![Bitonto BW 2016-10-19 15-08-52](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Bitonto_BW_2016-10-19_15-08-52.jpg)
Bitonto (; nap, label=
Bitontino, Vetònde) is a city 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 ...
'' in the
Metropolitan City of Bari
The Metropolitan City of Bari ( it, Città Metropolitana di Bari) is a 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 and some forty other municipali ...
(
Apulia
it, Pugliese
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographic ...
region),
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. It lies to the west of
Bari
Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...
. It is nicknamed the "City of Olives", due to the numerous olive groves surrounding the city.
Geography
Bitonto lies approximately to the west of the city of
Bari
Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...
, near the coast of the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
. The bordering municipalities are
Bari
Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...
,
Bitetto
Bitetto ( Barese: ; la, Vitetum, or ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, Italy.
Main Sights
The main attraction of Bitetto is the cathedral, dedicated to Saint Michael, one of the main examples of Apulian Romane ...
,
Palo del Colle,
Altamura
Altamura (, ; nap, label= Barese, Ialtamùre) is a town and ''comune'' of Apulia, in southern Italy. It is located on one of the hills of the Murge plateau in the Metropolitan City of Bari, southwest of Bari, close to the border with Basilic ...
,
Toritto
Toritto ( Barese: or ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bari and region of Apulia, southern Italy.
It lies in an agricultural area, growing mainly almond and olive trees, about 20 km from the Adriatic Sea.
History
T ...
,
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 ver ...
,
Terlizzi
Terlizzi ( Barese: ) is a town and ''comune'' of the region of Apulia in southern Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Bari, lying to the west of the seaport of Bari on the Adriatic Sea, in the midst of a fertile plain. , its population was some 27, ...
, and
Giovinazzo
Giovinazzo ( Barese: ) is a town, ''comune'' (municipality) and former bishopric within the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia region, southeastern Italy.
History
It was a small fortified centre of the Romans, who called it Natolium, maybe buil ...
. The hamlets (''
frazioni
A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist era (1922–1943) as ...
'') are Mariotto and Palombaio.
History
![Butuntum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Butuntum.jpg)
The city was founded by the
Peucetii
The Peucetians ( grc, Πευκέτιοι, Peukétioi; la, Peucetii; later also grc, Ποίδικλοι, Poidikloi, links=no; la, Poediculi, links=no) were an Iapygian tribe which inhabited western and central Apulia in classical antiquity. Tw ...
, and its inhabitants referred to by the Greek settlers of the region as ''Butontinoi'', an ethnonym of uncertain derivation.
[Bitonto.net](_blank)
. According to one tradition, the city was named after Botone, an
Illyrian king. Its first city wall can be dated to the fifth to fourth centuries BC; traces remain in the foundations of the Norman walling.
Similarities of
coin
A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...
age suggest that Bitonto was under the hegemony of Spartan
Tarentum Tarentum may refer to:
* Taranto, Apulia, Italy, on the site of the ancient Roman city of Tarentum (formerly the Greek colony of Taras)
**See also History of Taranto
* Tarentum (Campus Martius), also Terentum, an area in or on the edge of the Camp ...
, but bearing the numismatic legend
BITONTINON. Later, having been a Roman ally in the
Samnite Wars
The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars (343–341 BC, 326–304 BC, and 298–290 BC) were fought between the Roman Republic and the Samnites, who lived on a stretch of the Apennine Mountains south of Rome and north of the Lucanian tribe.
...
, the ''civitas Butuntinenses'' became a
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
''
municipium
In ancient Rome, the Latin term (pl. ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ("duty holders"), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the privi ...
'', preserving its former laws and self-government and venerating its divine protectress, whom the Romans identified by ''
interpretatio romana
''Interpretatio graeca'' (Latin, "Greek translation") or "interpretation by means of Greek odels is a discourse used to interpret or attempt to understand the mythology and religion of other cultures; a comparative methodology using ancient Gr ...
'' as
Minerva
Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Roma ...
; the site sacred to her is occupied by the Church of San Pietro in Vincoli. As a city of the Late Roman Empire, Bitonto figures in the ''Liber Colonis'' of Frontinus, in the
Antonine Itinerary
The Antonine Itinerary ( la, Itinerarium Antonini Augusti, "The Itinerary of the Emperor Antoninus") is a famous ''itinerarium'', a register of the stations and distances along various roads. Seemingly based on official documents, possibly ...
and other Imperial itineraries, and the
Tabula Peutingeriana
' (Latin Language, 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 m ...
, a post where fresh horses were to be had for travellers on the
Via Traiana
Via Appia ''(white)'' and Via Traiana ''(red)''
The Via Traiana was an ancient Roman road. It was built by the emperor Trajan as an extension of the Via Appia from Beneventum, reaching Brundisium (Brindisi) by a shorter route (i.e. via Canusiu ...
for
Brundisium
Brindisi ( , ) ; la, Brundisium; grc, Βρεντέσιον, translit=Brentésion; cms, Brunda), group=pron is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea.
