Altamura (, ; nap, label= Barese, Ialtamùre) is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' of Apulia, in southern Italy. It is located on one of the hills of the

Murge The Altopiano delle Murge (Italian for "Murge plateau") is a karst topographic plateau of rectangular shape in southern Italy. Most of it lies within Apulia and corresponds with the sub-region known as Murgia or Le Murge. The plateau lies mainl ...

plateau in the

Metropolitan City of Bari The Metropolitan City of Bari ( it, Città Metropolitana di Bari) is a Metropolitan cities of Italy, metropolitan city in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Bari. It replaced the Province of Bari and includes the city of Bari a ...

, southwest of Bari, close to the border with Basilicata. , its population amounts to 70,595 inhabitants. The city is known for its particular quality of bread called

Pane di Altamura Pane di Altamura is a type of Italian naturally leavened bread made from remilled durum wheat semola from the Altamura area of the Provincia di Bari, in the Apulia region. In 2003 ''Pane di Altamura'' was granted PDO status within Europe. ...

, which is sold in numerous other Italian cities. The 130,000-year-old calcified

Altamura Man The Altamura Man is a fossil of the genus ''Homo'' discovered in 1993 in a karst sinkhole in the Lamalunga Cave near the city of Altamura, Italy. Remarkably well preserved but covered in a thick layer of calcite taking the shape of cave popcor ...

was discovered in 1993 in the nearby limestone cave called ''grotta di Lamalunga''. Archivio Generalizio Agostiniano Carte Rocca P33

History

The area of modern Altamura was densely inhabited in the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

(La Croce settlement and necropolis). The region contains some fifty

tumuli A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones built ...

. Between the 6th and the 3rd century BC a massive line of megalithic walls was erected, traces of which are still visible in some areas of the city.

Ancient city

The city was inhabited until around the tenth century AD. Then it was reportedly looted by Saracens. There are no reliable sources confirming what the original name of Altamura was. Inside the

Tabula Peutingeriana ' (Latin for "The Peutinger Map"), also referred to as Peutinger's Tabula or Peutinger Table, is an illustrated ' (ancient Roman road map) showing the layout of the '' cursus publicus'', the road network of the Roman Empire. The map is a 13th-ce ...

, only ''Sublupatia'' occurs, which may refer either to

Santeramo in Colle Santeramo in Colle ( Santermano: ) is a town in the Metropolitan City of Bari and region of Apulia, southern Italy. Its current name comes from St Erasmus, martyr of the Diocletian era and patron saint of the city who, according to legend, is respo ...

, Altamura or to a small region nearby named ''Jesce''. ''Sublupatia'' implies that a city whose name was ''Lupatia'' was also present, even though there is no mention of ''Lupatia'' either in

or the Antonine Itinerary. Nevertheless ''Lupatia'' occurs in

Ravenna Cosmography The ''Ravenna Cosmography'' ( la, Ravennatis Anonymi Cosmographia, "The Cosmography of the Unknown Ravennese") is a list of place-names covering the world from India to Ireland, compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around 700 AD. Textu ...

(

Byzantine period The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

) and in

Guido of Pisa Guido of Pisa (died 9 July 1169) was an Italian geographer from Pisa. In 1119 he edited and updated the ''Geographica'', a geographic encyclopedia first created in the eighth century by the Anonymous of Ravenna. It followed in the tradition of e ...

's work ''Geographica'' (

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

). According to an ancient legend, appearing for the first time in the 13th century AD, Altamura's former name was ''Altilia'', from ''Alter Ilium'', the "other

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...

". According to a legend, it was founded by a friend of

Aeneas In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas (, ; from ) was a Trojan hero, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman Venus). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy (both being grandsons ...

, Antellus, also a fugitive from the Asian city destroyed by the Greeks. Another legend attributes the foundation to Althea, queen of the

Myrmidons In Greek mythology, the Myrmidons (or Myrmidones; el, Μυρμιδόνες) were an ancient Thessalian Greek tribe. In Homer's ''Iliad'', the Myrmidons are the soldiers commanded by Achilles. Their eponymous ancestor was Myrmidon, a king of ...

