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| Inhabitants'
name: Bagnolesi |
The civic coat of arms
of Bagnolo has a light blue background with a two-tail mermaid playing a lyre.
 In
Bagnolo there are two menhirs called ‘Bagnolo’ and ‘Salento’s Cross’, they are
in good conditions and people used to worship God near those charming stones. We
are not certain about the origins of this village. It was probably founded by
some Greek or Roman colons. During the Roman domination there were some
important baths where the Roman people used to relax. The name of this village
would then derive from the Latin word ‘balineum’ meaning ‘place rich in water’.
When water began to run short the town lost its splendour. Bagnolo del Salento
was part of the County of Lecce and then to the Principality of Taranto with the
Orsini del Balzos. The village was also ruled by Castruccios and the Costellos.
Up to 1806 it belonged to the Monastery of the Olivetan Fathers of St Catherine
of Galatina. The Turks attacked the village several times. Among the famous
people who came from Bagnolo we remember: Leonardo from Capua and Raffaele
Fumarola. Leonardo from Capua lived in the 17th century and was a
good writer and philosopher. Raffaele Fumarola lived in the 20th
century and was elected mayor several times.
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