Guagnano | |
---|---|
Comune di Guagnano | |
![]() Mother Church | |
Coordinates: 40°24′N17°57′E / 40.400°N 17.950°E | |
Country | Italy |
Region | Apulia |
Province | Lecce (LE) |
Frazioni | Villa Baldassarri |
Government | |
• Mayor | Francois Imperiale |
Area | |
• Total | 38.03 km2 (14.68 sq mi) |
Elevation | 44 m (144 ft) |
Population (31 August 2017) [2] | |
• Total | 5,699 |
• Density | 150/km2 (390/sq mi) |
Demonym | Guagnanesi |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Postal code | 73010 |
Dialing code | 0832 |
Patron saint | Madonna of the Rosary |
Saint day | 7 October |
Website | Official website |
Guagnano (Salentino: Uagnanu) is a town and comune in the province of Lecce, Apulia, south-eastern Italy. Situated in northern Salento, it also includes the fraction of Villa Baldassarri.
Guagnano was originally part of a group of villages, and at the end of the 13th century the region belonged to the feud of the count of Lecce. It became the possession of the Orsini del Balzo, princes of Taranto, then passed into the hands of Baron Matteo de Admiaris, before becoming the possession of a series of families (the Sambiasi, the Zurlo, the Paladini, the Galateo, the Lopez, the Santoro and the Mattehei, the Albrigi, then finally the Filomarini, Dukes of Cutrofiano). In 1811 a large village, Villa Baldassarri, was added to the principality of Guagnano and remains part of it today.
The etymologia of Guagnano possibly derives from a word referring to marshes that are rich in water. It could also derive from a Latin name of an unidentified person, maybe Covanius or Aequanius, with the suffix "-ano" added to indicate possession of a property. According to historian Giacomo Arditi, however, the name comes from the word guadagno which refers to the fertility of the land and the meadows and to lucrative activities of the region.
The territory of Guagnano, 24 km northwest of Lecce and bordering on the Province of Brindisi, sits 44 m above sea level and covers 37 km². The western part of the territory falls in the zone of the Terra d'Arneo, the area of Salento on the Ionian coast between San Pietro in Bevagna and Torre dell'Inserraglio. Guagnano is bordered by: San Donaci and Cellino San Marco to the north, Campi Salentina to the east, Salice Salentino to the south, and San Pancrazio Salentino to the west.
Guagnano has a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and hot humid summers. The average temperature in January, its coldest month, is 9 °C, while in its hottest month, August, the average temperature is 24.7 °C. Yearly average precipitation, which is frequent in autumn and winter, reaches 626 mm. Spring and summer are characterized by long periods of drought. Eastern Salento is subject to cold winds from the Balkans and hot winds from North Africa.
Climate data for Guagnano | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °F | 54.7 | 55.8 | 59.0 | 64.9 | 72.7 | 80.2 | 84.6 | 85.3 | 79.2 | 71.2 | 63.7 | 57.6 | 69.1 |
Mean daily minimum °F | 42.1 | 42.4 | 45.0 | 49.1 | 55.6 | 62.6 | 67.1 | 67.8 | 63.1 | 56.7 | 49.8 | 44.8 | 53.8 |
Average precipitation inches | 2.8 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 24.7 |
Mean daily maximum °C | 12.6 | 13.2 | 15.0 | 18.3 | 22.6 | 26.8 | 29.2 | 29.6 | 26.2 | 21.8 | 17.6 | 14.2 | 20.6 |
Mean daily minimum °C | 5.6 | 5.8 | 7.2 | 9.5 | 13.1 | 17.0 | 19.5 | 19.9 | 17.3 | 13.7 | 9.9 | 7.1 | 12.1 |
Average precipitation mm | 71 | 60 | 65 | 40 | 33 | 20 | 16 | 22 | 49 | 80 | 97 | 74 | 627 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 78.7 | 78.2 | 77.8 | 77.3 | 76.2 | 72.9 | 70.9 | 72.4 | 76.5 | 79.2 | 80.5 | 80.3 | 76.7 |
[ citation needed ] |
Construction on the Chiesa Madre (Mother Church), dedicated to the Madonna Assunta, began in the 18th century. It was built over a 15th-century structure made on the spot where an image of Our Lady of the Rosary was found.
It has a large Baroque facade divided into two orders, characterized by an entrance above which is located a sculpture of the Assumption, and flanked by two smaller doors with refined decoration. The interior, with the shape of a Latin cross with three naves, is decorated with opulent gold-plated stucco. The naves, with starred ceilings, house several Baroque altars dedicated to: the Crucifixion; St Francis Xavier; St Oronzo; the Madonna del Carmine; Sts Cosmas and Damian; St Francis of Assisi; and St Joseph. In the right transept is an important altar dedicated to the Madonna of the Rosary containing an image of the Virgin from the 14th century. The Renaissance baptistery is recently restored.
