Maria Teresa Acquaviva DISCOVER VALLE D ITRIA. A journey to the lesser known places in Valle d Itria discovering its ancient trulli villages

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1 Maria Teresa Acquaviva DISCOVER VALLE D ITRIA A journey to the lesser known places in Valle d Itria discovering its ancient trulli villages Associazione Pandora in collaboration with Valleditria.it

2 Contents The Valle d Itria The Valle d Itria From the Virgin Hodegetria to Our Lady of Itria Trulli in the Valle d Itria The Trulli Symbol Tradition The Trulli of Alberobello, Unesco World Heritage Site The Contrade of the Valle d Itria Natural balconies in Valle d Itria Martina Franca Locorotondo Cisternino Walking in Valle d Itria Contrade Panza, Specchia and Acquarossa Contrade Marinelli, Zuzù, Tumbinno and Serafino Contrade Marziolla, Lamie Affascinate and Cupa Contrade Ritunno, Grande and Piccola, and Serra Contrada San Marco Alta Events in Valle d Itria Living Nativity Scenes in the Trulli The Palio of Locorotondo s Contrade Festival della Valle d Itria Festival dei Sensi March 19, the Bonfire of St. Joseph The Festivals Gnummaridd and Cervellata Festival Grape-Harvest Festival Orecchiette Pasta Festival Meatball and Roulade Festival Curiosity The Museum of Climate in Valle d Itria I Giardini di Pomona Memories by Giorgio Nardelli Not Everybody Knows Tourist Information How to Get to the Valle d Itria Useful Phone Numbers Bibliography Map of the Valle d Itria

Zuzù, Tumbinno and Serafino Contrade Marziolla, Lamie Affascinate and Cupa Contrade Ritunno, Grande and Piccola, and Serra Contrada San Marco Alta Events in Valle d Itria Living Nativity Scenes in

3 Dear readers, The journey you are about to take reading this guide is a behind the scenes tour of a wonderful show, using a theatrical metaphor. When we enjoy a nice show usually we do not think about the effort that was used to create it, step by step. We leave the show remembering the leading actors, the most exciting moments of the plot and the scenery. But behind the show there is another world, and if explored, is able to give new emotions. So we try to imagine the Valle d Itria as nature s show, where the leading actors are the most visited local tourist destinations. We want to lead you through parallel streets, not illuminated by the spotlight, where you can learn about co-stars of a wonderful representation of nature, history and art, narrating a plot created by the activity of unknown actors, but helpful to set up and put on the entire show. We want to lead you slowly along old rural paths, discovering an unpolluted paradise. Welcome to the Valle d Itria, land of trulli and vineyards.

We leave the show remembering the leading actors, the most exciting moments of the plot and the scenery. But behind the show there is another world, and if explored, is able to give new emotions.

4 THE VALLE D ITRIA A MAGICAL LANDSCAPE IN THE HEART OF THE MURGIA DEI TRULLI The Valle d Itria BARI n the center of the Puglia region, on the slightly undulating hills of the Southeast Murgia sub-region, also called Murgia dei Trulli, you can visit the enchanting Valle d Itria (Itria Valley), an extensive karst depression similar to other epigeal karst phenomena throughout the territory although better defined, such as sinkholes. The name valle (valley) derives from the landscape that the site offers visitors if admired by one of the natural balconies that arise on the surrounding hills. From here, an overall view of the wide depression appears in all its expansion, shaped by the effects of karstification in a gentle undulation of hillocks and depressions. Defining a geographical triangle, on the surrounding hills there are the art cities of Martina Franca, a baroque pearl, Locorotondo and Cisternino, two of the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy (I Borghi più Belli d Italia is an association that gathers small Italian towns featuring strong artistic and historical interest). In its expansion, the valley also touches the territories of Ostuni, the White City and Ceglie Messapica, whose name refers to the remote origins of the city. Here there are three provinces that meet: Bari, Brindisi and Taranto. The Valle d Itria, more than any other place of Murgia dei Trulli, shows clear signs of human settlement with its countryside for centuries populated in permanent forms. PUTIGNANO POLIGNANO A MARE ALBEROBELLO LOCOROTONDO NOCI OSTUNI GIOIA DEL COLLE CISTERNINO MARTINA FRANCA CEGLIE MESSAPICA MOTTOLA FASANO MASSAFRA MONOPOLI TARANTO GROTTAGLIE Kilometers of dry stone walls (pareti) trace linear patterns that contain many vineyards, mostly planted in the nineteenth century after the French wine crisis; in the same period, a myriad of trulli (traditional Apulian dry stone hut with a conical roof) were built, becoming the permanent houses of farmers, the architects of this massive agricultural colonization. The sparse population of the area joined rural villages, archaic villages of trulli called contrade, featuring shared facilities and areas. BRINDISI 8 THE VALLE D'ITRIA

although better defined, such as sinkholes.

