Ceglie Messapica

Ceglie Messapica (Cégghie) is a town, and comune, located in the province of Brindisi and region of Apulia, in southern Italy, in the traditional area called Salento.

Geography
The area of Ceglie Messapica is located between the Murge and the Upper Salento: its typical elements include trulli, farms, lamie (typical southern single room square dwellings), rupestrian churches, Carsic caves, dolinas, specchie and paretoni (remains of city walls), dry-stone walls, olive groves, vineyards, maquis shrub, ancient oak trees, cattle pastures and arable land.

History
According to legend, it was founded by the Pelasgi, to whom belonged the megalithic structures known as specchie. After the arrival of Greek colonists around 700 BC, it received the name of Kailìa (Καιλία; Caelia). Nearby the village were extra-urban sanctuaries dedicated to the God Apollo (near the modern church of San Rocco) and Venus (on the Montevicoli hill).

The city was the military capital of the Messapi (the civil capital being located in the nearby Oria), and fought against the Greek city Taranto in the latter's attempt to gain a passage to the Adriatic Sea. The Messapic Ceglie had some 40,000 inhabitants. In Roman times it was already decaying, and in the Middle Ages was a small village known as Celie de Galdo, with a little castle. After several minor families, in 1584 its fief was given to the Sanseverino family, who enlarged the castle and founded two convents for the Capuchines (now disappeared) and for the Dominicans.

Main sights
Numerous archaeological remains of the ancient Messapi civilization were found in Ceglie's area. It had four lines of walls, the inner one having a perimeter of 5 km. The external one had high fortifications known as specchie, which could be up to 20 m and 60 m in diameter.

Transport
The Ceglie Messapica railway station is located on the Martina Franca-Lecce railway, which connects to the railway junction at Francavilla Fontana station. The train services and the railway infrastructure are operated by Ferrovie del Sud Est, a subsidiary of the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane.

The SP581 provincial road connects the commune with Martina Franca to the west and San Vito dei Normanni to the east.

Events

 * The Procession and Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua, on 13 June.
 * The Procession and Feast of Saint Roch, on 17 August.
 * Ceglie Food Festival, dedicated to gastronomy, on August
 * Coppa Messapica, cycling race in the Itria valley