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Putignano

Get around

Putignano is easily accessible on foot and by car. Local buses connect the town to the railway station, the industrial area, the cemetery, and the district of San Pietro Piturno, on the way to the town of Turi.

Piazza Plebiscito by night

The heart of Putignano is quickly recognizable by the long pedestrian area Corso Umberto I. Here, you can see the Teatro Comunale, one of the first theatres of the town constructed in 1600, which has been restored in 2020, well known for its performances in the whole south-eastern area of the province of Bari.

The Carnival parade takes place on Corso Umberto I and it ends in the main street which connects Putignano to Castellana , where it is possible to visit the artisan workshops where Carnival floats are created. The circular structure of the main streets around the town centre is called Estramurale, that is divided into Estramurale a Mezzogiorno and Estramurale a Levante. Walking past the Teatro Comunale, you arrive at Porta Grande, the entrance of the old town, from where it is possible to reach Piazza Plebiscito. Here, you can visit the Chiesa di San Pietro and the Casa Museo Guglielmo Romanazzi Carducci, principe di Santo Mauro, one of the most remarkable museums and historical monuments that make up the Apulian cultural heritage.  

Carnival event

Origin

Putignano is the home of the most ancient Carnival event in Europe and the most significant one in southern Italy. According to the local legend, the origins of the celebration date back to the Middle Ages in 1394 when the Knights of Malta transferred St. Stephen’s relics from the Abbey of Monopoli to Putignano in order to protect them from the Saracens.

A typical carnival float

Description

During the Carnival period, Putignano welcomes local and foreign tourists and offers them a spectacular parade of majestic carnival floats made of paper-mache, a traditional process by which many sheets of newspapers are softened by water and paste. 

Example of paper mache creation

Every year, the celebrations begin in December with the event of “Propaggini”, a parade performed by citizens who talk in vernacular, and it ends on Mardi Gras in February, the last evening parade that represents the Death of Carnival, in which the sacrifice of a pig symbolizes the end of the period dedicated entirely to entertainment, fun and parties. Since 2006 the town has also held a summer edition of the event in July or August.

Every year, Carnival represents a political, cultural, or social topic in a satirical and amusing way. Here, tourists can also see many people in Carnival costumes dancing and singing in the streets and visit the local basements called “jos’r”, where you can buy the traditional product and Carnival mask: “Farinella”, a Carnival mask with a joker aspect and a multicolour costume, that takes its origin from the homonymous food, a chickpeas flour that is cooked with tomato sauce or with olive oil.