Nociglia set in the lower Salento, it lies south-east of the Salento peninsula at about 10 kms from the Adriatic Sea.

The town is situated on a hill in the Serre Salentine, 104 meters above the sea level; It is bordered in the north by the municipality of San Cassiano, in the east by those of Poggiardo and Surano, in the south by the town of Montesano Salentino and in the west by the municipality of Supersano.

The etymology of the name comes from the Latin nux- nucis, it is to say, walnut.

From historical sources we learn that in the third century BC during the invasion of the Messapia territories by the Roman army, the locals took refuge in the nearby Bosco Belvedere to escape the enemy attacks. Once the danger ceased, some of the people returned to their abandoned villages while others decided to stay on this vast plateau appreciating the huge spaces of the site allowing them to graze animals, hunting and the harvest of fruits. These people were the real founders of Nociglia.

The first news about the existence of Nociglia are found on the itinerary map of the via Traiana, where it was reported Nucillum,  just wanted by Trajan to extend the route of the via Appia that from Rome leads to Brindisi, and connecting it with the port of Leuca, boarding point with the Orient.

The Bosco Belvedere, over the centuries, became first a county of King Tancredi and then a manor of Charles I of Anjou. Later it passed to the De Hugot, which related to the Orsini del Balzo family, inherited it as house in the county of Castro and Ugento.

On the origin of the real core housing, made of homes and businesses, various arguments have been proposed by scholars of historical interpretation. While Maselli said that Nociglia arose from the destruction of Castro, that took place on account of Solimano in 1537, Arditi supported the hypothesis that the town was founded in 1156 by Guglielmo il Malo after the destruction of Vaste.

Monuments of interest:

The Chapel of St. Nicholas, of medieval origin, simple in its structure, which contains frescoes dating back to the rudimentary thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, depicting the Virgin and Child, Saint Lucia, Saint Nicholas and Saint Anthony Abate;

The medieval castle, partially remodeled, equipped with a tower;

The Parish Church of St. Nicholas, built in the second half of the nineteenth century, designed by the architect Filippo Bacile of Spongano.

[Wikipedia] - [Lecce e i suoi Comuni - Roberto Boiardi]