Istituto Compresnivo Cutrofiano (Lecce) PROJECT COMENIUS 2008-2010 "ROOTS AND WINGS" - "Sulle tracce dell'Uomo" Alunni/e Classi II° - guidati dal Prof. Giuseppe Virdi Translation and summary by Tiziana DISO

1. PROJECT COMENIUS 2008
ROOTS AND WINGS
Multilateral Partnership
ITALY-Cutrofiano
GREECE-Kerkyra
HUNGARY-Nyíregyháza ROMANIA-Vaslui

2. PROJECT COMENIUS
2008/2010
ROOTS AND WINGS
Description of proposed partnership
The participating students investigate elements of
their national cultural features in the past and
the present. They spot elements that have changed
and others that remain alive through the time. They
compare these elements to the corresponding ones
of the other participants and they pinpoint
similarities and/or differences.

3. COMENIUS
PARTNERSHIPS
ISTITUTO
COMPRENSIVO
DI CUTROFIANO
Comenius group 2008-2009
PRESENTS

4. Log in

5. SCHOOL YEARS 2008-10
The activities in this multimedia work has been carried out by students of the first
and second classes of the middle school of the Comprehensive “Don Bosco” in
Cutrofiano.
Teachers: Prof. Virdi Giuseppe-Paglialonga Monica- Vincenti Vincenzo
Translation and summary by Tiziana Diso

6. COAT OF ARMS
• The origins of the arms have no historical
certainty.
It’ s supposed that Filomarini (lord in
Cutrofiano) had a large herd of fine horses,
so on his arms appear a horse.
• That horses were an important part of the
local economy is illustrated by the ancient
name of the main town square, Largo
Cavallerizza, The Town Hall Square today.
• It is supposed to be S.George on his horse
who kills the dragon which then is
deseappered.

7. ORIGIN OF THE NAME "CUTROFIANO"
About the roots of the name "Cutrofiano" many scholars have
discussed.
There are several hypotheses:
As to Rohlfs the name has its roots in the pre-Messapic language
(Osco) OCTUFRI, hence the name Cutrofiano, appeared only once in
the Middle Ages;
According to some scholars it is a very likely hypothesis common to
many towns in Salento-ANO-ending, so many human settlements exist
on the site of a Roman municipium;
There is a hypothesis that the name derives from the greek KUTRA
(pot) and FUNAI (rise) and then the country where there are pots;
According to the tradition Cutrofiano popular name derives from
"Cutrubbo, antique vase by for storage of oil.

8. SIGNS OF THE TIME
St. John Byzantine crypt
ROMAN ROAD

9. SIGNS OF PREHISTORY IN
CUTROFIANO
The
modifications
undergone in
the landscape
over the
centuries do not
allow a precise
reconstruction
of the ancient
settlements.

10. As for the ancient people, we
know that the Paleolithic
settlement affects areas
where there is the presence
of caves and shelters.
The Neolithic
settlement, spread in the
most fertile plains close to
rivers.
The area of the
menhirs, followed the
distribution of fertile land
which coincides with that of
the tuffs and local stone.
Topografia del territorio di Cutrofiano

11. At Cutrofiano were found
prehistoric signs and pre-Roman
settlements. Very interesting
material was found in the Byzantine
Crypt of San Giovanni (near
PISCOPO on the way to Pretore).
St. John Byzantine crypt
Entrance to the
crypt of St. John
Fresco in the crypt of St John.

12. The small collection of knives and pieces of flint and
obsidian, some clay reels, the beautiful stone and other ceramic
fragments found at the site of St. John's (and now preserved in
the local museum) allow us to say that around Cutrofiano there
were human settlements since the late Neolithic and Bronze age
(4th - 2nd millennium BC).
Stone ax. Early Bronze
Age.
Contrada San
Giovanni

13. Another site ,Badia, could be considered a residential
settlement in the late Bronze and early Iron Age.
Bronze Age bowl. Contrada San Giovanni

14. This area is called Greek Salento.
In Roman times, the landscape of Cutrofiano, according to the study of
Valeria Melissano, was punctuated by vici (lands), villae rusticae
(farms), pagus (village) which, if well connected in some way with each
other could indicate a municipium settlement.
Cover sarcofago.Età Roman Empire Contrada
Petrore-Castelli

15. SIGNS OF HISTORY IN
ROMAN CUTROFIANO
From the eleventh century BC, people coming from ILLIRIA (now
Albania), reached Salento: They were the Iapigi.
Iapigi divided the place into Daunia (Foggia), Peugetia (Bari),
Messapia (Lecce). They left hundreds of inscriptions in a language
that will resist until the Roman conquest with the introduction of
Latin.
Almost contemporary to Messapi’s
migration there was one from Crete
which in the sixth century BC
founded colonies. To the south-east
of Lecce exists an area of Greek
descents consisting of nine countries
in which a dialect still survives: the
griko.

16. Memorial stone Roman Empire
The signing of Roman rule in our country is the road texture. For
the Romans the way is the support for device control for rapid
movement of goods and armies.

