Ceglie Messapica

With its 14th-century Piazza Vecchia, tattered baroque balconies, and lordly medieval castles, the little whitewashed town of Ceglie Messapica is a jewel. The town, at the center of the triangle formed by Taranto, Brindisi, and Fasano, was once the military capital of the region, and often defended itself against invasions from the Taranto city-state, which wanted to clear a route to the Adriatic. Nowadays, more and more visitors come to Ceglie Messapica for its restaurants alone.