Monograph City of Cannole

• Cannole
• The Baronial castle
• The municipal palace
• The Oil-milling museum
• Porta San Biagio
• The Seat
• The municipal tank
• The Madonna of Constantinople’s church
• The Ancient Roman Road
• The farmhouse Torcito
• Anfiano
• The menhir

CANNOLE

"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. Once Cannole was part of the Decatria Choria, which included the thirteen countries of the Terra d’Otranto with Greek language and traditions. 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.

The fact that they found refuge in a land full of reed thickets gave in heritage to Cannole its name and its coat-of-arms. From the second half of the 13th century, the territory of Cannole and its surroundings areas was the feud of different noble families until 1583 when it passed under the control of Personé barons for almost a century. In 1747 it was given in feud to the Granafei marquises who retain ownership until the end of the feudal regime.The Granafei family contributed to the urban regeneration of the city and the increase in the resident population. 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”.