| It was the military capital of the Messapians, who had a long standing conflict with the nearby Taranto. The Caelia of Plinian memory, located North-West of Brindisi, bears an indication of its Messapian origin in its name. Recently a door of the ancient fortress has been discovered; three stretches of the Messapian walls are well visible, one in the shelter of the medieval hamlet, and two at the foot of the hill where the town is perched. The enchanting stairway, called of the “Cento scaloni" (One hundred steps), links the medieval hamlet to the Messapian site.
Ceglie was at the peak of its splendour mainly between the 4th and 3rd century BC; subsequently, with the Roman conquest and during the following centuries, it became a small centre. As from the 14th century, it became a feud of the Sanseverino family, who gave a boost to the town's architecture.
Even if they are not very wide nor imposing, because of the objective difficulty in finding the material needed for their construction, the palaces of Ceglie Messapica have, however, noble proportions and peculiarities, such as to grip the attention of the visitor who cannot help but note their characteristics, and sometimes their originality.
With regards to this point, the 18th century palace Lamarina is noteworthy; it offers a view over the central piazza Plebiscito, thanks to the terrific bare stone balcony, resting on flamboyant modillions. The moulded ashlars portal, surmounted by a double fornix conservatory, overlooks via p. Elia instead. The last members of the family, who lived in this palace, are remembered because they left a general bequest in order to erect nearby the chapel of san Rocco the homonymous parish church. Another bequest, administered by the Congrega della Carità, was set up in order to take care of all the expenses needed for the Asilo d’infanzia Comunale (Municipal nursery school). In 1898, the ownership of the palace was transferred to the philologist Angelo Maggi, major of Francavilla Fontana. Nearby the Collegiata, in via Forno del Duca, there is the palace Epifani, which is formed by an older, 18th century wing, with the noteworthy small portal decorated with floral motifs, and surmounted by the Family’s coat of arms. The family stood out because of the men of church which has included, and because of the State’s administrators that has always provided to the Università of Ceglie. The more modern wing dates back to the 19th century, and it is built in Ostuni stone.
At the beginning of the homonymous road, soars the palace Antelmy (nowadays called de Fazio); it is an interesting building, thanks to the Martina style loggia, which flanks it, and because of the local limestone, belvedere balustrade, which overlooks the Valle d’Itria, from the rear part of the building. The jurist Giuseppe Antelmy, among others, was born in the palace; he was the secretary of the Land Revenue Office of Otranto, and one of the protagonists of the events of Ceglie and of Francavilla Fontana in 1799. |