Villa Castelli is a ''

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 Brindisi The province of 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 in southeastern Italy, exte ...

in Apulia, on the south-east Italy coast. It is a comune in

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 ...

, the borderline with

Itria Valley Itria Valley (in Italian: ''Valle d'Itria'') is an area located in Apulia region, in Southern Italy. Itria Valley spreads over Province of Bari, Province of Brindisi and Province of Taranto, and coincide with the lower part of Murgia upland (Lo ...

. Its main economic activities are tourism and the growing of olives and grapes.

Main sights

The main attractions are the Castle (or Ducal Palace) and the church of Immacolata. The castle was built by the Orsini del Balzo in the

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

but was already in ruins in the 15th century. In the 17th century the Emperor bought it and turned it into a fortress, and later it was further expanded by the Ungaro. The church was built in the 10th century in an eclectic style, with both Gothic and Romanesque features. The countryside around is home to numerous prehistoric trulli.

Twin towns

Kalyvia Thorikou Kalyvia Thorikou () is a town and a former municipality in East Attica, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Saronikos, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 70.63 ...

, Greece

References

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