HYPOGEUM TOUR 14th CENTURY
Tour of the Hypogeum Oil Mill
The mysteries of Salento
It was the year 1592, when in the land of Otranto, the crew of the nachiro “Jacu” left the winter sea to embark on a new adventure, this time in the basement of the Melendugno oil mill, illuminated only by oil lamps.
Let yourself be swept away by unique emotions
A visit to the underground oil mill in Melendugno is a unique and evocative experience, an unforgettable emotion, allowing you to travel through time with your memory and relive with your heart the reality of the sailors of yesteryear, feeling all their fatigue, but also the passion and glory that pervaded their lives.
The oil of Salento...the light
Nachiro, this was the term used at the time to indicate the captain who commanded his faithful friends by sea and by land in the production and distribution of Salento oil.
In fact, Salento oil, after being produced in underground mills and stored until the summer in large tanks, called Pozzi dell’Angelo, where it was decanted, set sail from Gallipoli to cross the entire Mediterranean and reach the great European capitals, such as London and Paris, continuing as far as Russia, where it was also appreciated by Tsarina Elizabeth I, and in Siberia.
Once in a foreign land, the oil of Salento became a light, illuminating the nights of the great capitals of the world.