5 Some churches are very old and replicate the structure of the rural churches spread in the Murgia region, with a gabled roof covered with chiancarelle and a bell tower and small portals with lunettes or charming rosettes. Generally they are aisleless churches with a barrel vault and the more elaborate have a transept with a pitched roof. They preserve, intact, the original limestone floors and residues of very ancient frescoes and altars refined by ornaments. Even if they have been abandoned, the most archaic contrade have a special charm because often nature has taken over the trulli ruins. Unfortunately, the abandonment does not preserve trulli from vandalism; some people consider those trulli a quarry where they can steal stone material. Most of the contrade, on the contrary, are still inhabited and have expanded over time, with new construction not always aesthetically harmonious with the landscape. In them, the original settlement of trulli is now the heart of the contrada. 20 THE VALLE D'ITRIA

They preserve, intact, the original limestone floors and residues of very ancient frescoes and altars refined by ornaments.

6 A HOLIDAY IN THE CONTRADE he trulli contrade in Valle d itria, especially in the countryside of Locorotondo and Cisternino, and the neighboring Ostuni, are continuously populated by the elderly farmers and descendant heirs, now doing other jobs. Many other people have chosen this place as a residential area, moving from nearby cities to live in one of the most beautiful countrysides of Puglia. The area is populated by visitors from all over the world staying in trulli and masserie turned into comfortable B&Bs and agriturismi. The mild climate and events taking place in all seasons allow for the creation of seasonal forms of rural tourism. Accommodation in trulli will not disappoint the expectations of those who want to discover ancient knowledge and flavors. It s like taking a trip back in time, immersed in an oasis of peace with the slow pace that only a holiday in the country can offer. Wholesome cuisine rich in local produce, olive oil, wine, cheese and dairy products, bread, frise, taralli and biscuits baked in a wood-fired ovens, meat and poultry, seasonal vegetables, wild seasonal herbs and delicate rosoli (digestive liqueurs) all represent the traditional cuisine. In the Valle d Itria, the Adriatic and Ionian coast are equidistant with beautiful beaches and dunes covered by rich Mediterranean vegetation. And if you do not want to go to the beach? Festivals, street artists, exhibitions, religious events, concerts and tours in historic centers, parks and archaeological sites will be enough to enrich your stay and make it unforgettable. Visitors often suffer from mal di Valle d Itria, a feeling of nostalgia that affects those who have been here and want to go back. Often these people decide to live in the trulli forever, as many foreigners and visitors from northern Italy and beyond have done. NONNO AND BROAD BEANS Nonno Leonardo collects, cleans and prepares broad beans. NONNA TERESA S SAGNE WITH CHICKPEAS Nonna Teresa and Nonno Domenico make sagne with chickpeas. HOW TO MAKE MOZZARELLA AND BURRATA Michele Notarnicola explains how to make mozzarella and burrata cheese. THE VALLE D'ITRIA 21

Many other people have chosen this place as a residential area, moving from nearby cities to live in one of the most beautiful countrysides of Puglia.

7 THE ROAD OF THE ANCIENT PALMENTI Contrade Panza, Specchia and Acquarossa CARANNA OSTUNI - BRINDISI CISTERNINO LA SPECCHIA PANZA ACQUAROSSA CASALINI ot only traditional itineraries dedicated to wine tasting in large local wineries, but also a fascinating journey through ancient wine-growing and production, discovering old stone palmenti (winemaking rooms) and carved into the rock. This is a tour that winds through a network of grassy paths between one contrada and another walking for about six kilometers in the countryside of Cisternino, bordering on the territory of Ostuni. The last step of the Murgia dei Trulli is a sheer cliff on Piana degli Ulivi offering breathtaking views of the Adriatic Sea. The large area was covered in the past by vineyards of which survive only a few hectares. Luckily, many palmenti have survived, lamia shape (stone construction with barrel vault) and trullo shape, and, rarer made on rock; many palmenti to serve the community of the contrade were usually built outdoors. Palmenti are considered the progenitors of future and larger cellars, due to the collective function they had. CONTRADA PANZA CEGLIE M. OSTUNI We will start from the oldest settlement, Contrada Panza, where crossing a sheep- WALKING IN VALLE D ITRIA 33

This is a tour that winds through a network of grassy paths between one contrada and another walking for about six kilometers in the countryside of Cisternino, bordering on the territory of Ostuni.

Imagining a new destination..

Imagining a new destination.. Puglia experience. Authentic and Contemporary Nature, history, culture and art have made Puglia a major tourist destination in Southern Italy. Whatever the season, Puglia