Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Spider Music) is still practised. The tarantella folk dance evolved from this ritual, and
each year on the feast day of St Peter and St Paul (29 June), it is performed at the (now
deconsecrated) church.
Sights
Basilica di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria
( 8am-12.30pm & 4.30-6.45pm Apr-Sep, 8am-12.30pm & 3.45-5.45pm Oct-Mar)
Most people come to
Galatina see the incredible 14th-century Basilica di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria. Its in-
terior is a kaleidoscope of fresco. It was built by the Franciscans, whose patroness was
Frenchwoman Marie d'Enghien de Brienne. Married to Raimondello Orsini del Balzo, the
Salentine's wealthiest noble, she had plenty of cash to splash on interior decoration. The
gruesome story goes that Raimondello (who is buried here) climbed Mt Sinai to visit rel-
ics of Santa Caterina (St Catherine). Kissing the dead saint's hand, he bit off a finger and
brought it back as a holy relic.
The church is absolutely beautiful, with a pure-white altarpiece set against the frenzy of
frescoes. It is not clear who the artists Marie employed really were; they could have been
itinerant painters down from Le Marche and Emilia or southerners who'd absorbed the
latest Renaissance innovations on trips north. Bring a torch.
CHURCH
Sleeping
Samadhi
( 0836 60 02 84;
www.agricolasamadhi.com
;
Via Stazione 116; per person from €40, per week from €390-995;
)
Soothe the soul further with a stay at Samadhi, located around 7km east of here in
tiny Zollino. It's on a 10-hectare organic farm and the owners are multilingual. As well as
ayurvedic treatments and yoga courses, there's a vegan restaurant offering organic meals.
Check the website for upcoming retreats and courses.
AGRITURISMO
Getting There & Away
FSE runs frequent trains between Lecce and Galatina (€1.90, 30 minutes), and Zollino
(€1.30, 20 minutes).
