Galatina

Galatina (Griko: Ας Πέτρο; Salentino: San Pietru; both lit. 'Saint Peter'), known before the unification of Italy as San Pietro in Galatina,^[1] is a town and comune (municipality) in the Province of Lecce in Apulia, southern Italy. It is situated about 21 kilometres (13 mi) south of the city of Lecce.

Main sights

• The late Romanesque church of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria, built in 1390 by Raimondello del Balzo Orsini, count of Soleto, with a fine portal and rose window. The interior contains frescoes by Francesco d'Arezzo (1435). The apse contains the fine mausoleum of the son of the founder, a canopy supported by four columns, with his statue beneath.^[2]
• The Baroque church of San Pietro (also known as Mother Church), rebuilt from 1633 on a previous Greek-rite edifice.
• The Saint Paul Chapel. It houses a well which, according to tradition, was able to heal people bitten by poisonous tarantulas (those bitten are called tarantati or pizzicati in the local dialect). See also Tarantism.
• The Pupa, a fountain in local limestone

Transportation

Galatina has a station on the Ferrovie Sud-Est line to Lecce. Road connections include the SS16 Adriatica state highway, the SS101 state road, also to Lecce, and the SS 613 Brindisi-Lecce highway.

Energy

Near Galatina is the static inverter plant of HVDC Italy-Greece.

Twin towns

• Novi Grad, Bosnia-Herzegovina, since 1997
• Sapes, Greece, since 1999

Notes

1. ^ Luigi Rossetti, ‘Cenni storici di Galatina’ Archived 2009-09-25 at the Wayback Machine, Sito ufficiale della Città di Galatina.
2. ^