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This villa was named after Fulgenzio Della Monica, the mayor of Lecce in 1567-68, who bought a huge estate and adorned it with exquisite plant species. At the centre of the estate, he had the great Renaissance palace built along with a chapel dedicated to the Holy Apostles Philip and James.

Palazzo Della Monica features two floors, while below it there’s a beautiful citrus garden.
On the ground floor and on the upper floor, the rooms follow and identical layout: in the centre, there is a large hall used to welcome guests. Several rooms follow, mostly created for the private needs of the owners and, some of them, are decorated with a frieze with acanthus leaves on the vault.

In 1991, under the floor of the great hall, a “secret” room was discovered, housing two identical ovens covered with terracotta tiles – they were made according to the “opus latericium” technique, and used for heating the rooms on the upper floor.

On the balustrade terrace, visitors can admire two fluted pillars delimiting the external contours of the structure of a well.

The villa is also equipped with a modest defensive turret bearing the inscription “TETRA GRAMMATON” and featuring a balcony-belvedere on the top, served by a ladder.

Today, the structure is used as the “Roberto Caracciolo Library”, created by Father Egidio De Tommaso, the Provincial Minister of the Salento Order of Friars Minor. The inauguration and official opening date back to 1965 and the library has been recognized as a facility of prominent interest since 1985.

THE GARDEN

In the garden, there are four square aedicules and a fragrant citrus grove. There are also ancient remains of some Lecce stone columns with little capitals.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)