Alezio
Alezio
Alytia (Greek) | |
|---|---|
| Comune di Alezio | |
 Shrine of Our Lady of the Lizza | |
Location of Alezio  | |
UTC+2 (CEST) | |
| Postal code | 73011 |
| Dialing code | 0833 |
| Patron saint | Madonna della Lizza |
| Saint day | 15 August |
| Website | Official website |
Alezio (
Latin: Aletium) is a town and comune in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy
.
History
Alezio (despite legend assigning its foundation to a king of Crete) was a centre of the
Peutingerian Table (4th century AD). It was a stop on the Via Traiana, who connected ancient Apulia to Rome
.
Around the year 1000, Alezio was destroyed by the
Basilian monks
. The new Casal d'Alezio, built around it, remained a small village until the 18th century. It was called Villa Picciotti from the 18th century until 1873, when the Messapic name was restored.
Alezio DOC
Within Alezio is a 60-hectare (150-acre) region that produces red and wines are aged for a minimum of 2 years prior to release and must contain a minimum alcohol level of 12.5%.[3]
Main sights
- The Civic Museum of the Messapi, inaugurated in 1982, is a national monument of Italy. It houses remains from Messapic necropolises outside Alezio (4th-3rd centuries BC).
- The Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Lizza, usually considered to be built in the 12th-13th centuries, although remains of a Byzantine-style fresco could date its foundation to some two centuries before. The remains of the frescoes, which once covered the whole interior, span a range of time from the 10th and the 16th century. Most of them dealt with stories of the life of the Virgin Mary.
- Messapian Necropolis, an ancient messapian necropolis, located in Monte Delia area, found by archaeological excavations.
Transportation
Alezio is served by a railway station of the
Ferrovie Sud-Est
, which also holds several bus services in the area.
References
- ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ISTAT
- ISBN 1-55297-720-X
