"La Locanda dei Camini - reason enough... " a Botrugno Travel Page by salmayo

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Palazzo Marchesale, Botrugno

First Priority: Food

Edoardo Quarta recommended La Locanda dei Camini and he's pretty reliable with his culinary tips. Valentine's Day seemed like a pretty good excuse to try out somewhere we hadn't been before. It's a pretty easy drive on the highway from Lecce down to Botrugno and the restaurant is on the main street just a couple of hundred mentres from the main square... it's easy to find but, be advised, often it's essential to book in advance. We were lucky; Saturday lunch time... there was a bit of activity but not too much. We still managed to fins a romantic table for two not far from the fireplace.

The hot antipasti are a must (even though Edoardo recommended the raw antipasti... no doubt also fine). We started with 'parmigiana di pesce', 'calzoni con nero di sepia', 'pignata di polpo', 'frittura di filetti di pesce'... a great way to start ....

First and second course was a linguini with fresh crab...

I couldn't manage any more. Stefano indulged in the still moving scampi which were deposited on our table afterwards as a kind of dare... I found it just a little too primal for my liking.

The bottle of Cantina Due Palme's basic chardonnay was a perfect match and the Bay leaf liqueur was the perfect finish (even though the dessert's sounded good too).

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Palazzo Marchesale, Botrugno

Second Priority: Botrugno

Botrugno is small but very quaint. The main edifice in the hub of the historical centre is the Palazzo Marchesale which cuts a fine figure considered along with the piazza. As is typical of so many towns in the area, every source you consult for dates and details regarding the history of the site differs. The consensus seems to be that the Palazzo was built by the Maramonte family around the 15th century. There was a reference in ne source to a pre-existing Norman tower, but I don't know whether that information is correct. In 1654 the feud (including the structure in question) was sold to another nobile family, the Castriota Granai clan of Melpignano. The balcony was apparently added later by the family together with other significant modifications to the buidling's facade.

While we were stopped in the main street, a gentleman who claimed to be the father of the ex-mayor told us that the building deteriated later and was used as a processing plant for the tabacco grown locally. My research didn't confirm his story, instead, I found references to it havng been an old people's home for some time.

The building is now the property of the Municipality of Botrugno.

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More about Botrugno

In the main street, just as in many towns in the area, there is a charming niche dedicated to the town's patron saint, Saint Oronzo.