The Sanctuary of the Madonna of Leuca, destination of many devotees, was made built by Pope Giulio I, in 343 , on the rests of a pagan temple dedicated to the Goddess Minerva. According to a legend when St. Peter arrived at Leuca from the East, he put the Cross on the ground and the temple, mysteriously, crumbled. The first pilgrims visited it already in the Middle Ages and, later, even some kings and dukes addressed to the Madonna for help. During the Turkish invasion, Boemondo Of Altavilla, having been captured, implored the help of the Madonna. When he was released he went on pilgrimage with his faithful knights to the sanctuary . Also the crusaders went to the sanctuary to pray before leaving for the war, and the same happened for the soldiers during the second world war. The Sanctuary is famous in all the Salento, and each year in the spring months, many believers arrive on pilgrimage from the neighbouring villages. This holy place was destroyed and reconstructed a lot of times. The most well known assault happened in 1624, when the pirates set the church on fire. Everything was destroyed, except for a fragment of the painting of Jacopo Palma, representing the faces of the Madonna and of the Child. From that fragment, Andrea Cunavi repainted the canvas that, currently, can be seen in the Sanctuary. In 1689, the Algerians invaded the coast again, they emptied the church and stole even the bells and, before going away, they destroyed the column of the Madonna that was in front of the Church. In 1694 a rich woman, Laura Guarini, made the column build again. In 1718 the Sanctuary was rebuilt for want of the Bishop Giovanni Giannelli, who decided to strengthen it adding the towers. Theworks ended in 1740, three years before the death of the bishop. The only difference between the actual construction and the one wanted by the Bishop Giannelli, is the absence of the towers and of the drawbridges. The church has an only aisle, seven altars, including the high altar, on which you can see the miraculous canvas of the Lady with the Child, and other religious decorations that were given by the Marquis Virginio Bourbon in 1835. The Sanctuary was declared "Minor Basilica" in 1990 by Pope Giovanni Paolo II. The Parish of Santa Maria di Leuca is dedicated to Jesus Christ , and it has been run by the Franciscan Monks from 1943. It was built at the end of the XIX century, and the façade and the three portals are in neo-Gothic style . The famous Lighthouse of Leuca is very interesting too: it was built where once there was the tower that Filippo II made build in 1527. It was inaugurated in 1866, it is 45 meters tall and it emanate, regularly, bundles of light that signal the coast for 50 Km of distance. An other fascinating characteristic of Leuca is the presence of marvelous villas. Until the XIX century there were only the modest residences of the fishermen. Later imposing villas were built and they contributed to make Leuca become a tourist destination of first level. Quite in front of the harbour you can admire the stately Daniele Villa, built in e 1880 and planned by the engineer Achille Rossi, who also planned Episcopo Villa, very well-known since it looks like a Chinese pagoda. Another interesting villa is Ruggeri Villa, also called Meridian Villa, planned in 1874 by Giuseppe Ruggeri: what most marks this building is the meridian on the principal façade. Ruggeri also projected Sangiovanni Villa in Egyptian style and Mellacqua villa, in neo-Gothic style . At Leuca there are around 50 villas: Pia Villa, Villa dei Misteri, Comi Villa etc.The principal aim was to arouse admiration and envy towards the wealthy people that wanted to have the most beautiful and original villa. Along the coast of Leuca you can see numerous caves , the most important is the Porcinara. It is marked by three very deep rooms that can be reached thanks two entries. On the walls there are some Latin and Greek inscriptions dating back to the II century A.C. In the past, in this cave, probably, pagan and Christian rites were celebrated. Now the cave is closed in order to avoid vandal attacks. The other most important caves are: Cave del Pozzo, Cave Le Mannute, Cave of the Devil, Cazzafri Cave and so many others that the tourists, in the summer months, visit with much interest.