ISPANI

Overlooking the seaside town of Capitello, Ispani stands on a series of gently sloping hills at about 280 metres above sea level not far from another hill town, San Cristoforo.
Ispani originated in the 10th century as a refuge for the coastal dwellers from plagues of mosquitoes and bands marauding Saracen pirates, and its name is clearly connected with the period when Southern Italy was under Catalan domination.
The layout of the old town - a series of buildings arranged around a central square and accessible only via a maze of very narrow alleyways - was dictated by the fact that, like the inhabitants of nearby Santa Marina, its founders were forbidden by the local feudal overlords of the time to enclose it within fortified walls. The maze of narrow streets at least made defence of the settlement somewhat easier.