Discover Lizzano: Churches, Museum, Wine and Local Cuisine

Lizzano can be discovered through its landscape, history and local cuisine. The area covers 46.2 km² and is predominantly flat. In the north, areas with continental landscape features predominate, while a long coastal strip extends in the south. If you would like to combine different landscape impressions with historic sights and regional specialities during your trip to Italy, this overview provides helpful guidance for planning your journey.

Historic Centre and Churches

Lizzano’s historic centre is easily accessible and has tactile guidance paving. This helps blind and visually impaired people find their way and identify hazards such as ramps, stairs and crossings. The town centre therefore also has a tangible significance for visitors with different orientation requirements.

The Chiesa San Nicola already existed at the beginning of the 14th century, was renovated and extended in the 16th century, and is Lizzano’s mother church in the historic centre. A chapel dedicated to San Gaetano in the Chiesa San Nicola houses the saint’s relics. The Chiesa del Rosario, built in 1562 in the Renaissance style, also stands in the old part of Lizzano.

Traces from the Lombard Period to the Middle Ages

The underground crypt of the Chiesetta rupestre dell’Annunziata dates from the 9th or 10th century, the Lombard period, and remains an important place of Marian devotion and pilgrimage. The Museo civico della paleontologia e dell’uomo was founded in 1996 and officially opened to the public in 2002. Its archaeological section documents the human cultures present in the area of Lizzano and its surroundings from the Neolithic period to the Middle Ages.

At the Museo civico della paleontologia e dell’uomo, you can see fossils as well as archaeological finds from the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age. These are joined by objects from the era of Magna Graecia, the Roman period and the Middle Ages. The museum’s chronological scope therefore extends from early human cultures to the historical periods that later shaped the region.

Palazzo Marchesale and Torre dell’Orologio

The Palazzo Marchesale (Castello) was once the residence of the feudal lords of the fief of Lizzano and accommodated people who came to Lizzano for the festivities held in honour of San Gaetano da Thiene. According to some scholars, the Palazzo Marchesale was built in the 16th century on an older Norman core and was later remodelled and extended. Its historical function and architectural development should be considered separately.

The Torre dell’Orologio dates from the period between the 12th and 19th centuries and stands on a castle tower. Its base appears to date back to a fortified observation and defence tower from the 13th or 14th century. Between the 18th and 19th centuries, the Torre dell’Orologio was fitted with a clock and a bell tower. The castle tower is said to have been connected to the original Norman complex by an underground passage that has never been found.

Wine, Regional Products and a Cycling Route

By prior reservation, Cantine Lizzano offers cellar tours with a tasting of five wines paired with typical regional products. One of Lizzano’s culinary specialities is Fai e ffogghi. The traditional dish consists of a purée of broad beans and is served with cooked chicory or fried green peppers. This gives you direct access to the town’s wine and cuisine.

For planning by bicycle, the Lizzano–Sava route includes a 12.6-kilometre cycling section. The surface is partly unpaved and partly asphalted. This combination makes the condition of the route a useful criterion if you want to choose your bicycle according to different surfaces and your preferred pace of travel.

Further destinations for orientation: San Giorgio Ionico, Torre Columena, Librari, Grottaglie, Leporano, Uggiano Montefusco, Torricella, Monacizzo

To the higher-level travel overview: Taranto.