From Monday 18 May to Friday 19 June, DiscoVereto will launch the first systematic archaeological excavation campaign in the ancient Messapian city located in the municipality of Patù (Lecce). It is the first step of the wider Leucantica project, which aims to investigate the pre-Roman history and archaeology of the “de Finibus Terrae”, a crossroads of peoples and cultures and a natural gateway to Italy since protohistory.

Vereto was one of the main Messapian centres of southern Salento, occupied at least from the Bronze Age through to the Roman period.

DiscoVereto brings together excavation, training, the study of archaeological materials and community archaeology as a means of raising awareness and actively involving the local community, with the aim of telling the story of a still little-explored site and returning it to the community.

Obiettivi

The Leucantica project aims to reconstruct the cultural dynamics and exchange networks of the Cape of Leuca through an approach that combines digital methods, field research and public archaeology. At the heart of the project is the excavation of the settlement of Vereto, which had never previously been the subject of systematic investigation despite its historical and archaeological importance. The ancient Messapian centre, originally extending over more than 40 hectares protected by a powerful circuit wall, controlled two landing places, Leuca and San Gregorio: the first points encountered by ships sailing westwards as they left the “inner” Adriatic gulf to enter the Ionian Sea and head towards the Tyrrhenian Sea and the wider Mediterranean.

Vereto was one of the main Messapian centres of southern Salento, occupied at least from the Bronze Age through to the Roman period. Ancient sources preserve different names for the city, including Οὐερητόν, Οὔρητον, Beretum and Veretum, and scholarship has long discussed its possible relationship with the Hyrie mentioned by Herodotus.

The project also focuses on community archaeology, actively involving citizens through citizen-science initiatives and collective awareness of the protection and active enhancement of the territory, in the spirit of the Faro Convention. Public educational workshops and training activities will allow the community to interact directly with archaeological work; shared narratives will transform historical memory into a living resource for the community; public seminars and lectures, also at the Archaeological Museum of Vereto (Palazzo Liborio Romano, Patù), will present the progress of the excavation as it unfolds. The activities will also be at the centre of a documentary that will allow this experience of shared knowledge and of the techniques used to reconstruct and communicate the past to be revisited afterwards.

Metodologie

The research combines stratigraphic field excavation, the study of literary and archival sources, and landscape analysis. Every layer, wall, fragment or trace will be documented in order to reconstruct the history of the site and its transformations over time.

Traditional tools will be complemented by topographical and photogrammetric survey, 3D models, LIDAR remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and non-invasive prospection carried out in collaboration with the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). These technologies help archaeologists read what is not visible on the surface and connect the settlement with its walls, necropoleis, roads, landing places and sacred areas.

Part of the work concerns materials already found and now preserved in the Museum of Vereto, the Castromediano Museum in Lecce and the storage facilities of the Superintendency: pottery, metal objects, inscriptions, architectural elements and coins. The documentation produced will also support public communication, through 3D models, images, videos and digital content.

Istituzioni coinvolte

DiscoVereto involves universities, heritage authorities, museums, local administrations and cultural organisations from the territory.

The project is led by the University of Naples “L’Orientale”, under the scientific direction of Valentino Nizzo, with topographical coordination by Angela Bosco and Rosario Valentini.

The Leucantica project was conceived by Valentino Nizzo and archaeologist Daniela Ventrelli - Puglia Culture.

The excavation will involve undergraduate and postgraduate students in Archaeology from the University of Naples “L’Orientale”, the inter-university School of Specialisation in Oriental Archaeology “Orientale–Salerno” (Or.Sa.), and other universities. It is carried out under concession from the Directorate-General for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of the Italian Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with the Superintendency for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto, the Department of Culture of the Apulia Region (Regional Library and Museum Hubs - Puglia Culture), the Castromediano Museum in Lecce and the Archaeological Museum of Vereto. Local support is ensured by a framework agreement with the municipalities of Patù (promoter of the initiative), Castrignano del Capo, Gagliano del Capo and Morciano di Leuca, and by the involvement of Associazione Narrazioni, Archeorete del Mediterraneo and Arci.

It is also one of the activities included in Storie Meridiane, a cultural and social regeneration project promoted by the municipalities of Patù and Morciano di Leuca, with territorial marketing activities curated by Makrà Studio of Mariangela Ciriello. The project is funded by the EU - NextGenerationEU and by the Italian Ministry of Culture within the PNRR Cultura programme - M1C3I2.1 “Attractiveness of Historic Villages”, which uses culture as a concrete lever for economic and employment development and to counter depopulation.

Scopri di più su DiscoVereto

Seminars and exhibitions

Public meetings, lectures and small exhibitions to follow the excavation and discover the sources, finds and stories of Vereto.

Discover the events

Workshops and trails

Activities for schools, residents and visitors: guided visits, archaeological walks, workshops on finds and landscape reading.

Take part

News

Updates from the 2026 campaign: images from the field, excavation stories, curiosities and short insights.

Read the news

Località Vereto e Grotta Suda

V. Vicinale Vereto, 73053 Patù LE

Il sito di scavo è visitabile solo nel periodo di attività del cantiere.

Per approfondire l'archeologia di Patù è disponibile l'esposizione permanete presso il Museo Archeologico di Vereto - MAV Piazza Indipendenza, 32, 73053 Patù LE

leucantica@gmail.com

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