Parco Archeologico delle Mura Messapiche

The Parco Archeologico delle Mura Messapiche preserves Manduria's ancient fortifications, necropolis, the Fonte Pliniano and the rock church of San Pietro Mandurino. The remains trace the development of the Messapian town and its later reuse.

Why it matters

The archaeological area covers about 150,000 square metres and includes three circuits of megalithic walls, built between the fifth and third centuries BC. A large necropolis lies against the walls, alongside the spring associated with Pliny and a medieval church adapted from an earlier rock-cut chamber.

What to notice

The walls and their ditches show the scale of the settlement's defences. The necropolis contains fossa tombs covered with large stone slabs; more than 1,200 have been excavated, while the full necropolis is estimated at about 2,500 tombs. The Fonte Pliniano and San Pietro Mandurino add later sacred and water-related uses within the same landscape.

Context and history

Ancient sources recall a siege by the Tarentines and the death of the Spartan king Archidamus beneath the walls in 338 BC. Hannibal captured Manduria in 212 BC; Quintus Fabius Maximus recovered it in 209 BC, taking booty and prisoners. The discovery of a third wall circuit showed that the fortified town extended farther than previously understood.