Mesagne ( Mesagnese: ) is a ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces ('' province''). The can ...

'' in the

province of Brindisi The Province of Brindisi ( it, Provincia di Brindisi) is a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Brindisi. It has an area of and a total population of 401,652 (2013). Geography The Province of Brindisi is situated ...

and region of Apulia, on the south-east

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

coast. Its main economic activities are tourism and the growing of olives and grapes. It is the fifth most-populous town of the province, and it is from Brindisi.

History

Mesagne was an important center when Apulia was dominated by the

Messapians The Messapians ( grc, Μεσσάπιοι, Messápioi; la, Messapii) were a Iapygian tribe who inhabited Salento in classical antiquity. Two other Iapygian tribes, the Peucetians and the Daunians, inhabited central and northern Apulia respect ...

, because it joined Oria to the

port of Brindisi The port of Brindisi is a port in Brindisi, Italy. It is used for tourism, commercial and industrial shipping on the Adriatic Sea. Tourist traffic offer connections with the Balkan Peninsula and Turkey, while commercial concerns include coal, fuel ...

. After the Roman conquest, it was also an important city located on the

Appian Way The Appian Way ( Latin and Italian: ''Via Appia'') is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name, ...

. Its name is from these times. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

it was called ''Castrum Medianum'', then ''Castro Misciano'', this is the name used from the 16th century. When Giovanni Antonio Orsini Del Balzo decided to expend the city's castle, Mesagne evolved, with the construction of a theater, a hospital and the paving of roads. The city remains important in the economy of the province to this day, with much industry in the area.

Main sights

*The castle, existing from the 11th century; in 1195 it was given to the

Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...

. Today it houses an archaeological museum *Messapic necropolises *15th century walls *Palaeo-Christian church (''tempietto'') of St. Lawrence (7th century) *Basilica del Carmine (14th century) *Mater Domini church (1598–1605)

Local culture

Events

*''Natale Nel Cuore'' (''Christmas in Heart''): exposition of little statuettes representing the most important characters of Christmas *''Cavalcata dei Magi'' (''Cavalcade of the Magi''): Historical.

''Sagre''

*''Sagra ti la fucazza chena'': Festival of the stuffed oven-baked bread (made by a type of pizza dough) *''Sagra ti li stacchioddi'': Festival of ''Orecchiette'' ("little ears") a type of homemade fresh pasta *''Sagra ti li peschi'': Festival of peaches

Sport

In Mesagne, the most popular sport practised is football. The local team is named ''A.S.D. Mesagne 1929''. The team plays in the ''Promozione'' championship. Basketball has two male teams: Mens Sana Mesagne and Virtus Mesagne, which play in the ''C2'' championship. Also the female team, Meyana Mesagne, plays in ''A2'' championship. The city's female volleyball team, Volley Mesagne, plays in the ''C'' championship.

Carlo Molfetta Carlo Molfetta (born 15 February 1984 in Mesagne) is a taekwondo athlete from Italy, who won gold at the 2012 London Olympics in the men's +80 kg division, beating Gabon's Anthony Obame. Molfetta was determined to be the victor after the bout co ...

was taekwondo gold medal in the 80+ kg category at the 2012 Summer Olympics of London.

References

External links

Cities and towns in Apulia Localities of Salento {{Apulia-geo-stub