Church of Santa Maria d'Aurio

The church of Santa Maria d'Aurio rises in the countryside of Lecce at the border with the town of Surbo. The building, of romanesque style, has a gabled façade and is decorated with a pattern of hanging arches, repeated laterally. The interior is divided into three aisles of eight columns, featuring capitals with vegetal motif. Faint traces of frescoes remain, especially those of Madonna and Child of the early 15th century, and inscriptions in greek. In front of the church stands Torre dei Cavallari: it was built in the 16th century and was part of the defensive system that included the coastal towers and fortified farms. It has a cylindrical shape slightly tapering upwards.