"Welcome to Cannole, the town of snails” is the ironic sign which welcomes visitors to the little town at 10 kilometres from Otranto and at 10 metres above sea level. In Greek, its original name was “Kalami”, namely reeds, in reference to the presence of cane-thickets in the territory.

Cannole was born, probably, in the 12th century, after furious fights between Byzantines, Longboards, Normans and the barons of the south Italy. In an endless climate of brutality, which involved the whole south Salento, the inhabitants of this territory ran away from the devastation caused by King William I of Sicily, also known as The Bad, and they found refuge among the dense reed thickets. Cannole is well known for the traditional festival of “Municeddha”. It is the most important Italian festival in the Mediterranean gastronomic tradition dedicated to the snails, so that the inhabitants of Cannole are called “cuzzari”.