Palazzo Granafei

In the historic center of Sternatia, just steps from the Chiesa Madre, stands the 18th-century Palazzo Granafei, an imposing baronial residence and a fine example of Salentine Baroque.

The façade facing the town is finely decorated, with an entrance portal bearing the Granafei family crest and a balustrade crowning the top.

The palace is structured over three levels around an inner courtyard. The first floor is adorned with Rococo frescoes of mythological scenes and deities, works by Salentine artists including Serafino Elmo. To the left of the palace remains a terraced garden known in the 19th century as the “garden of flowers,” featuring pathways, fountains, basins, and a coffee house in Lecce stone with decorated benches.

The design is attributed to architect Mauro Manieri, who in the 18th century built it on the remains of a previous Byzantine castle, once the most important headquarters in the hinterland of the city of Otranto.