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BRINDISI
A village dating back to the bronze age (16th century B.C.) was found on the promontory of Punta le Terrare, in the outer harbour. The village consisted of a group of huts, protected by an earthwork of rocks, amid which several fragments of Mycenean ceramics were found. The Messapian Brindisi surely had important commercial relations for the opposite coast of the Adriatic sea and with the Greek peoples of the Aegean sea - such relations are documented by the many archaeological finds – while its rival town was the nearby Taranto. In 267 B.C. Brindisi, as well as the entire Salento area, was conquered by the Romans and became an extremely important port of call for anyone heading towards Greece and the east. It was promoted to municipality in 83 B.C. and the inhabitants of Brindisi were granted Roman citizenship in 240 B.C. During the Roman rule, the city enjoyed its best age and was linked to Rome via important roads, such as the consular roads Via Appia, Regina Viarum and Via Traiana. It was a cultural crossroads, especially for those who were going to Greece for cultural reasons; it is the birthplace of poet Pacuvius. Julius Caesar and Octavian set sail from Brindisi to reach Egypt; Cicero stopped here, hosted by Marcus Laenius Flaccus, and wrote his Lettere Brindisine. During his exile Quintus Horatius Flaccus (aka Horace), accompanied by Maecenas, stopped here too. Brindisi was where Agrippina landed with the ashes of Germanicus. The renowned poet Virgil passed away here on 19th September 19 B.C., returning from Greece. Interesting places
♦ Swabian Castle
♦ Aragon Castle |
