The Leucantica project aims to reconstruct the cultural dynamics and exchange networks of the Capo di Leuca through an approach that combines digital methods, fieldwork and public archaeology. At the heart of the project is the excavation of the settlement of Vereto, never before the subject of systematic investigation despite its historical and archaeological importance. The ancient Messapian centre, originally spread over more than 60 hectares and defended by a mighty circuit wall, controlled two landing places, Leuca and San Gregorio — the first that ships encountered on leaving the Adriatic for the Ionian Sea.

Vereto was one of the main Messapian centres of southern Salento, occupied at least from the Bronze Age until Roman times. Ancient sources record several names for the town, including Οὐερητόν, Οὔρητον, Beretum and Veretum, and scholars have long debated its possible connection with the Hyrie mentioned by Herodotus.

The project also focuses on community archaeology, involving local people through citizen-science activities in the spirit of the Faro Convention: educational workshops open to the public, shared storytelling, seminars and lectures at the Archaeological Museum of Vereto, and a documentary following the whole experience.

The research combines stratigraphic excavation, the study of literary and archival sources and landscape analysis. Every layer, wall, fragment or trace is recorded in order to reconstruct the history of the site and its transformations.

Topographic and photogrammetric survey, 3D models, LiDAR remote sensing, GIS and non-invasive prospection, carried out partly with the INGV, complement the excavation. These tools help to read what is not visible on the surface and to link the settlement with its walls, cemeteries, roads and landing places.

The research also covers the finds already held in the Museum of Vereto, the Castromediano Museum in Lecce and the stores of the Soprintendenza: pottery, metalwork, inscriptions, architectural elements and coins. Data and images also feed into reconstructions, videos and content for the public.

DiscoVereto brings together universities, heritage authorities, museums, local administrations and cultural organisations of the area.

The project is led by the University of Naples "L'Orientale", under the scientific direction of Valentino Nizzo, with topographic coordination by Angela Bosco and Rosario Valentini. The Leucantica project was conceived by Valentino Nizzo and the archaeologist Daniela Ventrelli — Puglia Culture.

The excavation involves undergraduate and postgraduate students in Archaeology from the University of Naples L'Orientale, the inter-university Specialisation School in Archaeological Heritage Or.SA (Orientale-Salerno), the University of Salerno and other universities. The research is carried out under a concession from the Italian Ministry of Culture and in collaboration with the Soprintendenza, the Apulia Region, the Castromediano Museum and the Archaeological Museum of Vereto.

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