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EGNAZIA AND FASANO |
| There's more of interest south of the town, at the site of the
ancient city of Egnázia (daily 8.30am-1.30pm & 2.30pm-dusk; L4000/¬2.07;
tel 080.482.9056), or Gnathia; if you don't have your own transport,
it's best reached from Fasano (call Fasano's tourist office for
timetable; tel 080.441.3086). Egnázia was an important Messapian centre
during the fifth century BC, fortified with over two kilometres of walls,
large parts of which still stand in the northern corner of the ruined
town - up to 7m high. It was later colonized by the Greeks and then the
Romans (in 244 BC), who built a forum, amphitheatre, a colonnaded public
hall and temples: one was dedicated to Syria, a goddess popular with the
early Romans who - according to Lucian - was worshipped by men dressed
as women. Horace is known to have dropped by here to see the city's
famous altar, which ignited wood without a flame. At the turn of the first century AD, the Emperor Trajan constructed the Via Egnázia , a road that ran down to Bríndisi and continued from what is now Durres in Albania, via Thessaloniki, right the way to Constantinople, marking Egnázia's importance as a military and commercial centre. Parts of the road survive, running alongside the Roman public buildings. With the collapse of the Roman Empire, however, the city fell to subsequent barbarian invasions, and was almost completely destroyed by the Gothic king Totila in 545 AD. A community struggled on here, seeking refuge in the Messapian tombs, until the tenth century when the settlement was finally abandoned. There's a new on-site museum (same hours and ticket) housing a fascinating array of artefacts, including examples of the distinctive earthenware for which the ancient town was prized. There are some excellent places to stay in the area around Egnázia. Masseria Marzalossa (tel 080.441.3024, www.marzalossa.puglianet.it ; L120,000-150,000/¬61.98-77.47) is a beautiful seventeenth-century house with swimming pool and large walled garden. The house has been in the owner's family for several generations and is packed with pictures and mementoes. To find it, follow the signposts on the tiny country road leading from Fasano to Cisternino. In Selva di Fasano - a hill station of villas in lush gardens above the town of Fasano - are La Silvana , Viale dei Pini 87 (tel 080.433.1161; L90,000-120,000/¬46.48-61.98) an unpretentious hotel with large, simply decorated rooms, Moorish arches over balconies and plenty of terrace space. Alternatively, there's the modern, glitzy Sierra Silvana , Via Don Bartolo Boggia (tel 080.433.1322, htlsierra@mail.media.it ; L120,000-150,000/¬61.98-77.47) with regular rooms and trulli in the grounds that you can stay in; it's the perfect place to lounge by the pool for the day or take their free shuttle bus to the beach 15km away. |