Ducal Castle

Stone sentinel of the town, the Ducal Castle is the symbol of Ceglie Messapica. Erected at the end of the 14th century on the site where the temples and the acropolis of ancient Caelium once stood, the manor consists of a series of small towers raised in the 15th century and connected by curtains.\n\nThe oldest are the Norman tower and the quadrangular keep crowned by battlements which, from its 35 meters high, offers a panoramic view of the entire lower Adriatic and the Otranto Canal.\n\nAfter passing through the wide portal with a semicircular arch and rustic ashlar, you find yourself in the atrium embellished by a beautiful well decorated with Corinthian columns and family crests. It is here that, according to tradition, all the inhabitants of the town drew water during periods of drought.\n\nThe staircases lead to the halls painted in the 16th century, which overlook the internal park with the secret greens of the medieval gardens.