DISCOVER SALENTO

GASTRONOMY

HOW TO REACH SALENTO

OUR SPECIAL HOTEL RATES
.....................................

WELCOME TO TRICASE HOME OF THE SALENTO FILM FESTIVAL

At just 4 km from Adriatic sea, Tricase is rounded by Serra dei Cianci and by Serra di San Mito (here, from up above, there's one of the widest and lightest landscape of the region).

Regarding the origins of Tricase, there are different versions, but the most effective ones are those by Antonio Micetti from Tricase and by Capuchin father Luigi Tasselli from Casarano. It's told that, between the X and XI century, there were build up three farmhouses and the first dwelling-places raised right through the joining of them: here the name of Tricase.

But more probably, the name of the town hall should be related to "inter casas" that means "town coming up among different farmhouses". That is a centre raised among other farmhouses, which ones would had mingled together, bringing to the birth of a new town. It's worthy the opinion that the unification of the three farmhouses came from the need of a powerful force, because these towns were actually small villages and so weak and armless against barbarian invasions and raids or against peoples coming from near towns. Anyway Tricase ancient name was "Treccase", then "Trecase", further "Tricasi" or "Tricasium" and in the end it took what is still the nowadays name.

Right in the middle of the town, the Sixteenth Century Castle raises and it's one of the best kept castle of the Province of Lecce, built up again after Turkey invasion and its almost destruction in 1480. But only two squared towers still stay of the first four towers and they are placed in the front of the castle where there's the entrance, with above the star of the feudatories, the Gallone. In the inner part, there are wide halls and a large central courtyard.
In the outlying ward of Depressa and Tutino there are other two wonderful castles, respectively of 1300 and 1400. 

Very important it's the Chiesa Matrice (the main church in Tricase), dedicated to Santa Maria del Foggiano that dates back to XVII century, with a refined eighteenth-century pulpit, finely carved. Chiesa di Sant'Angelo, instead, goes back to the first years of the 1600 (on the face it shows an elegant portal).

Along the way that from Tricase leads to the harbour it's placed the enormous Quercia Vallonea with its thick leafage: it's got further than 700 years of life and it's one of the last existing example in all Mediterranean sea basin.

The seashore, Tricase Porto, is a natural inlet placed at the feet of a hill with a thick vegetation. In the first years of '900 it was classed as a first class harbour and became a compelled stop for steamships that went from Bari to Messina. Nowadays it's above all a tourist and fishing place