Holiday apartment in Matino: historic centre, Baroque and wine country

Holiday apartment in Matino takes you into a historic centre that has preserved its features almost unchanged. Narrow, winding lanes, streets decorated with votive niches, courtyards with traditional washbasins and palazzi with elaborately decorated corbel balconies characterise the town centre.

Palazzi, art and contemporary culture

One of the historic buildings in Matino is the Palazzo dei Marchesi del Tufo. It was built towards the end of the 12th century as a Norman fortification belonging to the De Persona family. The fresco-decorated stables bear witness to the Del Tufo family's passion for horses of noble breed.

The MACMa is housed in the rooms of the Palazzo Marchesale in the historic centre of Matino. It presents an extensive collection of works of Visual Poetry and regularly organises exhibitions and conferences on contemporary artists.

Churches, building phases and frescoes

The Chiesa del Rosario takes visitors through the architectural history of the 16th and 18th centuries: its main structure was built in the 16th century and extensively remodelled around 1750, giving it its characteristic Baroque appearance. Most of the paintings inside are attributed to Gian Domenico Catalano. The Chiesa del Carmine was built at the beginning of the 17th century after an icon of the Madonna had been found in the countryside. Its sacristy contains a Pietà painting executed directly on the rock in 1621.

The Chiesa matrice di San Giorgio was built in the mid-18th century according to a design by Giuseppe Del Tufo, with financial support from the Marchesi, over the remains of an existing structure dating from the mid-16th century. Its interior has the layout of a Latin cross with a single nave, eight side altars in the main arm and two more in the transept. The Chiesa della Pietà is characterised by narrow vaults entirely decorated with frescoes. Between 1620 and 1623, two families donated the land for its construction and covered the building costs.

The large portico is now incorrectly known as the Arco della Pietà. It was added around 1630. The feast of San Giorgio Martire in Matino takes place every year in April around 23 April.

Olives, wine and the view from Colle di Sant'Eleuterio

The landscape around Matino is characterised by centuries-old olive trees and vineyards, reflecting the agricultural history of the area. The enoteche in Matino offer selected local wines and guided tastings. Colle di Sant'Eleuterio lies 2 km north of the centre of Matino, is accessible by car or bicycle and offers views across the Salento countryside as far as the sea.

Discover more destinations

For further travel planning, you can also find these destinations: Marina Serra, Rivabella, San Cataldo, Tiggiano, Conca Specchiulla, Novoli, Gagliano Del Capo and Campi Salentina.

For the higher-level travel overview: Lecce.