano, ''Guida alle grotte e caverne di Leuca'' (Congedo ed. Galatina 1996) *Antonio Caloro, ''Guida di Leuca (l'estremo Salento tra storia arte e natura),'' a c. di Mario Cazzato (Congedo editore, Galatina 1996) *Michele Rosafio, ''Leuca Guerra e Navi'' (Ed. dell'Iride, Tricase 2000) *Carlo Stasi, ''Leucasia (racconti, leggende e poesie di terra, di mare e d'amore...)'' (AGL, Presicce 1993, 1996, 2001). *Carlo Stasi, ''Leucàsia e Le Due Sorelle (Storie e leggende del Salento)'', Mancarella Ed., Cavallino, 2008, 2012).

External links

*
Photo Gallery
{{authority control Frazioni of the Province of Lecce Localities of Salento Cities and towns in Apulia