17. In Roman times, the need for post
stations to change horses,
encouraged the emergence of
the towns where there was a
road.
The Romans during the third
century BC had conquered
Apulia. Under Augustus it
became the Royal Secunda.
Sarcophagus lid Imperial
Even the Latin language eventually conquered the Messapi. The
Romanization is a phenomenon found in letters, arts, civil and
military systems.
One of the most interesting was the romanization of toponymy
names ending in ANO. It is thought that some nobles from Lazio
had been allocated lands in rural areas, for example Squinzano was
the land of the Quinti, and so Arnesano of the Arnisis family, and
certainly Carmiano of the Carmini’s family and Cutrofiano of the
Octufri’s family.

18. Fragments of pottery. Age of Bronze Final
Contrada Badia
Cup monounsata
Cup miniature
Period Messapico
Contrada Jucuraro (Sogliano Cavour)

19. Missing the Western Roman Empire the
current Salento remained under the
Byzantine Empire
St. John Byzantine crypt
Inside the crypt
V. MELISSANO, Archaeological research in the territory of Cutrofiano-Galatina 1990

20. Kilix. Age Messapica (3rd - 4th
century. A.C
Contrada Jacurao (Sogliano Cavour).
Lexan. Age Messapica.
Contrada Jacurao (Sogliano Cavour)

21. Memorial stone. Roman Imperial Age
Contrada Petrore-Castelli
Coperchio Sarcofago. Età Romana Imperiale.
Contrada Petrore.Castelli
Sarcofago. Età Romana Imperiale.
Contrada Petrore-Castelli

22. The ancient
walls...
These were
probably the walls
which surrounded
Cutrofiano……

23. Inside the
walls…..there
were the most
important
buildings
becouse the
old town was
the heart of
social,
political and
religious
affairs.

24. Buildings inside the walls

25. The city
walls
just outside
the walls were
held the
workshops ....
The museum
collects
testimonies of
links between
Cutrofiano and
ceramics

26. Cutrofiano Greek and
Byzantine
From the fifth century AD, after the fall of the
Roman empire, Salento became a battleground. In
the ninth century it was reconquered by
Byzantium.
The Byzantines reached Cutrofiano from Calabria;
In the cave of St. John in Cutrofiano there is a
Byzantine fresco.
Our Magna Grecia is not Greek but Byzantine
because we came, not only from Greece but
from the Middle East (Albanians, Armenians,
Palestinians, Syrians, Lebanese). These people
brought with them their saints, their rites
their language. One of this community settled
in Cutrofiano. The monks began to frequent
the site of St. John named Grottella which
was the ancient place of worship. Around the
eighth-ninth century that is contemporary
rock settlement to a smaller one located
around the present Piazza Cavallotti.
Attuale P.zza F. Cavallotti

27. GRIKO in SALENTO:
AN ISLAND OF GREECE
. When does Griko form in Salento?
There are two theories:
The first refers to the unbroken historical continuity between the Griko
speakers and people of Salento.
The second one backs the 'greek’ settlement in Byzantine times.
Currently, the presence of griko in Salento is reduced to only nine centers
(Calimera, Martignano, Corigliano, Starnatia, Soleto, Zollino, Castrignano,
Martano and Melpignano), whereas in past centuries this was a largest area.
The gradual decrease of "Griko" comes from the following reasons:
1. Religious: the abolition of the Orthodox rite
2. Political unification of Italy.
3. Economic and social migration, social development, the standardization of
language and information.

28. It 's so that Antonio
Costantini defines our
architecture: “Trulli
,pajare, dry walls and
mirrors that have
marked our history
1700-1800 - During this period the development of
trulli have the greatest development. The owner
builds admirably temporary shelters, having circular
or square pyramidal or conical shape, surrounds
them of olive trees and figs, legumes and so on.

29. SIGNS OF OUR HISTORY

30. Signs that
fortunately
survived in our
country and
representing our
history. Not that,
because we are on
this land, these
places are ours,
are our only if we
know them, love
them, we protect
and defend them

31. One of the finest
traditions of our
country was the
custom of
lighting huge
stacks of wood,
called "focare"
generally
consisting of
bundles of vines.
It happens along
the streets on the
evening of
February 17th of
each year ..

32. THE FOCARE
• This tradition has been handed down among the inhabitants
of Cutrofiano for more than two centuries, and it occurs to
thank Santantonio who had escaped the danger of
earthquake.
Until a few years ago, at the end of the evening, when the
flames were extinguished, every family, generally using lu
scarfalettu (warming pan) collect a certain amount of embers
and brought them home. It was considered as a sacred fire
with which they roast a bit bread, snails, potatoes, or cooked
dried vegetables, especially peas and beans. Sometimes the
fire was inserted into a circular wooden bench, around which
sat the whole family, eating and telling tales and stories.

33. THE CUREMMA
After the period of carnival, the women hang on
the terraces of the houses the Curemma, an old
and thin puppet dressed in black ,full of symbolic
elements. In one hand holding a stick, on the other
a spindle with seven feathers representing the
seven weeks of Lent, a period of fasting,
abstinence from meat and from foods of animal
origin (milk , eggs, cheese).

34. There is the tradition of singing Santu Lazzaru the
nights of Thursday, Friday and Saturday before
The Palm. It is not specifically tied to Lent, but
in some ways it was a rite of agriculture.
Indeed, in past times men with accordions and
drums were in the countryside and the farms
singing a lullaby to wish prosperity and good
vintage.
Another hypothesis on the origin of this song is
that these verses were sung by storytellers.