G. Villani Cinema-Theatre

The cinema was built in 1947 at the initiative of lawyer Michele Villani, following a design by surveyor Torsello of Alessano. Villani dedicated it to his brother, Captain Giuseppe Villani, who went missing in 1917 during the First World War. The memorial became a modern civic venue, opening in 1948 with Adventure, the 1945 film starring Clark Gable.

For a small Salento town, the building was unusually ambitious. Its 424 seats were divided between stalls and balcony, while a stage large enough for a full orchestra and dressing rooms beneath it allowed the hall to host variety and avanspettacolo as well as films. For decades, the Villani was not simply a screen but one of Presicce's principal meeting places.

A complete renovation followed in 1970 to a design by architect Nuzzolese. The cinema continued operating until 31 December 1985, when changing habits and the rise of television had already begun to empty traditional local theatres. Long closed, it remains a powerful piece of postwar memory: its vintage frontage has become a familiar landmark and the building has repeatedly drawn public interest as a place worthy of preservation and renewed cultural use.