. Ottavio Serena, as early as in 1880, rejected the above legends as well as the belief that the ancient name of Altamura was Altilia, as it lacked reliable sources. Serena suggested that this name may have originated with an unknown

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended around AD 150 ...

scholar who tried to provide an explanation of the ruins found in that place. Berloco 1985. p. 171. During the 15th and 16th centuries AD, Altamura was also mistaken for the ancient city of ''

Petilia Petilia or Petelia ( grc, Πετηλία) was a city name found in some ancient works of classical antiquity. It's widely accepted that in antiquity there were two cities with this name, both located in Southern Italy. One of them, Petilia, was lo ...

''. The belief that Petilia was the ancient name of Altamura at that time was so strong that on some Italian translations of

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importance ...

Geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...

, "Petilia" was translated as "Petilia, now Altamura", despite the coordinates given by

unequivocally pointed toward today's Calabria. Berloco 1985. p. 134 The hypothesis that Altamura was the ancient city of Petilia probably originated with

Raffaello Maffei Raffaello Maffei (17 February 1451 – 25 January 1522) was an Italian humanist, historian and theologian; and member of the Servite Order. He was a native of Volterra, Italy, and therefore is called Raphael Volaterranus or Raphael of Volterra; a ...

, as he was the first known author that suggested it. Berloco 1985. p. 177-178

Leandro Alberti Leandro Alberti (1479–1552) was an Italian Dominican historian. Life Alberti was born and died at Bologna. In his early youth he attracted the attention of the Bolognese rhetorician, Giovanni Garzoni, who volunteered to act as his tutor. He e ...

, instead, was the first scholar who dismissed that Altamura was Petilia in his work ''Descrittione icdi tutta Italia'' (1550). According to modern scholars, Petilia probably refers to the archeological remains found on Monte Stella.

The new city

A couple of centuries after Altamura was reportedly looted by the Saracens, it started to be inhabited again as emperor Frederick II refounded the city (1232) and ordered the construction of the large

Altamura Cathedral Altamura Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Altamura, ''Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta''), dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Altamura, in the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, in south ...

, which became one of the most venerated sanctuaries in Apulia. In 1248, under pressure from Frederick,

Pope Innocent IV Pope Innocent IV ( la, Innocentius IV; – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254. Fieschi was born in Genoa and studied at the universitie ...

declared Altamura exempt from the jurisdiction of the bishop of Bari, making it a "palatine church", that is the equivalent of a palace chapel. Altamura was ruled by various feudal families, including the

Orsini del Balzo The House of Orsini del Balzo was an Italian noble family from the 13th and 14th centuries. The dynasty was founded with the marriage between Roberto from the Orsini family and Sveve del Balzo from the House of Baux. The family produced a Queen ...

and the Farnese (1538–1734), the latter responsible of the construction of numerous palaces and churches. In the past, Altamura also had a large castle, whose construction dated back to the 11th-13th century, which has been completely demolished and is not visible anymore. In 1748 Charles VII of Naples had a university built in the city. Cesare Orlandi - Altamura

In 1799, an important event in the history of Altamura, commonly labelled as

Altamuran Revolution The Altamuran Revolution ( it, Rivoluzione di Altamura, also ''Rivoluzione altamurana'') was a three-month period of self-government of Italian town Altamura, right after the birth of the Parthenopean Republic (23 January 1799) which ousted the B ...

, took place. In February 1799, the city joined the

Parthenopean Republic The Parthenopean Republic ( it, Repubblica Partenopea, french: République Parthénopéenne) or Neapolitan Republic (''Repubblica Napoletana'') was a short-lived, semi-autonomous republic located within the Kingdom of Naples and supported by the ...

, after the king had fled to Palermo fearing for his safety. From 8 February 1799 to 9 May 1799, the city was self-governed and it joined the ideals spread by the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. On 9 May, Sanfedisti reached Altamura, and after a battle on the city walls, the rule of the Kingdom of Naples was restored in Altamura too. During the

Risorgimento The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...

(19th century), Altamura was the seat of the Insurrection Bari Committee and, after the unification, the provisional capital of Apulia. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the transit camp known as P.G. 51 was located at Villa Serena in Altamura.

