Discover Cocumola: Holiday Apartment, Culture and Olive Groves

Cocumola combines living traditions, Baroque architecture, prehistoric traces and rural landscapes. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Cocumola, you can tailor your stay to your travel interests: culture and history, regional cuisine, or routes through olive and pine groves.

Culture and History in Cocumola

The parish church of San Nicola Vescovo is located on Piazza Chiesa in Cocumola. Palazzo Pasca provides a different architectural accent. The building was constructed at the beginning of the 17th century and has a finely decorated and carved Baroque portal. There is also a balcony on the façade.

Tavole di San Giuseppe and Regional Cuisine

The tradition of the Tavole di San Giuseppe offers a special cultural experience. It takes place on 18 and 19 March, and Cocumola is one of the participating locations. The Tavole renew a tradition of mutual aid: large communal tables are set in public squares or private homes. This means that the focus is not only on an individual custom, but also on sharing together.

The culinary side of the Tavole includes a type of fresh durum-wheat pasta from Salento known in the local dialect as Vermiceddri. It is served with chickpeas and cabbage and is known regionally as Massa.

Menhir Croce and Traces of Earlier Times

Menhir Croce is a prehistoric monument made from a single large stone that served ritual purposes. Its measurements also point to the monument's alteration: the menhir was formerly 3.57 m high, whereas today its height is 320 cm. During the Messapian period, the Fogge of Cocumola, carved into the limestone, were also used as storage sites for harvested produce. These cavities had the shape of inverted funnels.

Landscape Around the Inhabited Town Centre

The inhabited centre of Cocumola lies on a plain surrounded by centuries-old olive groves. On the route through Cocumola, the stretch after Menhir Croce runs straight between olive and pine trees. A path reaches the centre of Cocumola after passing the Church of Santa Maria della Serra.

Holiday Apartment in Cocumola for Planning Your Trip

You can choose a holiday apartment in Cocumola according to the focus of your stay. If you want to experience tradition and cuisine, the Tavole di San Giuseppe and Vermiceddri take centre stage. If culture is your main focus, your interests will lead you to Palazzo Pasca, the parish church of San Nicola Vescovo and Menhir Croce. If landscape and activity are more important, the plain with its old olive groves, as well as the stretches between olive and pine trees, offer suitable themes for planning your days.

More destinations for planning your trip: Carmiano, Punta Prosciutto, Aradeo, Acquarica Del Capo, Sanarica, Pacci, Alessano and Castrignano Del Capo.

For the higher-level travel overview: Lecce.