Aradeo

A village in central Salento, Aradeo has a soul of stone and legend. The stone is Lecce stone, which supports and embellishes some of the town's main buildings, such as the Church of Maria Santissima Annunziata, dating back to the 18th century but built on an earlier building, of which the main altar carved in this precious material remains; also made of Lecce stone is the column of St John the Baptist, built during the 17th century, which gave the right of asylum to anyone who, persecuted by the law, clung to it. But the stories of Aradeo do not end here: the Chapel of St Nicholas of Myra is also linked to a legend according to which it was built by a woman, who built it in thanksgiving to the saint for saving her from the penalty of an unfair trial. St Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of the town, is also celebrated every year with an evocative evening procession on a papier-mâché boat that re-enacts his journey from Myra to Bari.