The civic coat of arms of Tiggiano has  a blue background and it represents the head of the god Janus, one of the most venerated Roman divinity. About the origin of this small village there are no historical documents. Probably it was founded during the Roman domination by a centurion, whose name was Titio or Tibius. He  was given this land and he had decided to build his own house and that of his soldiers here. So the toponym of this village might come from the centurion's name. There are two other theories about the origins of Tiggiano: it might have been built by some people who had escaped from the destruction of the Casale of Valiano. According to the other theory  the toponym might derive from the Latin word "tegula"  meaning the place in which the soldiers who went to Vereto used to stop to feed their horses. During the feudal age the king Tancredi incorporated the centre into the County of Lecce. In 1270 the Angevins gave the feud to Rodolfo d' Alneto, Earl of Alessano. In  1309, the successor of Charles I, Robert the Angevin, gave Tiggiano to the Arcellas, who were succeeded by the Della Marras and the  De Petravaldas. In the XV century  Tiggiano was ruled first by the Della Rattas, then by the Del Balzos and in the XVI century by the  De Capuas,  the Gonzagas and the Braydas. From the XVII century to 1806 this village was governed by the Tranes, the Gallones and the Serafini-Saulis. Among the most well-known characters there is  Mario De Francesco. He was born in 1886, he graduated in Law and took part  in the First World War. After  inheriting an enormous fortune from one of his relatives, he married Maria Serafini-Sauli. He died in 1955. Other important local people are the famous doctor Ruberti and the good Latinist  Rausa.