Mura urbane di Gallipoli

The surviving city walls follow the edge of Gallipoli's island old town. Their lower masonry and projecting bastions retain the outline of a coastal fortress, closely connected with the castle beside the bridge.

Why it matters

The walls express the relationship between maritime trade, strategic position and defence. Their development formed part of the wider strengthening of Salento's coastal settlements during the age of Ottoman expansion and artillery warfare.

What to notice

The remaining scarp and bastioned sections differ from the full-height enclosure that once surrounded the town. Their angular projections and substantial masonry contrast with the domestic buildings within. The castle anchors the landward end of the system, while the seaward curtain follows the island's perimeter.

Context and history

The defences were substantially strengthened in the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Much of the upper wall was removed between 1879 and 1887, changing the relationship between the historic town and the sea. The coastal riviera subsequently gave a different civic character to the line of the former fortifications.