Histor ...
.
The foundations of a
Paleochristian
The history of Christianity concerns the Christian religion, Christian countries, and the Christians with their various denominations, from the 1st century to the present. Christianity originated with the ministry of Jesus, a Jewish teache ...
basilica came to light in excavations beneath the cathedral's crypt, but no written evidence survives of an established diocese in the
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
. Though there is no evidence that a Lombard ''
gastaldo
A gastald (Latin ''gastaldus'' or ''castaldus''; Italian ''gastaldo'' or ''guastaldo'') was a Lombard official in charge of some portion of the royal demesne (a gastaldate, ''gastaldia'' or ''castaldia'') with civil, martial, and judicial powers. ...
'' had his seat at Bitonto, Lombard customs and law insinuated themselves deeply in local social fabric.
During the 9th century, Bitonto successfully withstood a Saracen raid, in which the besiegers' leader was killed beneath the city's walls Bitonto took part in the revolt of
Melus of Bari
Melus (also ''Milus'' or ''Meles'', ''Melo'' in Italian) (died 1020) was a Lombard nobleman from the Apulian town of Bari, whose ambition to carve for himself an autonomous territory from the Byzantine catapanate of Italy in the early eleventh ...
in 1009.
In the Middle Ages Bitonto was a fief of several baronial families, before it passed permanently in the thirteenth century to the Acquaviva, who took their name from their stronghold at
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 ha ...
: The Acquaviva were later dukes of Atri, and their minor signory of Bitonto was raised to a marquisate in 1464 by the King of Naples,
Ferrante di Aragona in favour of Giovanni Antonio Acquaviva; on his premature death it passed to his brother, the successful and cultivated
condottiero
''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Europe ...
Andrea Matteo Acquaviva
Andrea Matteo Acquaviva, 8th Duke of Atri (1458–1529) was an Italian nobleman and condottiero from the Kingdom of Naples. Born in Conversano, Puglia, he was the second son of Duke Giulio Antonio Acquaviva and his wife Caterina Orsini del Balzo. ...
, who exchanged it in 1487 for the marquessate of Ugento, which he subsequently lost. In 1552 the citizens paid for the city's freedom the considerable sum of 66,000
ducat
The ducat () coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wi ...
s.
In 1734, during the
War of Polish Succession
The War of the Polish Succession ( pl, Wojna o sukcesję polską; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II of Poland, which the other European powers widened in pursuit of their ...
, the Spanish army under
Charles of Bourbon and the
Duke of Montemar
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranked ...
defeated the Austrians under
Giuseppe Antonio, Prince of Belmonte at the
Battle of Bitonto
The Battle of Bitonto (25 May 1734) was a Spanish victory over Austrian forces near Bitonto in the Kingdom of Naples (in southern Italy) in the War of Polish Succession. The battle ended organized Austrian resistance outside a small number of f ...
, thus securing possession of the
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...
for the
Bourbons
The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanish ...
.
On September 6, 1928 the village of the Holy Spirit, the only access to the coast and the subject of border disputes between the two cities since the Thirteenth century, it passed to the municipality of Bari. The territory stolen had a surface area of about 16 square kilometers.
Main sights
The city includes a medieval burg and a modern area.
The main landmarks include:
*The Castle and the walls
*The Romanesque
Bitonto Cathedral
Bitonto Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Bitonto, ''Concattedrale di Maria SS. Assunta'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Bitonto in the Province of Bari, Italy.
History
The cathedral, dedicated to Saint Mary, was the seat of the small Bis ...
(''Cattedrale di S. Valentino''), built in the 11th-12th centuries and influenced by the
Basilica of San Nicola in
Bari
Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...
. The west façade is divided in three parts and has three portals, the central one sculpted with vegetables motifs and scenes from the Old Testament, four
mullioned window
A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...
s and a
rose window
Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' w ...
flanked by sculptures of animals supported by small columns. The interior has a nave and two aisles: the main artwork is the marble ambo (1229), a masterwork of medieval Apulian sculpture.
*The Basilica of
SS Cosma e Damiano
*The church of ''San Francesco'' (12th century). It was built in 1283 over a pre-existing Roman fortification, to celebrate the 1222 visit of St. Francis of Assisi. It has kept the original late-Romanesque façade, flanked by a 16th-century bell tower. The portal has figures of
bovine
Bovines (subfamily Bovinae) comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including cattle, bison, African buffalo, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The evolutionary relationship betwee ...
animals, probably an allusion to the founder family of the church,
Bove Bove is a surname. Notable people with the name include:
* Carol Bove (born 1971), American artist
* Davide Bove (born 1998), Italian footballer
* Edward Bove, American surgeon
* Linda Bove (born 1945), deaf American actress
* Raphael Bove (born 19 ...
