Pinacoteca Comunale di Latiano

In the old centre of Latimer, in the magnificent halls of the Imperial Palace, the Municipal Art Gallery is housed, established in 2004, which contains the" Quadreria Imperiali ", a collection of large paintings from the Neapolitan School of 1700 and works by young contemporary artists of Salento. Situated in the central Piazza Umberto I which is the main town square embellished by a fountain from the fascist period, the Castle or the Imperial Palace dates back perhaps to the twelfth century. It was modified several times, until the current structure (1714, as appears in certain inscriptions). The Palazzo was owned in the past to the City hall and was sold by the Marquis Guglielmo Imperiali in 1909, the last descendant of the Francavilla house. In the years 1980-1990 the Castle housed council offices, now it houses the Municipal Library, the Art Gallery and the Centre for Archaeological Documentation. The adjoining chapel in the Church of the Immaculate, was designed by Mauro Manieri, it has a Greek cross plan with vaulted ceilings and gilded stucco.