The name of this small town in the Salento suggests it originated over an old lookout post, namely a ‘specchia’ from the Latin specula, a huge pile of stones that originally served also as a tomb for megalithic civilisations in prehistoric times.
Set in the heart of Salento, on a small rise at the foot of the Serra Magnone, Specchia offers a sweeping perspective and far-reaching panoramas. In the central Piazza del Popolo, the 16th-century Castello Risolo is now a venue for exhibitions and seminars. Beneath the streets of Specchia are many underground oil presses built in the 15th-19th centuries and some are open to visitors. See also the convent of the Francescani Neri with the chapel of Santa Caterina d’Alessandria entirely covered with 16th-century frescoes and a crypt resting on 36 columns. The parish church originated in 1605 but was revamped in the 18th century and side aisles were added in 1946. Just outside the town, admire the church of Sant’Eufemia of early mediaeval origin.
