The intense green of the expanses of olive trees and the white glare of the white stone that stands out against the intense blue of the sky and the iridescent blue of the sea: this is the incomparable spectacle that presents itself to those who, driving along the A14 highway or the more scenic "Adriatica" State Road, come to Bitonto from the North or the South.
The beauty of Bitonto and its territory and its enviable geographic position, as a hinge between the coast and the hilly hinterland, have made it, since the Neolithic period, a privileged place for the settlement of a capannicolous village, which you can discover through the remains, of the necropolis and the artifacts that are witnesses of a complex and well-organized civilization with an agricultural vocation.
If you wish to take a leap back in time, it will be easy for you to read the lines of the Middle Ages in the monumental Romanesque Cathedral and in the maze of narrow streets of the Old Town, dotted with arches, hidden towers, palaces and churches covering the span of several centuries. Historical events conditioned urban development and the lives of the local population in a similar way to the people of the Land of Bari, amid wars, foreign rule, insurrectional uprisings and enlightened governments.
A city that is a melting pot of peoples and cultures, which can be discovered in the forms and styles of the noble palaces, in the development of the extra-moenia neighborhoods, in the richness of the conventual churches that have sprung up beyond the city walls, and, above all, in the different colorings of the local dialect, in which Greek, Spanish and French sounds echo. A city with a glorious past. One of the most populous centers of the Middle Ages and one of the most flourishing cities of "Neapolitan" Apulia.
Along with Madrid, the only European city to have a public sewer in the 16th century and, also in that century, capable of redeeming its freedom from its feudal lord, paying a huge sum of money in order to return to being Civitas Libera. Here in Bitonto the last act of the War of Polish Secession was fought, which, in fact, saw the birth of the Bourbon Kingdom in southern Italy. An important city, rich in history and extremely rich in artistic and architectural evidence.
Bitonto, city of art... but also city of Festivals, Rites, Musical Bands and, above all, City of Oil.
THE FESTIVAL.
So the history of the Bitonto Patronal Festival starts from a historical fact that really happened, which after being moved, in the early 1900s to August to allow the many emigrants to be able to experience it, for the past 18 years has returned to its natural location of the end of May.
Faith, devotion, tradition, colors, music, history, and promotion of the area are the ingredients of the events that unfold over the five days of the festival with the re-enactment of the miracle, the historical procession in which the noble families of Bourbon origin parade, illuminations, the solemn procession, fireworks, and musical performances.
Sights:
Co-cathedral of St. Valentine, Church of St. Francis of Assisi, Church of the Crucifix, Church of Purgatory,
Sylos-Vulpano Palace, Sylos-Calò Palace, Angevin Tower, Archaeological Museum, National Gallery of Modern Art.
Photos by: Domenico Ciocia, Ezio Marrone, Andrea Melato, Gaetano Loporto, Francesco Racaniello.
