Patù

On the extreme strip of land of Italy, in Capo di Leuca, Patù rises on a tuff slope gently inclined to south-west, at 124 meters above the sea level. The foundation of this small centre goes back to 924 A.C. due to the refugees from the neighboring Vereto, ancient Messapian city destroyed by the Saracens. Its name, according to some scholars, would derive from the Greek "pathos" indicating the suffering of Vereto people.

Therefore, Patù would have been the ancient laper hospital of Vereto. It is certain that this city became famous in ancient times throughout the Mediterranean basin and in the period of maximum splendour it was defended by mighty walls - with opus isodomum blocks- longer than 4 km and it ruled over an area that also embraced Leuca and the nearby San Gregorio: in the San Gregorio bay, Vereto built a convenient port whose remains can be admired on the bottom of the sea at a few meters depth, just in front of the rocky tip that protects the creek from sirocco coastal storms.

Other testimonies from Vereto that survived to San Gregorio are a Messapian staircase and the mouth of a well that once supplied fresh-water to ships at anchor. The marina overlooks the Ionian Sea and it is characterized by a strategic position in a natural cove, near another high cliff that terminates overhanging on the sea, giving an extraordinary scenic effect. Dock of reference of Vereto, suggestive bay protected from the winds of the northern, eastern and southern quadrants and supplied with sources, Marina di San Gregorio is characterized not only by high cliffs, although easily accessible, but in its bay there is even a small strip of sand which allows everyone the access to the sea.

Matter of attraction are the remains of the extended walls of Vereto, dating back to the IV century B.C., and short stretches of walls of Roman times. Most of the archaeological and epigraphical finds are preserved in the Provincial Museum of Lecce and at the museum inside the Palazzo Liborio Romano, in the Piazza Indipendenza of Patù; but even today, strolling in the countryside of Vereto's hill, you can find fragments of ceramics and terracotta. From Piazza Indipendenza you have to walk along a small stretch of Via Giuseppe Romano until you cross, on the left, Via Silvio Pellico where you will meet on the right the last of the four angular fortified towers that, united by curtains, represented the walls of the Castle.

The fortification is of the first half of 1400. The walls were surrounded by a moat that was in part buried, and the other part was converted into the garden. The Castle, totally destroyed, was often a refuge for the population during pirate raids. Today what remains is only the southern tower and part of the south-eastern walls which linked the eastern tower. It is common opinion among academics that the centre of the ancient Messapian city corresponds to the area on which the little church of the Madonna of Vereto stands, which represents the highest point of the entire hill.

In the old town centre and near Patù we recommend a visit to the Monumento delle Centopietre and the two main churches of the village: the Church of San Giovanni Battista and the Church of San Michele Arcangelo. Interesting for those who visit San Gregorio in of August is the Festival organized by the Pro Loco Patù in honor of San Gregorio Magno, protector of the bay. The first Sunday after Ferragosto they celebrate a Mass in honor of the saint, followed by the procession through the streets of the bay. Charming and unique is the arrival by sea of the Saint's painting, followed by the underwater torchlight procession.