Nardò
| |
|---|---|
| Comune di Nardò | |
18th century column in Piazza Salandra
| |
Location of Nardò  | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Puglia |
| Province | Lecce (LE) |
| Frazioni | Boncore, Cenate, Pagani, Palude del Capitano, Portoselvaggio, Roccacannuccia, Santa Caterina, Sant'Isidoro, Santa Maria al Bagno, Torre Inserraglio, Torre Uluzzo, Villaggio Resta |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Dante Nardo Vice Mayor: Ravi Patel |
| Area | |
| • Total | 190 km2 (70 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 45 m (148 ft) |
| Population
(November 2008)[2]
| |
| • Total | 31,185 |
| • Density | 160/km2 (430/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Neretini |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code |
73048
|
| Dialing code | 0833 |
| Patron saint | St. Gregory the Illuminator |
| Saint day | February 20 |
| Website | Official website |
Nardò is a town and comune of 31,185 inhabitants and comune in the southern Italian region of Apulia, in the province of Lecce.
Traces of human presence in the area dates from Palaeolithic times. The settlement was founded by the Messapi around the year 1000 BC. The Romans conquered it in 269 BC and built the Via Traiana through it. After the fall of the Western Empire it was under the Byzantines and the Lombards.
In 1055 the Normans captured Nardò. Their heirs were ousted by the Angevines in 1266. In 1497 the Aragonese gave it to Andrea Matteo Acquaviva, whose son Belisario was the first Duke of Nardò, and promoted the Renaissance in the city.
In 1647 the city rebelled against the Spanish domination, but the viceroyal troops suppressed the riot with heavy terms.
The town counts 11 civil parishes (frazioni): Boncore, Cenate, Pagani, Palude del Capitano, Portoselvaggio, Roccacannuccia, Santa Caterina, Sant'Isidoro, Santa Maria al Bagno, Torre Inserraglio, Torre Uluzzo and Villaggio Resta.
The area around Nardò produces red and rose Italian DOC wines. The grapes are limited to a harvest yield of 18 tonnes/ha with the finished needing a minimum alcohol level of 12.5%. The wines are primarily composed of 80-100% Negroamaro with Montepulciano and Malvasia Nera permitted to fill in the remaining 20%.[3]
This Baroque town in the heart of the Salento subpeninsula of the heel of Italy extending southeast between the Ionian and Adriatic Sea, has landscapes considered to be among the most beautiful in Italy, baroque monuments, baroque churches and masserie (typical ancient fortified farmhouses). The coast has sandy and rocky sections, but allows some lovely views of the Natural Park of Portoselvaggio. Its territory includes 34 km of Ionian Sea coast with ancient fishermen villages: Santa Maria al Bagno, Santa Caterina and Santo Isidoro.