. It is surmounted by a triple
mullioned window
A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...
. The interior has some frescoes and 16th-century altars.
*The church of ''San Gaetano''
*The church of ''San Domenico''
*The church of ''Santa Caterina''
*The Sylos-Labini Palace
*The Bove Palace
*The Late Renaissance
Economy and culture
Bitonto is well known for its production of extra virgin
olive oil
Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: f ...
, which is exported to America and elsewhere in Europe. The city also produces wine, beer, cereals, almonds, and textiles.
Recently, Bitonto has also become a popular tourist destination. It has hosted the
Beat Onto Jazz Festival Beat Onto Jazz Festival is a jazz festival
This is a list of notable jazz festivals around the world.
Historic jazz festivals
Jazz festivals by country
The following is an incomplete list of notable jazz festivals, including both current and ...
since 2001.
Transportation
Bitonto is not directly connected to the Italian national railway system (
FS). However, it is serviced by an electric rail line, the
Bari–Barletta, operated privately by
Ferrotramviaria
Ferrotramviaria is a private railway company of Italy. Based in Bari, in the Apulia region, it manages the ''Ferrovie del Nord Barese'' network, composed by the Bari–Barletta railway and the Bari metropolitan railway service.
Railway services ...
, and counts two stations:
Bitonto
Bitonto (; nap, label= Bitontino, Vetònde) is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bari (Apulia region), Italy. It lies to the west of Bari. It is nicknamed the "City of Olives", due to the numerous olive groves surrounding the cit ...
and
Bitonto Santi Medici. Bitonto is away from the international
Karol Wojtyła Airport of Bari.
Around Bitonto, there is a
ring road
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop, bypass or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist i ...
resembling a near perfect circle, from which only the easternmost portion is missin
Sport
The local association football club is the
U.S. Bitonto
Unione Sportiva Bitonto is an Italian association football club located in Bitonto, Apulia. Its colors are black and green.
Bitonto were promoted for the first time in history to Serie C in 2019–20 as champions of Serie D, following the ear ...
, and its home ground is the
Città degli Ulivi Stadium
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
.
People
*
Caffarelli (Gaetano Majorano),
castrato
A castrato (Italian, plural: ''castrati'') is a type of classical male singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice is produced by castration of the singer before puberty, or it occurs in one who, due to ...
opera singer
*
Vitale Giordano, mathematician
*
Nicola Bonifacio Logroscino
Nicola Bonifacio Logroscino (1698 – c.1765) was an Italian composer who is best known for his operas.
Biography
He was born at Bitonto (Province of Bari) in the Apulia region and was a pupil of Giovanni Veneziano and Giuliano Perugino at the ...
, musician
*
Carlo Rosa, painter
*
Gennaro Rubino
Gennaro Rubino (November 23, 1859Milillo, 90. – March 14, 1918; also spelled Rubini) was an Italian anarchist who unsuccessfully tried to assassinate King Leopold II of Belgium.
Early life
Rubino was born in Bitonto, during the period of I ...
, unsuccessful assassin of
King Leopold II
* german: link=no, Leopold Ludwig Philipp Maria Viktor
, house = Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
, father = Leopold I of Belgium
, mother = Louise of Orléans
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Brussels, Belgium
, death_date = ...
of
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
*
Tommaso Traetta
Tommaso Michele Francesco Saverio Traetta (30 March 1727 – 6 April 1779) was an Italian composer of the Neapolitan School. Along with other composers mainly in the Holy Roman Empire and France, he was responsible for certain operatic ref ...
, musician and reformer of the Baroque Opera
*
Michele Morrone
Michele Morrone (; born 3 October 1990) is an Italian actor, model, singer, and fashion designer appearing in both Italian and Polish films. He gained international recognition after portraying the role of Massimo Torricelli in the 2020 erotic ...
,(365 days actor)
International relations
Bitonto is
twinned with:
*
Banja Luka
Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city of Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is also the ''de facto'' capital of this entity. I ...
,
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and Pars pro toto#Geography, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of Southern Europe, south and southeast Euro ...
*
Durrës
Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...
,
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
Kryetari i Bashkisë së Durrësit Vangjush Dako ka pritur në një takim kryetarin e bashkisë së Bitontos Michele Abbaticchio
Bashkia Durrës, 2014-06-26 (in Albanian)
References
Sources
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060509144612/http://www.bitonto.net/index.php Bitonto.net
External links
Official website
* ttp://www.gotik-romanik.de/Bitonto,%20Thumbnails/Thumbnails.html Photos of Bitonto at gotik-romanik.de
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Apulia