centro storico, lineare, costiero, Chieuti, Pleuti (denominazione originaria)

Chieuti, once called Pleuti, stands at the north-western edge of Puglia, a compact hill town 222 metres above sea level and eight kilometres from the coast. Its margins are clearly defined by natural and artificial boundaries, and its streets serve both pedestrians and vehicles. With around 1,900 inhabitants, it is a consolidated settlement where residential, artisanal, productive, and religious functions coexist.

This is a borgo of the Renaissance, but its character was shaped by a particular history. Chieuti was founded by Arbëreshë communities, Albanian refugees fleeing the Ottoman advance into the Balkans in the late 15th century. Their migration continued in waves until 1680, when the last group arrived. The town sits on the ruins of the ancient Italic city of Cliternia, a remnant of which survives in the nearby hamlet of Nuova Cliternia. The area has been inhabited since the Neolithic, but the present settlement’s identity is indelibly marked by the language, traditions, and culture of those Albanian exiles who made this corner of Puglia their home.

Description via source. Coordinates and heritage data from the Atika atlas.