Neviano among churches, castles and the Serre Salentine

Neviano reveals its history not only through a single building: parish churches, chapels, the castle and museums lead through different layers of the town. Added to this are the landscape of the Serre Salentine, walks through olive groves and a cycle path leading to the town centre. For travellers who want to combine Italian architecture with landscapes and local cuisine, Neviano therefore offers several clearly distinct points of interest.

Churches and the town’s evolving history

Neviano’s present-day parish church is dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel. It was planned in 1853 as a larger church building in response to population growth; the municipality took responsibility for this with the support of the local population. Neviano’s mother church is also dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel and is furnished with altars made of Lecce stone.

The old parish church was built in the town centre around the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. It has three chapels dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel, the Rosary and Saint Oronzo. The Church of Santa Maria della Neve has a rectangular floor plan with three bays covered by star vaults. It is documented as existing as early as 1719 and contains an altarpiece signed by Raffaello Salines and dated 1837. The Church of the Holy Martyrs Cosmas and Damian was built in 1961 on the basis of an initiative by the local population and has a freestanding, 37-metre-high bell tower.

Museums, landscapes and paths

The Museo del Territorio displays maps and historical photographs documenting changes in the landscape of Neviano. It is housed in the Abbey of San Nicola di Macugno in the Serre Salentine, an area of great biodiversity. The Ecomuseum of the Serre di Neviano landscape is dedicated to the final foothills of the Murge Salentine and offers walks through olive groves and along dry-stone walls.

On the outskirts of Neviano, the settlement of San Nicola di Macugno preserves the remains of a Byzantine settlement. These include a two-storey 16th-century casale, a medieval wall and four underground grottoes. A cycle path connects San Nicola di Macugno with Neviano’s town centre and runs through the landscape of the Serre Salentine.

Castle, orientation and local speciality

Neviano Castle is an imposing 17th-century castle built at the behest of the Orsini del Balzo family. The local community grew up around it; there is also a walk for discovering the furnieddi. The Church of Madonna delle Nevi can be reached via Via Pozzi Vecchi, which connects the upper and lower parts of Neviano.

Local cuisine is also part of the town’s tangible impressions. In Neviano, the Festa della bombetta was held again following the great success of the previous edition. The focus is on the bombetta, a stuffed roll of fresh meat cooked over glowing embers.

More destinations for planning your trip: Fontanelle, Nardò, Frigole, Salice Salentino, San Cassiano, Torre Dell'orso, Casarano and Gagliano Del Capo.

To the overarching travel overview: Lecce.