Maglie (

Salentino Salentino () is a dialect of the Extreme Southern Italian ( in Italian) spoken in the Salento peninsula, which is the southern part of the region of Apulia at the southern "heel" of the Italian peninsula. Overview Salentino is a dialect of th ...

: ;

Griko Griko (endonym: /), sometimes spelled Grico, is one of the two dialects of Italiot Greek (the other being Calabrian Greek or ), spoken by Griko people in Salento, province of Lecce, Italy. Some Greek linguists consider it to be a Modern Greek ...

: , translit. ; ) is a town and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' in the

province of Lecce The province of Lecce (; Salentino: ) is a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Lecce. The province is called the "Heel of Italy". Located on the Salento peninsula, it is the second most-populous province in Ap ...

in the

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

region of southeast

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

History

The Maglie area was settled as early as the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

and the early

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

, and before, as testified by the presence of archaic

dolmen A dolmen, () or portal tomb, is a type of single-chamber Megalith#Tombs, megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period (4000 ...

s and

menhir A menhir (; from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the European middle Br ...

s, and by the Cattìe site, discovered in 1980, and featuring 12,000 tools and 800 bone remains. Maglie, initially a countryside ''casale'', developed around the castle built in the 13th century, probably under the Angevine kings of Naples and later renewed by Andriolo Lubello, the local baron under king

Alfonso I of Aragon Alfonso I (7 September 1134), called the Battler or the Warrior (), was King of Aragon and Navarre from 1104 until his death in 1134. He was the second son of King Sancho Ramírez and successor of his brother Peter I. With his marriage to U ...

Main sights

*''Duomo'' (Cathedral, also called ''Chiesa Collegiata''). It was built in the late 18th century on the site of two previous buildings tracing back to 14th and 16th century. Its bell tower (1686–90), standing at about , is the tallest in the province. The four upper storeys are attributed to Giuseppe Zimbalo. *Church of ''Madonna delle Grazie'', in Baroque style (early 16th century). The interior has a 1645 Baroque altar and 17th century canvasses. It also features a column, similar to the Lecce's Column of St. Oronzo by Zimbalo, built in 1684–87. *Church of ''Madonna Addolorata'' (18th century) *''Palazzo Baronale''

Economy

Maglie's economy is based on commerce, craftmanship (especially of local stone), and tourism.

Demographics

Population development since 1861: Migrant communities in Maglie with more than ten people 01.01.2020:

Transportation

Maglie is served by the Ferrovie Sud Est Zollino- Gagliano and Maglie-

Otranto Otranto (, , ; ; ; ; ) is a coastal town, port and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce (Apulia, Italy), in a fertile region once famous for its breed of horses. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). ...

lines. It is crossed by two state roads, the SS16 Adriatica Lecce-Maglie-Otranto, and the SS275 from Santa Maria di Leuca.

Notable people

Aldo Moro Aldo Moro (; 23 September 1916 – 9 May 1978) was an Italian statesman and prominent member of Christian Democracy (Italy), Christian Democracy (DC) and its centre-left wing. He served as prime minister of Italy in five terms from December 1963 ...

(1916-1978), politician

References

{{Authority control Localities of Salento