Villa Castelli is a ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' in the
province of Brindisi
The Province of Brindisi ( it, Provincia di Brindisi) is a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Brindisi. It has an area of and a total population of 401,652 (2013).
Geography
The Province of Brindisi is situated in ...
in
Apulia
it, Pugliese
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, demographic ...
, on the south-east
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
coast. It is a comune in
Salento
Salento ( Salentino: ''Salentu'', Salentino Griko: ''Σαλέντο'') is a cultural, historical and geographic region at the southern end of the administrative region of Apulia in Southern Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the Italian Peninsula ...
, the borderline with
Itria Valley
Itria Valley (in Italian: ''Valle d'Itria'') is an area located in Apulia region, in Southern Italy.
Itria Valley spreads over Province of Bari, Province of Brindisi and Province of Taranto, and coincide with the lower part of Altopiano delle Murg ...
. Its main economic activities are tourism and the growing of olives and grapes.
Main sights
The main attractions are the Castle (or Ducal Palace) and the church of Immacolata. The castle was built by the
Orsini del Balzo
The House of Orsini del Balzo was an Italian noble family from the 13th and 14th centuries.
The dynasty was founded with the marriage between Roberto from the Orsini family and Sveve del Balzo from the House of Baux. The family produced a Queen ...
in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
but was already in ruins in the 15th century. In the 17th century the Emperor bought it and turned it into a fortress, and later it was further expanded by the Ungaro. The church was built in the 10th century in an eclectic style, with both Gothic and Romanesque features.
The countryside around is home to numerous prehistoric
trulli.
Twin towns
*
Kalyvia Thorikou
Kalyvia Thorikou ( el, Καλύβια Θορικού) is a town and a former municipality in East Attica, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Saronikos, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The m ...
, Greece
References
Cities and towns in Apulia
Localities of Salento
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