Specchia 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 ...

. Located 53 km south of the province's capital, Specchia is nestled atop the Serra Magnone, one of the highest points in lower

Salento Salento (; Salentino dialect, Salentino: ''Salentu''; Griko language, Salento Griko: ) is a Cultural area, cultural, List of historical states of Italy, historical, and geographic region at the southern end of the administrative region of Apuli ...

. It is one of

I Borghi più belli d'Italia () is a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest, that was founded in March 2001 on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities, with the a ...

("The most beautiful villages of Italy").

Main sights

*Mother Church (15th century) *Church of the Francescani Neri (early 16th century) *

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

church of Assunta *Church of San Nicola di Mira, founded in the 11th century but largely rebuilt in the 16th century, when it was converted to the Latin rite from the Byzantine one *Church of Santa Eufemia (9th-10th century) *Dominican church and convent *Palazzo Risolo (16th century), occupying the former site of the medieval castle *Palazzo Ripa (17th century)

Sport

Football

The football team of the town is the A.S.D. ARMANDO PICCHI SPECCHIA that competes in the "girone B magliese" of the Seconda Categoria. It was founded in the 1970.

International relations

Specchia is twinned with: * Busko-Zdrój * Szigetszentmiklós

References

External links

Awarded "EDEN - European Destinations of Excellence" non traditional tourist destination 2007
Cities and towns in Apulia Localities of Salento Borghi più belli d'Italia {{Puglia-geo-stub