TRENO DELLA CIVILTA’ CONTADINA Peasant Civilisation Train – option 1

3 stages: Lecce – Tuglie – Gallipoli

Depart from Lecce towards the “Museo della Civiltà Contadina” in Tuglie, to discover the ‘oil routes’ of Gallipoli

• Start time: 08:30 a.m.
• Duration: Full day.
• Price per group of 10 people: € 65.00 per person, including:
  • train travel;
  • licensed guides (also in foreign languages);
  • entrance to all sites (Museum of Rural Life, Passaturi Caves, Palazzo Mosco, 18th century oil mill with Olive Museum, Radio Museum with annexed 19th century oil mill or Masseria, Granafei oil mill from the 17th century, Church of the Purità);
  • assistance;
  • lunch
• Additional options
  • fresh pasta lesson with old “massaie”
  • local musicians on the return train (pizzica): € 120.00 (per group of 10 people)

The price varies according to the group of participants

Why you should join this experience:

Experience a journey through places, landscapes and history: our train will take you on a discovery of the rural civilisation and culture of Salento.

The route will depart from Lecce to Tuglie, a small town that is home to the “Museo della Civiltà Contadina”, located in the 17th-century gardens of the Ducal Palace. This will be the first stop on an experiential route that will explore different eras, from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century.

You will then have access to an ancient cave from the Middle Ages, which represents the first residential area of Tuglie. Here you can admire the dwellings as they once were!

You will be introduced to the ancient craft of “Carparo”, along with the art of building star and barrel vaults. While the production of “lampante” oil will be explained directly inside an 18th-century Frantoio Ipogeo (Hypogeum Oil Mill), which houses the Olive Museum.

This is followed by a tour of the historical centre, a place distinguished by its characteristic “case a corte” (courtyard houses) with their typical “pile” (washing basins), cisterns and votive shrines.

The next stop is up to you, which may be:

• a visit to the Radio Museum and an underground Hypogeum Oil Mill;
• a guided tour of a large Masseria – a 19th-century farm – where you can admire a large oil mill, a palmento for wine production and a neviera for storing ice.

It’s time for lunch: enjoy traditional local dishes at the museum’s agriturismo – with the possibility of making homemade pasta together with the “massaie” *, to be eaten during lunch. *(optional)
Deserved relaxation in the gardens of Palazzo Ducale, before getting back on board and heading towards Gallipoli. On the way, you will be accompanied by a narration on the transport and trade of lampante oil, the history of olive trees, and the devastating Xylella epidemic.

Arriving in Gallipoli, you will visit the historic centre and the landmarks of lampante oil: such as the Frantoio Ipogeo of Palazzo Granafei, one of the largest in the whole of Salento, which is still completely intact today.

This is followed by a visit to the “Spiaggia della Purità”, where the oil was shipped. This will be the perfect opportunity to take a pleasant swim in this scenic inlet.

After the break, you can visit the “Chiesa della Ourità”, a place where tradition and faith come together exactly.

At the end of the tour, you can return to the station to catch the last train back to Lecce*, which will conclude this interesting and compelling experience.

* optional on the return train you can have a performance of local music (pizzica)