he Abbey of Santa Maria di Cerrate is located north of Lecce, not far from the town of Squinzano and is a splendid example of Apulia Romanesque architecture; the first FAI property in Apulia. 

All that remains of the medieval monastery is the church and the delightful portico with valuable capitals, the well and an underground oil mill. The abbey was founded by Tancredi D’Altavilla in the 12th century. 

Nearby is the Museum of Popular Traditions where the rooms of a typical peasant house and objects of rural use are reconstructed.