Giovinazzo-Bari

GIOVINAZZO-BARI

Giovinazzo is a small town overlooking the sea, with a beautiful historical center dating

back to Middle Ages. It is characterized by a walled seaside promenade and a small

picturesque marina. The town’s landmark is Vittorio Emanuele II square, dominated by the

fountain of Tritons right in the middle, and surrounded by other important buildings, such

as the town hall, the Palace of Marquise di Rende and the church of Saint Dominic.

Legend has it that it was founded by Perseus, son of Zeus (Giove in Italian, hence

Giovinazzo). It became a fortified urban area under Trajan, around 102AD and an Episcopal

see in the 5th century. The city fell under the foreign rule of Byzantines, Normans and

Swabians, which made it an important commercial hub during Middle Ages.

The best time to visit the town is in August, during the celebrations of the Madonna of

Corsignano, a religious and civil holiday, definitively a must-attend event.

On the town’s outskirts, just 6 km away, stands the Dolmen of Saint Sylvester, an example

of megalithic architecture dating back to the 2nd millennium BC, which was probably used

as a tomb for the community’s most prominent personalities during the bronze age.

One of the main attractions in the municipality is San Silvestro’s Dolmen, an example of

megalithic architecture from the II millennium B.C. located on the Murgia coast, 6

kilometres from the centre of Giovinazzo. The dolmen is composed on a tunnel of limestone

slabs divided into various sections and is covered by an elliptic stone cairn. For use as

a collective grave, it most probably hosts the remains of the most important people in the

community that lived there during the Bronze Age.

Instead, if you stay inside the town you really should visit Trajan's Arch, composed of 4

military columns and separating the end of the Appia Beneventana from Piazza

Costantinopoli, containing the Church of Santa Maria which is adorned with beautiful

paintings. Passing the arches of Via Cattedrale you arrive to the Cathedral of Santa Maria

Assunta which was built in the XII century in Romanesque style. Inside, it hosts the

miraculous, Byzantine icon of Madonna di Corsignano. Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II is one of

Giovinazzo’s best features as it overlooks the Church of San Domenico and the centre of

which is dominated by the Triton Fountain. We recommend a walk along the beautiful

fortified waterfront.

Fonte: regione Puglia