| The ancient via Appian way connecting Rome with the East cut across the plain where this town sprang up, West of Taranto and close to the Ionian sea with its extensive sandy beaches. A shoreline pinewood forest that has been declared a natural park buffers Palagiano from the sea.
Architectural remains show that it was inhabited in Roman times. History records its existence from the 12th century onwards, when the inhabitants of nearby Mottola moved here after the Normans destroyed their town. It was a fiefdom under the Dapifero, Casamassima, and Giordano families, as well as Ugone Billotta and Marie of Valois. When it became a barony it was ruled in succession by the Capitignano, Lubelli, Caracciolo, Carmignano, Pappacoda and Cicinelli families. Its destiny was closely intertwined with the nearby provincial capital. The economy was always based on agriculture and grazing over the centuries. The many Palagiano farmhouses give us much valuable information regarding rural construction and architecture and are also a tangible sign of feudal power in the area.
The ancient town makes up one fourth of the modern town. Its streets are narrow, crooked, and paved with stone and the houses are low with straight lines. |