Seclì

the village of Seclì is located in the western slope of the Salento, between the Greenhouse of Cutrofiano and Greenhouse of Latin Fields. The agro Seclì is mainly cultivated with olive trees and vineyards.

A thesis makes derive the etymon from the latin word seculum, a coin of Roman times. May also derive from shekels, Hebrew word that indicates an ancient monetary unit in use already at the time of Christ.

Some scholars trace its origins to the times of the war between the Roman troops and Pyrrhus. Seclì would be in this case a camp site chosen by the Romans. According to the humanist Antonio De Ferrariis, said Etiquette, the country was founded by some fugitives of Casale di Fulcignano that lost the battle with Galatone, took refuge in the surrounding countryside founding new centers. The De Rossi believes instead that Seclì would have had origin in Norman times. From this period dates the first historical documentation and from this it can be deduced that was part of the County of Lecce, and that in 1192, King Tancredi d'Altavilla granted the fief to Filippo de Ranna (or Philip de Person) with the title of Baron. In the course of the XIV and XV century the property of the feud passed to Brienne, d'Enghien and to the Orsini del Balzo. In 1484, with the employment of the Venetian fleet of Gallipoli, Seclì was invaded by the Venetians. In the first half of the sixteenth century came the De person, of sweet and the Caracciolo. In 1550 it became the feudal of Seclì, with the Ducal title, the noble Spanish family of D'Amato came to Italy in the wake of the Aragoneses. In 1686 it passed to the Sanseverino, in 1796 to the barons Rossi, lords of Caprarica of Lecce, and finally in the Nineteenth Century to Papaleo.

The Ducal Palace was built in the second half of the XVI century by the family feudal of the D'Amato (see Francesco D'Amato with the consort Catherine and the five children including the famous Sister Chiara d'Amato) on the site of a pre-existing fortress defensive. It was renovated in the eighteenth century as a result of the damage sustained as a result of the earthquake of 20 February 1743. The palace, bought in 1998, is owned by the local municipal administration. The palace was more times subject to occupy the typical feasts of the country and the christmas festivities.

The economic reality of Seclì was characterized, for centuries, from the marketing and consumption of horse meat.

The patronal feast in honor of Sant' Antonio da Padova the 30-31 July and 1 August of each year attracts many tourists and devotees who omaggiano the Holy with simple gestures. Striking is the solemn procession through the streets of the country festively decorated by fantastic illuminations and accompanied by the sound of the band. Other traditions linked to the cult of the Saint of Padua are meatballs with sauce, the traditional "rod" to win the honor of bringing in the shoulder the Holy for the streets of the country, the kiss of the relic and the holy bread of Sant' Antonio for the poor and the sick. The country is deeply linked to the cult of this Saint and devotion is also transmitted to the smallest who learn grandparents the ancient prayers in dialect dedicated to Sant'Antonio.