La costa di Melendugno: un pezzo di Salento nel libro di Riccardo Carrozzini

Friday, August 9, 2024 at 6:30 pm, at the Hotel Casa del Turista (Via Matteotti 11) in Torre dell'Orso (Melendugno marina, province of Lecce), the first presentation of the new essay by Riccardo Carrozzini entitled "The coast of Melendugno: not only Poetry. Elements of knowledge about ancient and recent settlement" published by the publishing house Esperidi will take place. After the greetings from the mayor of Melendugno Maurizio Cisternino and the publisher Claudio Martino, there will be interventions from Livio Ruggiero, a former professor at the University of Salento, architect Walter Carrozzo, and writer Carlo Petrachi. The author, architect Riccardo Carrozzini, will conclude. Info: 389 5661849.

The book: The author has spent a significant part of his life in the marinas of his native town, Melendugno, first only for (long) vacations in the summer and then, increasingly, for work. He has been able to truly get to know in detail, for over seventy years, the entire coastal area. This volume is therefore intended to be a contribution to the knowledge of the facts and events that have led to the current configuration of the coast which includes Torre Specchia, San Foca, Roca Li Posti, Roca Vecchia, Torre dell'Orso, Torre Saracena and S. Andrea, with the main purpose of preserving and passing on the memory of what was in ancient times and of the most recent human activity aimed at the "development" and "enhancement" of this stretch of coastline. Also because those who should guarantee memory and knowledge do not always act effectively in this sense. Archive data but also common voices find appropriate space in this book which is an act of generous industriousness (not the only one) by Carrozzini. The history of the seaside towns, from the oldest traces like the settlement of Roca Vecchia, to the churches, coastal towers, houses, as well as the urgent issue of erosion, the splendid caves, but also amusing personal episodes: all of this contributes to the fascinating reading of this essay, made even more pleasant by the large quantity of photos, floor plans, maps. The same author admits: "What is being done (and what is being attempted) I believe is still decidedly little. Obviously in the direction that I hope for. For what is known, or for what I have managed to know".

The author: Riccardo Carrozzini (Melendugno 1949), architect and former high school teacher, has often dealt with issues related to the Melendugno coast, where he grew up. In the 1980s, he published a contribution on the historical and architectural assets of the municipalities of Melendugno and Martignano and subsequently the booklet, also available online, Melendugno (LE): San Cristoforo, Roca and the rest, archaeological, architectural, artistic and historical assets, notes and images. Recently, he was the author of the volumes Liborio Salomi, an illustrious Salento figure almost unknown (Milella 2015) and Cosimo De Giorgi 1866, a Salento figure in Florence capital and other unpublished works (Esperidi 2022); he also provided his contribution (The ancient settlement, archaeological, artistic and historical assets in Torre dell'Orso) to the volume Torre dell'Orso, a Salento seaside town between research and memory (Grifo 2021) and was the editor of the volumes The Salomis, an ancient family of Salento (Milella 2016) and Events, stories and characters of the "Cosimo De Giorgi", the first scientific high school in Puglia (Milella 2017).
Web: www.edizioniesperidi.com