Palazzo baronale Giustiniani

Palazzo baronale Giustiniani in Caprarica di Lecce, built as a fortress during the age of the invasions, shows nowadays the architectural habits of the noblemen at those time.

The palace, built on the foundations of a Norman fortified building, was modified by Guarino barons, but the Giustiniani modified it deeply, changing it into an elegant palace.

For this reason, there are rococo decorations and elegant balconies and, before entering, it’s already clear how life of the noblemen was during the eighteenth century. Parties and balls made the Salone degli Specchi, with furniture of the 17th and 18th century and a precious collection of paintings, the room where time seemed to have stopped.

The palace hides also a black soul. According to the legend, the room with a trapdoor, “trabuccu”, opened on a well, on whose bottom there used to be sharpened lances.