Holiday apartment in Surano: Historic Center and Ancient Crypts

A Historic Introduction in the Town Center

Surano combines a concentrated historic townscape with traces that reach far back into the past. Piazza del Municipio marks the entrance to the historic center and is therefore a suitable conceptual starting point for exploring the local buildings. The casale of Surano existed at the end of the 12th century; at that time, it became part of the County of Lecce. This creates a townscape in which history can be read not only in individual buildings, but also in their relationship to the center.

Churches, Facades and Crypts

The Chiesa Madre is flanked by the chapel of the Madonna delle Grazie Brotherhood and the clock tower. The Church of Madonna delle Grazie has a 19th-century facade decorated with festoons, pilasters and mock balustrades. It was designed by Filippo Bacile di Castiglione. The Mother Church of the Assumption, the matrice dell’Assunta, from the 18th century, is also part of Surano’s religious landscape.

This diversity continues beneath the surface. The San Giovanni Crypt is the oldest place of worship in Surano and has a distinctly Byzantine layout; its iconostasis has now disappeared. The underground crypt of the Cappella di San Rocco is carved into the rock and divided by two pillars. It contains a fresco of John the Baptist and traces of old paintings. The Calvario otto-novecentesco complements these historic religious sites as another place of religious interest worth visiting.

Palazzi and Underground Testaments

The historic palazzi also give the town center its own distinctive focal points. Palazzo “di don Pantaleo” is a historic palazzo in Surano worth visiting. The same applies to the palazzo in Piazza Martiri di Otranto. Palazzo Galati is one of the oldest and most important architectural testimonies in the historic center and displays layers of construction dating back at least to the 16th century. Another view of the local past leads to the underground oil mills: Until the 1930s, there were five of them in Surano, and at least two have survived almost intact to the present day.

Pilgrimage Route, Fields and Guided Tours

The Cappella della Madonna del Piano, also known as Madonna di Leuca and Cappella di S. Antonio, together with its old cemetery, is located along an ancient pilgrimage route. In past centuries, pilgrims used this route to reach the sanctuary of Leuca. The connection between the town center and the agricultural areas is also important for spatial orientation: It runs along the Surano–Torre Paduli provincial road and the local roads “Murta” and “vecchio cimitero”. Guided tours in Surano are organized on request and with prior reservation.

More Places to Discover

More places: Villaggio Resta, San Cataldo, Castro Di Lecce, Sternatia, Poggiardo, Merine, Galatone, Campi Salentina

To the overarching travel overview: Lecce.