The church of the Madonna of the Rosario, was constructed in the middle of the 18th century. It contains relics of the four martyrs; of particular interest is the statue of the Virgin.
The Salentino dialect is spoken in Guagnano in a variant that is much influenced by the dialect of Lecce. The Salentino dialect was influenced by the various linguistic groups that established themselves in this area including: Messapi, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Lombards, Normans, Albanians, French, and Spaniards.
Events in the town include:
The cultivation of grapes is the most important economic activity of Guagnano. Grapes are grown for use in both table wines as well as wines for selling and export. It is at the center of the production DOC of the wine known as Salice Salentino and numerous cantinas have been established in this sector by various consortiums. Furniture making is also a significant economic factor of the area.
State road 7, stretching from Taranto to Lecce, runs through the city center of Guagnano and is its main road. The city center can also be reached by local roads SP104, SP105, SP106, and SP327.
Guagnano sits on the railway line Martina Franca-Lecce.
Lecce is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce, with the second-highest population in the Apulia region. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old.
Salento, also known as Terra d'Otranto is a cultural, historical and geographic region at the southern end of the administrative region of Apulia in Southern Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the Italian Peninsula, sometimes described as the "heel" of the Italian "boot". It encompasses the entire administrative area of the province of Lecce, a large part of the province of Brindisi and part of that of Taranto.
Negroamaro is a red wine grape variety native to southern Italy. It is grown almost exclusively in Apulia and particularly in Salento, the peninsula which can be visualised as the "heel" of Italy. The grape can produce wines very deep in color. Wines made from Negroamaro tend to be very rustic in character, combining perfume with an earthy bitterness. The grape produces some of the best red wines of Apulia, particularly when blended with the highly scented Malvasia Nera, as in the case of Salice Salentino.
Grottaglie is a town and comune in the province of Taranto, Apulia, in southern Italy.
Salice Salentino is a small town and comune in the southern part of Apulia, Italy, in the Salento area. It is bounded with the province of Taranto to the northwest and the province of Brindisi to the north.
Gallipoli is a southern Italian town and comune in the province of Lecce, in Apulia. In 2014, it had a population of 31,862 and is one of the towns where the Greek dialect Griko is spoken.
Francavilla Fontana is a town and comune (municipality) in the province of Brindisi and region of Apulia, in southern Italy. It is also called the town of the "Imperiali", after the Imperiali, a family of feudal lords who ruled the town from the end of 16th century until the 18th century. With a population of 36,358, in 2017, it is the third municipality of its province after Brindisi and Fasano. Its one of the many towns in south Italy where the Greek dialect Griko is spoken.
San Vito dei Normanni is an Italian town of 19,947 inhabitants of the province of Brindisi in Apulia. The inhabitants are called Sanvitesi and the town is sometimes referred to as San Vito.
Nardò is a town and comune in the southern Italian region of Apulia, in the Province of Lecce.
Carosino is a town and comune in the province of Taranto, in the northern Salento, part of the Apulia region of southeast Italy. Carosino was historically an Arbëreshë settlement.
Acquarica del Capo was a town and comune in the province of Lecce, Apulia, south-eastern Italy. In 2019 it was merged with the adjacent Presicce to form Presicce-Acquarica.
Copertino, also known in English as Cupertino, is a town and comune in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy.
Cutrofiano is a town and comune in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy. It is known for its shoes and ceramic production.
Miggiano is an Italian city of 3,702 inhabitants in the province of Lecce in Apulia. Located in the lower Salento, a few kilometres from the Adriatic coast, it lies 50 kilometres (31 mi) from the chief town and 22 kilometres (14 mi) from Santa Maria di Leuca. Formerly considered a town, in 2003 Miggiano was elevated to the status of City.
Cesa is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about 15 kilometres (9 mi) north of Naples and about 14 kilometres (9 mi) southwest of Caserta.
Marittima is a hamlet of the Diso municipality in the province of Lecce.
San Lorenzo is a Renaissance-style Roman Catholic parish church located in the town of Civitella del Tronto, in the province of Teramo, Abruzzo, Italy.
San Giovanni is a Gothic-style, Roman Catholic church located in Appignano, province of Macerata, in the region of Marche, Italy.
Montesardo is a frazione (transl. village) in the comune of Alessano in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region, Italy. As of the 2001 census, it has a population of 1,369. It is 59 km (37 mi) from Lecce, just over 10 km (6.2 mi) from Leuca, and 1 km (0.62 mi) from the comune capital of Alessano.
The Collegiate Basilica of the Most Holy Rosary, also known as the Matrix Church or Cathedral is a Catholic place of worship located in Francavilla Fontana, an Italian municipality in the province of Brindisi in Apulia. It is the largest church in the diocese of Oria, of which it is part, and has the highest dome in Salento, with a diameter of 13 meters.