Maglie, Administrative commune in Province of Lecce, Italy
Maglie is a commune in the Province of Lecce, in the Salento area, sitting on a low hill with several churches and narrow alleys. The old center spreads around central squares, while newer neighborhoods extend outward along the main roads.
Settlements here go back to the Bronze Age, and later Greeks, Romans, and Normans controlled the area. In the 17th century, large church construction changed the town profile and reinforced its role as a religious center in rural Salento.
Residents often gather in the evening around the squares, where conversations and coffee fill the summer air. The name may come from an old Roman family or from the shape of the surrounding farmland, which once looked like a network of woven fields.
The main roads cross the center in north-south and east-west directions, making it easy to orient yourself on foot. Parking is mostly outside the narrow old town, and small shops often close for several hours at midday.
Local craftspeople still work stone using techniques that have changed little over centuries, and produce elements for facades and ornaments. Some workshops open their doors and show the full process from raw block to finished piece.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.