The Grecìa Salentina is a circumscribed geographical area situated inside the Terra d'Otranto, which is deeply steeped with Greek-Byzantine culture. Today it includes nine communes of the province of Lecce: Calimera, Castrignano dei Greci, Corigliano d'Otranto, Martano, Martignano, Melpignano, Soleto, Sternatia, Zollino. In the past, instead, it included a larger territory extending from Gallipoli to Otranto.
The peculiarity of Grecìa Salentina is mainly represented by the Griko, a Greek-sounding language that is used still today since it has been orally handed on by the aged people (popular songs, stornelli, religious and funeral songs, fables, fairy tales, etc.)
However the origin of Griko is still unknown: according to some experts it could be traced back to the phase of Magno-Greek colonization (VIII cent. b.C), according to others it could be the fruit of Byzantine colonization (VI-XI cent. A.D.)