Church of Christ of Tabelle and rock settlement (Galatina and Galatone)

Hidden in the Salento countryside, about 3 km from Galatone , the rock settlement of Tabelle offers a fascinating glimpse into Salento's rural past. The territory is actually divided between the municipalities of Galatine and Galatone, and here we are, in fact, right on the border between the two towns.

Immersed in the Mediterranean scrub, this archaeological site, now a refuge for wild animals, is a true journey through time , a dive into the thousand-year history of Puglia.

A centuries-old walnut tree guides the visitor towards the Grotta delle Tabelle , a man-made underground cave where beds carved into the rock are found.

Not far away, the 18th-century church "Cristo di Tabelle" recounts the religious traditions of the area through its frescoes. The church is dedicated to the Exaltation of the Cross, but is known among the locals as "Cristo di Tabelle" or "Cristu ti Tabelle" in the local dialect.

The structure is extremely simple: a bare square façade, an entrance door surmounted by a small window, and an equally small bell gable with a cross above. Entering a barrel-vaulted hall, you find yourself faced with a fresco depicting the crucifixion in the center, with Saints Peter and Paul on either side, almost representing a fusion of the cults of the crucifix of Galatone and the veneration of Saints Peter and Paul of Galatina.

Tabelle was not just a cave village , but a true medieval settlement , with ten churches and traces of sub divo buildings, testifying to a flourishing past. The hamlet, already existing in Late Antiquity and the Byzantine era, underwent a transformation into an open hamlet starting in the Byzantine era. The cave section, likely dating back to the early Middle Ages, survived into the modern age.

The De Giorgi crypt , a fascinating example of rock-cut architecture, is one of the most evocative places in Tabelle. Carved into the rock, the crypt features a semicircular apse and an altar carved into the rock face.