We don't think that Salento is only "lu sule, lu mare, lu ientu" (the sun, the sea, the wind), because "lu sule, lu mare, lu ientu" are only a small part of the beauty and magic of this land.
Salento is poetry. First of all. And that poetry is everywhere.
It is in the verses of poets and in the novels of famous writers. In the blinding white light that wraps everything up and, magically, makes it special, different. It is in the Baroque Churches, Squares and Palaces and in the ability of the artists to turn the local stone into such beautiful artwork that streets look like open-pit museums.
It is in the beautiful laces made by " mescie " (teachers) in bobbin lace and tatting. In the typical food, in the conserves and in the liqueurs and desserts expertly prepared by loving hands that combine the traditions of the past with the modern health- knowledge. It is in the language that comes in different dialects as fascinating as the sounds and rhythms that punctuate them. It is in the folk dances - the most famous of them is pizzica - and in that gesture that tells the daily hardships in the fields and courting lovers. In the traditions, devotion and celebrations organized in the name of the patron Saints.
It is in the “sagre” (folkloristic local street festivals) that, from village to village, celebrate a different fruit of the earth and its many interpretations to make it nutritious and tasty. It is in the red campaigns that host, such as art galleries, the sculptural masterpieces of the olive trees trunks. In the fig trees that exude succulent pleasure, a kind of nectar of the gods. In the " pale" (special branch of the shrub) of prickly pears that defend the subtle pleasure of the fruits with thorns cleverly scattered on the ruby-red peel. It is in the farms and in the ”muretti a secco”, typical small walls built in the fields with different stones collected after a painstaking cleaning of the fields.
It is in the local culture, in the crafts handed down, in people, in their innate hospitality and in the effort required to bring out the most real value of this land, its genuine identity, its most true passion. For life, first of all. And for simplicity.
And Muro Leccese is located in the heart of this so fascinating Salento.
It is in the “sagre” (folkloristic local street festivals) that, from village to village, celebrate a different fruit of the earth and its many interpretations to make it nutritious and tasty. It is in the red campaigns that host, such as art galleries, the sculptural masterpieces of the olive trees trunks. In the fig trees that exude succulent pleasure, a kind of nectar of the gods. In the " pale" (special branch of the shrub) of prickly pears that defend the subtle pleasure of the fruits with thorns cleverly scattered on the ruby-red peel. It is in the farms and in the ”muretti a secco”, typical small walls built in the fields with different stones collected after a painstaking cleaning of the fields.
It is in the local culture, in the crafts handed down, in people, in their innate hospitality and in the effort required to bring out the most real value of this land, its genuine identity, its most true passion. For life, first of all. And for simplicity.
And Muro Leccese is located in the heart of this so fascinating Salento.
