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OTRANTO
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 Otranto
has a very ancient origin: the town structure dates back to the
5th century BC, but there are traces of previous human dwellings.
It was an important Messapian town, then a flourishing port and
a Roman "municipium". Over the centuries it was ruled
by many peoples (Norman, Suevians, Angevins, Aragoneses).
But the events which made Otranto very famous happened in 1480.
otranto was invaded and devastated by Turks, who occupied the town
after a siege which lasted from 28th July to 11th August. They seized
the lands around the town and stole everything they found along
their way. On 14th August 1480 Achmet Pascià, the commander
of the Turkish fleet, chose 800 Strong men among the citizens of
Otranto and he promised he would have spared their lives if they
had been converted to Islam and had renounced to Christianity, living
under the Turkish patronage.
Led by Antonio Pezzulla, called primaldo, they refused.
They were tied up and taken in a grisly long line to the Minerva
Hill, called today "the Martyrs' hill". There they were
beheaded under their wives', fathers', children's and relatives'
dismayed eyes.
The first to be executed was Primaldo, who prodigiously stood up
though he was headless, and the Turks couldn't throw him down the
hill until the last citizen of Otranto was beheaded. The Blessed
Martyrs' bodies lay there unburied for more than one year, as a
warning for everyone. When the Aragonese army freed the town on
11th September 1481, they ordered that the heroic citizens' corpses
were gathered. The bodies were found intact by a miracle. Today
you can see the holy relics in the Martyrs' Chapel, in the right
aisle of the "Cathedral of Our Lady of the Annunciation"
in Otranto. |
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"Rufino Vacanze"
offers to its guests lodging in flats equipped with every
comfort, located in central areas and not far from the sea,
for a pleasant holiday in Otranto.
In the nearby menu you will find some of
our accomodations with a photo, a description and the position
of each flat.
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We also have many other
lodging to offer!
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For information please
phone or send a fax to the following numbers: +39.0836.801014
- +39.328.0693724 or, simply, fill in our form!!!
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