Santa Maria al Bagno (formerly Santa Maria di Bagni) is an Italian village of

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 ...

, in

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 ...

. It is a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'' of the commune of Nardò and is located on the Ionian Sea.

Geography

Santa Maria is a small fishing village, located on the shores of the Gulf of Taranto, on the west coast of the Ionian Sea between Gallipoli and Porto Cesareo. It has unspoilt rocky and sandy beaches all along the coast. Particularly important is the next door regional wildlife reserve of "Portoselvaggio", a famous natural park with 400 hectares of pinewood forest and seven kilometres of high quality, unpolluted coast. Portoselvaggio is one of the main green lungs of the region of Apulia. Santa Maria Al Bagno is approximately 45 minutes travelling time by car from

Brindisi Brindisi ( ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...

, 20 minutes from

Lecce Lecce (; ) is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old. Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is n ...

and approximately one hour 30 minutes from

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

. There are several food shops in the village, restaurants, pubs, bars open in summer 24 hours a day, a chemist, a post office, real estate agents, tourist agents, barber shops, petrol station, newsagent shops and a weekly market every Sunday. Many large supermarkets, shopping centres and fashion boutiques are in the nearby towns of Nardò, Galatone, Gallipoli and Lecce.

Main sights

Museum

Santa Maria al Bagno was the site of a post

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

displaced person camp. A new museum opened in the village dedicated to thousands of concentration camp survivors who travelled through Italy on their way to

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

after World War II. The Museum of Memory and Welcome has been created in Santa Maria through which some 150,000 Jews passed between 1943 and 1947. The museum houses all the material relating to the time from the town council archives, including witness reports, photographs and videos, as well as a multimedia room and a library.

Coastal Tower

Santa Maria al Bagno is site of a medieval coastal tower, named Tower of the Galatena River, colloquially known as "The Four Columns" due to its structure of four repeating pillars.

References

External links