"Welcome all to the 7th appointment with Salento in LIS videos.
Today we will “go for a walk” through the streets of Otranto, to admire the beauty of both its monuments and the sea.
Otranto is a small and wonderful town set on the Adriatic coast of the Salento region. It is an important historic city, so much that the Salento area was once called Terra d’Otranto (Otranto Land).
It is really worth taking a walk along the streets of the stunning old town, acknowledged as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO as a Messenger of Peace.
Our virtual tour in the old town starts with the “Porta Terra” gate, part of the ancient city walls which defended Otranto from the invaders’ attack.
Passing through this first “door”, we meet “Porta Alfonsina” which leads us to the city centre. It is dedicated to Alfonso d’Aragona, duke of Calabria, who freed Otranto from the Turkish invasion in 1481.
Continuing our tour, we arrive at the “Lungomare degli Eroi” (Promenade of Heroes) where we can admire the crystal clear sea which seems to embrace the town. The same sea which represented a threat for Otranto in the past, because of a devastating invasion by the Turks in 1480. The 14th August they massacred 800 inhabitants who were beheaded on Minerva Hill (where today there is a Church dedicated to them and to San Francesco di Paola, who had predicted their carnage), for their refusal to deny Christ.
In order not to forget what happened, a monument dedicated to the Heroes and Martyrs of 1480 has been built.
Our walk must include a stop to admire the most important and popular monument of Otranto: the Cathedral of Santa Maria Annunziata. Its construction lasted 8 years and the church was consecrated by Pope Urban II on 1 August 1088.
The Cathedral rises on the highest point of the historic centre, as if to defend the whole town. The interior, with its Latin cross plan, has three naves with circular apses and two side chapels.
The Cathedral is a unique monument thanks to its mosaic that covers the entire floor of the three naves. It was created in only two years, from 1163 to 1165, by the monk Pantaleone and it is the largest floor mosaic in Europe.
The mosaic depicts the Tree of Life which represents the origin of all life manifestations: Christian, pre-Christian, non-Christian, monotheist, polytheist.
Our walk continues until we reach the Aragonese Castle, built by order of the duke Alfonso d’Aragona between 1485 and 1498, after the tragic sack of Otranto by the Turks. The Castle stands on the remains of a Byzantine fort. On its bastion the coats of arms of Antonio de Mendoza and Don Pedro di Toledo (at the time lords of the city) are engraved, while the coat of arms of Carlo V is engraved on the entrance door.
Once arrived at Piazza del Popolo, in the centre of the old town, we can admire Torre dell’Orologio ( Clock Tower), realized in 1799. The Tower is enriched with the city coat of arms, portraying a tower wrapped in a black snake’s coils and surrounded by the motto “Loyal City of Otranto” (Civitas Fidellissima Hydrunti).
A few steps from Torre dell’Orologio, there is the “Basilica di San Pietro” (St. Peter’s Basilica), a precious evidence of the Byzantine rule in the Land of Otranto and expression of the Byzantine art in Puglia region. This church was probably the first basilica to be built in the town.
Our tour can only end with the most evocative view of Otranto, the Bastione dei Pelasgi ( Pelasgians’ Bastion), which overlooks the deep blue sea and the small harbour.
Our video ends here. Parole in Mano thanks you for your attention. Bye!"
*(the written text differs slightly from the IS text in the video).
Parole in Mano Production
With the Patronage of the Municipality of Diso
and The Parish of St. Vitale in Marittima
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES
“OTRANTO NELLA STORIA” di Grazio Gianfreda, Ed.Salentina (1972)
“Otranto 1480” di Alessandro Laporta, Editore Capone (1980)
PLANNING, COORDINATION, SUPERVISING EDITOR, TEXT ADAPTATION:
PAOLA MUSARÒ
IN COLLABORATION WITH:
ALESSIA NUZZO
MARIANNA MINONNE
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
ILARIA NUZZO
IS TRANSLATION:
CLAUDIO VERGARI
FILMING, PHOTOGRAPHY, COMPOSITING, EDITING:
WALTER STOMEO
GRAPHIC PROJECT:
ALESSIA NUZZO
SALENTO MAP BY ASSOCIAZIONE FOLKOLORE (logo)
**The images of S.M. Annunziata’s Cathedral and St. Peter’s Basilica are reproduced under the license from the Office for Ecclesiastical Cultural Heritage of the Diocese of Otranto, which retains their ownership.
Associazione Parole in Mano
Via Silvio Pellico, 5
73030 – Marittima di Diso (LE)
C.F. 92026310752
www.paroleinmano.it
mail: paroleinmano@libero.it
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