Holiday apartment in Taurisano: churches, trulli and ancient traces

If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Taurisano, you can plan your trip around different aspects of the town: sacred architectural history, Baroque details, rural stone architecture, very ancient monuments and daily train connections.

Sacred architectural history and Baroque details

The Chiesa di Maria Santissima della Strada was built between the end of the 13th century and 1320. Its portal contains an architrave depicting the Annunciation; it is considered one of the few examples of Byzantine sculpture in Apulia.

On the south side of the Chiesa di Maria Santissima della Strada, a 14th-century Byzantine sundial is set beneath the 18th-century bell tower. The Chiesa matrice della Trasfigurazione di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo was built in 1803 on the foundations of a demolished 16th-century church. Its dome consists of locally made, multicoloured glazed tiles produced using an old technique typical of Salento.

In the historic centre of Taurisano is the Casa natale di Giulio Cesare Vanini, a Baroque building with elaborately decorated doors and windows. The decorated doors and windows form another Baroque detail there.

Trulli and rural stone architecture

The rural trulli common in Taurisano are locally known as „truddhi“ and are built from dry stone walls. There are around forty trulli in the Taurisano area, mainly concentrated in the Contrade Acquadolce, Saglietti and Silve.

Ancient traces in the area

A masseria in Taurisano shows traces of a Byzantine settlement and a fortified structure that presumably served as a defence and observation tower. The specchie in Taurisano are megalithic stone monuments whose origins date back thousands of years. For those interested in culture, the specchie represent a distinct historical focus in the Taurisano area. As megalithic stone monuments, the specchie differ from the rural trulli made of dry stone walls found in the Taurisano area.

Planning guidance for your trip

In the centre of Taurisano, there is a network of intersecting roads and lanes behind the buildings. From Taurisano-Ugento railway station, there are daily connections to Casarano, Nardò, Copertino and Lecce. For your daily planning, you can therefore focus on the structure of the centre or on one of the daily train connections.

Historical themes for your daily planning

Those interested in culture can consider the sacred buildings, the Casa natale di Giulio Cesare Vanini, the rural trulli, the masseria and the specchie as separate points of interest. The portal, sundial, dome, dry stone walls and megalithic stone monuments offer different points of observation. Taurisano-Ugento railway station complements the planning with daily connections to Casarano, Nardò, Copertino and Lecce.

More pages about local destinations

More pages about local destinations: Torre Vado, Cocumola, San Donato Di Lecce, Caprarica di Lecce, Marina Serra, Bagnolo Del Salento, Campi Salentina, Acaia

To the higher-level travel overview: Lecce.