Galatina: Frescoes, Tarantate and the Home of Pasticciotto
Fifteen minutes from the masseria there's a small town that packs three treasures into a few hundred metres: one of the most extraordinary fresco cycles in southern Italy, the symbolic home of tarantism and — last but not least — the birthplace of Salento's best-loved pastry. Galatina takes everyone by surprise, and almost no beach itinerary ever mentions it.
The Basilica of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria
The reason Galatina would be worth the trip all on its own is the Basilica of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria, commissioned at the end of the fourteenth century by the Orsini del Balzo family. Outside, it's an elegant example of Romanesque-Gothic architecture; inside, it leaves you speechless: the naves are entirely covered in frescoes, a painted "Bible of the poor" so vast and so beautiful that it's often compared to the great fresco cycles of Giotto's school.
Scenes from the Apocalypse, stories from Genesis, lives of the saints: every wall has something to tell. Take your time, nose in the air — this is one of those places where Salento stops being just about the sea and becomes great art.
The tarantate's chapel
A few steps from the centre stands a place that is small but heavy with memory: the chapel of San Paolo, bound up with the ritual of tarantism. It was here that, until just a few decades ago, every 29 June the tarantate arrived — the women believed to have been bitten by the taranta — to ask for grace from the saint who protects against venomous bites, and to drink the water from the well.
Today the chapel stands as a quiet witness to that history, which we've told in full in our article on tarantism and pizzica. Visiting it after reading that story changes everything: this is the exact spot where faith, music and popular suffering met for centuries.
The home of the pasticciotto
Galatina also holds a sweeter claim to fame: it's considered the birthplace of the pasticciotto. According to tradition, Salento's signature pastry — a shortcrust shell with a heart of custard cream — was born right here in the eighteenth century, in the oven of a historic pastry shop in the town centre.
Whatever the historical truth, one thing is certain: in Galatina the pasticciotto is taken seriously. Stopping at a pasticceria in the centre and eating one warm, fresh from the oven, is a non-negotiable ritual — and the perfect way to end your visit. For the rest of Salento's flavours, there's our guide to Salento's cuisine.
The historic centre
Between one stop and the next, the historic centre deserves an unhurried stroll: noble courtyards, palazzi with Baroque balconies, churches and lanes that in summer smell of coffee and shortcrust pastry. Galatina is elegant without being touristy: you experience it at the pace of the people who live there.
Practical tips
- When to go: in the morning, to find the basilica open and the pasticciotto fresh from the oven; or in the late afternoon, when the centre comes alive.
- How long you need: two to three hours is enough for the basilica, the chapel and a sweet break — perfect as a half-day paired with the inland villages.
- On 29 June, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the town celebrates its bond with this tradition: if you're in the area, it's the most evocative day to understand the place.
Getting there from the masseria
Galatina is about fifteen to twenty minutes by car from the masseria: it's one of the easiest day trips of your stay, ideal to combine with the villages of the Grecìa Salentina. Fourteenth-century art, the memory of the tarantate and the best pasticciotto of your holiday, all in a single morning: few places give you so much in so little space.