Geography

The city is located in the south-west area of the

, near the borders with the

Province of Matera The province of Matera ( it, Provincia di Matera; Materano: ) is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Matera. It has an area of and a total population of 201,133; the city Matera has a population of 61,204. Th ...

, in Basilicata. The bordering municipalities are Bitonto,

Cassano delle Murge Cassano delle Murge ( Barese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. Origins of the name It probably derives from the Latin name Cassius with the addition of the suffix ''-anus''. According to oth ...

Gravina in Puglia Gravina in Puglia (; nap, label= Barese, Gravéine ; la, Silvium; grc, Σιλούϊον, Siloúïon) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. The word ''gravina'' comes from the Latin ''grava'' or from ...

, Grumo Appula, Matera,

Ruvo di Puglia ''"Ruvo died to revive, like the Phoenix of Heliopolis, from the ashes of itself"'' Ruvo di Puglia (; nap, label= Ruvese, Rìuve ) is a city and '' comune (municipality)'' in the Metropolitan City of Bari in Apulia, southern Italy. It is a ve ...

and Toritto. Some of the communal territory are included in the Alta Murgia National Park.

Main sights

Altamura's main landmark is the Romanesque

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

, begun in 1232 by Frederick II and restored in 1330 and 1521–47. It is one of the four Palatine churches of Apulia, the others being the cathedral of

Acquaviva delle Fonti Acquaviva delle Fonti ( nap, label= Barese, Iacquavìve ; known as just Acquaviva until 1863) is an town and of 20,446 inhabitants, in the Metropolitan City of Bari, in Apulia, Italy. Acquaviva is famous for its characteristic red onions, which h ...

, the Basilica of San Nicola in Bari and the church of Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano. The construction is influenced by that of Bari, but also with strong Gothic influences typical of the time of Frederick II. The orientation of the construction was probably changed during the 14th century restoration, to which also belongs the northern portal opening on the square; a second bell tower, the altar area and the sacristy are instead from the 16th century. Externally, the main features are the rose window, with 15 small columns radially intermingling, and the Gothic portal, set into the entrance portico standing on two stone lions. On the arch of portals are sculpted 22 panels with scenes from Jesus' life. The interior, with a nave and two aisles, has stone

presepe In the Christianity, Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also known as a manger scene, crib, crèche ( or ), or in Italian language, Italian ''presepio'' or ''presepe'', or Bethlehem) is the special exhibition, particularly during the Christ ...

by Altobello Persio (1587). The medieval walls, erected by Frederick II, rest upon the megalithic walls of an ancient city of unknown name. These early walls are of rough blocks of stone without mortar. Ancient tombs with fragments of vases and terracottas have also been found, of which there is a collection at the Museo Archeologico Statale di Altamura. There are caves which have been used as primitive tombs or dwellings, and a group of some fifty

near Altamura. Some thirty thousand dinosaur footprints were discovered in 1999 in Altamura's territory named "contrada Pontrelli", making it a major site for the study of dinosaurs.

Events

A three-day

renaissance fair A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire or Renaissance festival is an outdoor gathering open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which purportedly recreates a historical setting for the amusement of its guests. Some are permanent the ...

called

Federicus Federicus (; ) is a historical reenactment event that takes place every year in the historic city centre of Altamura, Italy. Its name is derived from the Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of th ...

is held every year in the city, usually on the last weekend of April.

Economy

Banca Popolare di Puglia e Basilicata Banca Popolare di Puglia e Basilicata S.C.p.A. is an Italian cooperative bank based in Altamura, in the Province of Bari, Apulia. The bank had 137 branches covered 12 out of 20 regions of Italy. However, they were located mainly in Southern Italy: ...

, a cooperative bank of southern Italy, is based in Altamura. The bank is a successor of Banca Popolare della Murgia.

Museums

* Archivio Biblioteca Museo Civico * National Archaeological Museum of Altamura * Museum of Typography ''Portoghese'' *Alta Murgia Ethnographic Museum * Altamura Diocesan Museum Matroneum (MUDIMA), located inside

matroneum A triforium is an interior gallery, opening onto the tall central space of a building at an upper level. In a church, it opens onto the nave from above the side aisles; it may occur at the level of the clerestory windows, or it may be located ...

