Overview
Soleto is located in the heart of Grecìa Salentina, a land where the ancient Griko dialect of Hellenophone origins is still kept alive. The village is the site of ancient legends, which have been handed down for centuries, and of curious and fascinating discoveries. The most mysterious legend features the Orsini spire, which is said to have been built in a single night by the 'macare', the Salento witches, together with demons summoned by the alchemist Matteo Tafuri. And then there is a story of mysterious and tiny maps: in fact, it was in Soleto that the oldest known geographical map in the world was found in 2003! Slightly larger than a postage stamp and dating back to the 5th century B.C., it depicts the 'capo japigio' corresponding to present-day southern Salento.
