The Leucantica project aims to reconstruct the cultural dynamics and networks of exchange in the Capo di Leuca area through an approach that combines digital methodologies, field research and public archaeology. At the heart of the project is the excavation of the Vereto settlement, which has never before been the subject of systematic investigation, despite its historical and archaeological significance. The ancient Messapian centre, originally covering over 40 hectares and defended by a mighty wall, controlled two landing places, Leuca and San Gregorio, the first that ships bound for the West encountered upon leaving the confines of the Adriatic ‘gulf’ to enter the Ionian Sea and head for the Tyrrhenian and Mediterranean Seas.
Vereto was one of the main Messapian centres of southern Salento, inhabited at least from the Bronze Age through to Roman times. Ancient sources record various names for the city, including Οὐερητόν, Οὔρητον, Beretum and Veretum, and research has long debated its possible connection with the Hyrie mentioned by Herodotus.
The project also focuses on "participatory archaeology", actively involving the public through citizen science initiatives and raising community awareness of the protection and active enhancement of the local area, in the spirit of the Faro Convention. Educational workshops open to the public and training activities are planned, allowing the community to interact directly with the archaeological work; shared narratives that transform historical memory into a living resource for the whole community; seminars and public lectures, including at the Vereto Archaeological Museum (Palazzo “Liborio Romano” in Patù), to report live on the progress of the excavation. Furthermore, from the outset, the activities will be the focus of a documentary that will allow viewers to relive this important experience of sharing knowledge and techniques for reconstructing and restoring the past.
