Presicce: Palazzo Ducale, Olive Oil and Focareddha

Presicce brings together several religious buildings, courtyard structures and a festival tradition. The town is home to the Palazzo Ducale with its Hanging Garden, the Chiesa Madre di Sant’Andrea Apostolo and the Museo della Civiltà Contadina.

Palazzo Ducale and the Hanging Garden

The Hanging Garden is located on the terrace of the south wing of the Palazzo Ducale of the Paternò dukes, in the oldest settled part of Presicce. The Palazzo Ducale was originally a Norman fortress built by the De Specula in the 10th century.

The Hanging Garden is designed in the style of an Italian garden and divided into two areas; the southern area is about 30 centimetres higher than the northern one and is connected to it by ramps and steps. The Museo della Civiltà Contadina is housed in the Palazzo Ducale. On the upper floor of the Museo della Civiltà Contadina, several rooms recreate former domestic activities; these include a large loom that is still in working order. The palace thus brings together the history of the Norman fortress, the garden terrace and the domestic activities recreated in the museum.

Churches between Baroque and Renaissance

The Chiesa Madre di Sant’Andrea Apostolo was rebuilt between 1778 and 1781 after the devastating earthquake of 1743. It is designed in an elegant Baroque style and has a Renaissance bell tower dating from the 16th century.

The Church of San Giovanni Battista is also known as Carmine and is closely associated with the Carmelite friars, who were present there until the order was dissolved in 1809. The Chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angeli, together with its monastery, is one of the most significant religious complexes in Presicce-Acquarica.

Courtyards and alleys as local architectural forms

The case a corte in Presicce consist of an uncovered central space surrounded by several residential units that share one or more entrances to the street. The Rione Corciuli is a particularly long courtyard with two entrances via the Rioni Soronzi and Padreterno, as well as a very narrow alley. These courtyard structures add a form of housing with an open interior space and shared entrances to the street to this architectural history.

Focareddha and the olive oil tradition

The history of Presicce is linked to traditional olive cultivation and the processing of olives into oil. The Focareddha di Sant’Andrea is an annual patronal fire festival in Presicce. The large fire, made from wood collected in the fields, is lit every year on 29 November, the eve of the patron saint’s feast day.

On 29 and 30 November, the Focareddha festival includes a small tasting, food stalls, local handicrafts and live music in the alleys of the historic centre. The typical festival dish is fried fish, known in Italian as “triglie di Sant’Andrea”. Anyone planning to attend these feast days should use 29 November as a reference date.

Other places in the Lecce area

Other destinations in the Lecce area include Tricase Porto, Torre Dell'orso, Sanarica, Torre Lapillo, Nociglia, San Donato Di Lecce, Gemini and Melissano.

The region at a glance: Lecce.