Transport

The city is crossed by the SS7 "

Via Appia The Appian Way (Latin and Italian: ''Via Appia'') is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name, ...

" national road.

Altamura railway station Altamura was a railway station in Altamura, Italy. The station was located on the Rocchetta Sant'Antonio-Gioia del Colle railway and the train services were operated by Trenitalia. It was shut down in 2016. Train services The station was served ...

, operated by the national company FS and by FAL, is located on the regional lines Rocchetta Sant'Antonio-Altamura-Gioia del Colle (FS), Bari-Altamura-Matera (FAL) and Altamura-Avigliano-Potenza (FAL). Also the municipal localities of Casal Sabini, Marinella and Pescariello have their own stations. The one of Sanuca was closed in the late 1990s.

Twin towns — sister cities

Altamura is twinned with: *

Lucera Lucera ( Lucerino: ) is an Italian city of 34,243 inhabitants in the province of Foggia in the region of Apulia, and the seat of the Diocese of Lucera-Troia. Located upon a flat knoll in the Tavoliere Plains, near the foot of Daunian Mount ...

, Italy *

Modica Modica (; scn, Muòrica) is a city and ''comune'' of 54,456 inhabitants in the Province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. The city is situated in the Hyblaean Mountains. Modica has neolithic origins and it represents the historical capital ...

, Italy *

Castellana Sicula Castellana Sicula ( Sicilian: ''Castiddana'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo. Castellana Sicula borders the following municipalities: Petrali ...

, Italy

People

* Giovanni Antonio Del Balzo Orsini (1386 or 1393–1463), prince of Taranto *

Giacomo Tritto Giacomo Domenico Mario Antonio Pasquale Giuseppe Tritto (2 April 1733 – 16 September 1824) was an Italian composer, known primarily for his fifty-four operas. He was born in Altamura, and studied in Naples; among his teachers were Nicola F ...

(1733–1824), composer * Giuseppe Ciccimarra (1790–1836), opera singer * Saverio Mercadante (1795–1870), opera composer * Domenico Tranaso (1796–1854), notary * Giacomo Bellacchi (1838–1924), mathematician * Giuseppe Oronzo Giannuzzi (1838–76), physiologist * Ottavio Serena (1837-1914), Italian politician and historian * Nicola Serena di Lapigio (1875–1938), writer and journalist *

Donato Squicciarini Donato Squicciarini (24 April 1927 – 5 March 2006) was an Italian Catholic archbishop who acted as Nuncio to Austria from 1989 to 2002. Squicciarini was born at Altamura, Apulia on 24 April 1927. He was ordained priest 12 April 1952, and ordaine ...

(1927–2006), Catholic archbishop *

Romeo Sacchetti Romeo "Meo" Sacchetti (born August 20, 1953) is an Italian professional basketball coach and former player who is currently a head coach for Pallacanestro Cantù of the Serie A2. Standing at a height of 1.99 m (6 ft. 6 in.), he played ...

(born 1953), former basketball player *

Francesco Caputo Francesco "Ciccio" Caputo (born 6 August 1987) is an Italian professional association football, footballer who plays as a striker (association football), striker for Empoli F.C., Empoli, on loan from U.C. Sampdoria, Sampdoria. He represents the ...

(born 1987), football player *Mary Valastro Pinto ( née Tubito), former employee of Carlo's Bake Shop and character of the TLC network program

Cake Boss ''Cake Boss'' is an American reality television series, which originally aired on the cable television network TLC. The series premiered on April 19, 2009, and has spawned four spin-offs: '' Next Great Baker'', ''Kitchen Boss'', ''Bake You Ric ...

, as well as mother of Buddy ValastroInfos at gpo.gov
/ref>

Military

The 31st tank regiment of the

Italian Army "The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law" , colors = , colors_labels = , march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...

is stationed at Altamura.

Sources

* *

References

External links

Official website

Richard Stillwell, ed. ''Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites'', 1976:
"Altamura, Apulia, Italy"

Museo Archeologico Statale di Altamura

"Altamura and Aquaviva"
Altamura bread, discussion and photos
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Apulia