Taurisano
Comune in Apulia, Italy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Taurisano (Salentino: Taurisanu) is a town and comune in the province of Lecce, in the Apulia region of south-east Italy. It is located in the Salento area. Nearby towns are Acquarica del Capo, Casarano, Ruffano and Ugento.
Taurisano | |
|---|---|
| Comune di Taurisano | |
 Top left: Church of Santa Maria di Strada, Top middle: Megalith of Specchia Silva and Sanjetti Menhir, Top right: Painting picture of Santa Maria Strada in Trasfiguraziane Cathedral, Bottom left: Taurisano Ducale Palace, Bottom right: Trasfiguraziane Cathedral | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Taurisano Location of Taurisano in Italy  Taurisano Taurisano (Apulia) | |
| Coordinates: 39°57′N 18°10′E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Apulia |
| Province | Lecce (LE) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Raffaele Stasi |
| Area | |
• Total | 23.68 km2 (9.14 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 110 m (360 ft) |
| Population (31 March 2012)[2] | |
• Total | 12,668 |
| • Density | 535.0/km2 (1,386/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Taurisanesi |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 73056 |
| Dialing code | 0833 |
| Patron saint | St. Stephen |
| Saint day | 3 August |
| Website | Official website |
The town of Taurisano is the place of birth of the philosopher Giulio Cesare Vanini.
Main sights
- Church of Santa Maria di Strada, in Apulian-Romanesque style (mid-13th/early 14th centuries). The façade has a portal sided by two plinths, which support two crouching animals (a bull and a lion); the architrave has a bas-relief depicting the Annunciation. At the side, under the bell-gable, is a Byzantine sundial with the time written both in Latin and Greek characters.
- Church of Santo Stefano Protomartire (15th century, but later rebuilt in 1796).
- Church of San Nicola della Consolata (1733), annexed to the Ducal Palace. The latter was completed in 1770 above an Angevine 13th-century castle, and has a 16th-century tower with Guelph merlons.
- Remains of the Byzantine Chapel of San Donato (7th-8th centuries)
- Megalith of Specchia Silva and Sanjetti Menhir
