The civic coat of arms of Casarano has a snake around a pine trunk on a red background. We do not know exactly how and when the village was founded. It could have been founded by the Greeks because there are coins and frescos dating to this period. Mr Ferrari thinks that the village was founded by a Roman centurion who won the land for his courage on the battleground or by those who run away from Lion I Isaurico. Anyhow the oldest part of the village is the hamlet of Casaranello and here was the origin of the village. From the 5^th to the 11^th centuries the village was sacked by the Greeks, the Longobards, the Saracens and the Normans. The Norman King Tancredi  included the village in the County of Lecce and then in the Principality of Taranto. The village was ruled by the Filomarinos, the Di Capuas, the D’Aquinos, the Morellis and the d’Alnetos. In the 13^th century Charles I d’Angiò destroyed the Hamlet of Gallipolis and the refugees went to Casarano. Among the famous people of Casarano we remember: Giuseppe Capozza was born in 1891, he studied in Switzerland and specialized in Economy. He became a skilled salesman and  wine merchant. He fought in the First World War and died in 1944 in a road accident.  Giambattista Lupo was born in 1819, he became a literary man and wrote an important work dedicated to the king Umberto of Savoy. Salvatore Nicolazzo was born in 1899 and became a shoemaker as his grandfather. He moved to Milan when he was 16 and here earned enough money to open the first shoe factory of Casarano. Lucrezia Filomarino was the last heir of this rich family. She paid for the beautiful painting of the Virgin by Antonio d’Orlando. Francesco Rigliaco lived between the 16th and the 17th century and was a good poet and music player. Domenico De Donatis was born in 1718 and took his degree in Theology in 1741. He became a philosopher and theologian and wrote several books in Latin. Antonio Chetry was born in 1913, he studied in Casarano and Nardò then became priest and Latinist and died in 1984.Luigi Tasselli was born in 1622, he studied in Casarano and then in Ugento. He became a Capuchin Friar, wrote several works and was an appreciated preacher and theologian. Pietro Tomacelli was born in the 14th century, he was appointed cardinal in 1385 then became pope with the name of Bonifacio IX. He died in 1404 in a very mysterious way.