Putignano Guide

Carnival of Putignano

Puglia Region

carnevale di putignano

Fondazione "CARNEVALE DI PUTIGNANO"
Via Conversano n.3/f
70017 Putignano (BA)
Tel 080/4911532 - 080/4058017 Fax 080/4935576
E-mail: carnevale (at) carnevalediputignano.it

Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (left [wikipedia link]) meets al-Kamil Muhammad al-Malik (right),

One of the most remarkable personalities in world history, Frederick II, a religious skeptic tried and failed to win the loyalty of the people of Putiganano. Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 until his death in 1250, bloodless ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, he was also King of Sicily, from 1198 to 1250, where he was raised and lived most of his life. His legend still continues in the present, perhaps because it was said he would one day return to unite the Mediteranean for a millennium.

LOCATION

The Carnival of Putignano is one of the three most important Italian carnivals together with Viareggio and Venice.
Putignano (30.000 people) is located in Puglia (wikipedia link) region (south Italy), 40 km south east from Bari (Apulian capital)
Bari (bä'rē) , city (1991 pop. 342,309), capital of Bari prov. and of Apulia, S Italy, on the Adriatic Sea. It is a major seaport and an industrial and commercial center. It is connected by road, rail, and ship to other Adriatic ports and is now connected by road to Naples.

HOW TO GET THERE:

BY PLANE: Bari International Airport ( www.seap-

puglia.it ) inaugurated its new Terminal on March 2005.
There are low cost direct flights to London (Ryanair), Koln and Stuttgart (hapag lloyd express: www.hlx.com ) and other international direct flights to Monaco (Lufthansa) Bucarest and Timisoara (clubair), London (British airways), Tirana (Ada air). Besides there are several domestic flights with Italian Hubs linked with all Europe with Alitalia and Sky Alliance: 5 flights per day to Rome Fiumicino, 7 per day to Milan Linate and 3 per day to Milan Malpensa. Other Italian cities linked: Venice, Turin, Verona, Trapani).
YOU CAN ALSO LOOK FOR FLIGHTS ON BRINDISI AIRPORT (BDS)

BY FERRY BOAT:
Bari Port: Direct ferry connections with Dubrovnik (Croazia), Bar (Montenegro-Serbia), Durres (Albania), Igoumenitsa, Patras (Greece);
Brindisi Port: Direct ferry boats with Greece and Turkey.
From Nord Balkans is ok also Ancona Port and then by Car to Bari.

BY CAR:
A14 highway exit Bari Nord or Gioia del Colle

ACCOMMODATION:

Hotel “La chiusa di chietri” (4 star hotel, www.lachiusadichietri.it) beautiful hotel located in the wonderful countryside: hills, Olive trees, oaks, typical rural rock houses called “trulli”.

VISITOR ATTRACTIONS:

ALBEROBELLO (4 km): it’s the world capital of “trulli”. The city is in the Unesco heritage List
POLIGNANO A MARE (20 km): the birthplace of worldwide famous singer Domenico Modugno (Mr. Volare), very romantic and old city on the sea.
PUTIGNANO: Visit to the Carnival float hangars, the caves, the old city with the beautiful St. peter Church in romantic and baroque architectures.

FOOD AND FOLKLORE

A Trullo (plural, trulli) is a traditional Apulian stone dwelling with a conical roof. It is only found in the Italian region of Apulia that in Italian is called Puglia (pronounced "Poolia" in English); it is not found in any other Italian region or country of the world The vast majority of trulli have one room under each conical roof, therefore a multiroomed trullo house has many cones representing a room each. The norm was a large single room with very thick walls.

A very full immersion in the best of Apulian gastronomy, wines, music, culture and folklore.

HISTORY

For over seven centuries Putiganano was "nullius", that is to say, it was directly under the Pope's dependence for both temporal and spiritual powers. For 200 years it was governed by Benedictine rule and by the Maltese Knights until 1808.
Frederick II, who valued and respected Putignano, tried to win over her fidelity by building a castle. However when Putignano refused access into the city after a hunting expedition because of her undying loyalty to the Pope, he had the castle, together with the walls, destroyed, after only a few years.

GALA DIES NATALIS 2005
IN PUTIGNANO
(Bari, Italy)
October, 14th-16th

PROGRAMME
2005

DRAFT 24AUG05

VENERDI 14 ottobre

Arrivals and registrations
16.00 Visit of Putignano Cave
17.30 Putignano carnival Hangars with demonstrations of working paper machè, carnival groups exhibitions
20.30 Typical Apulian food and party
(CASUAL DRESS ALL DAY)

SABATO 15 ottobre
9.00 Guided tour to Alberobello (Unesco site) with the famous “trulli”
12.00 Visit of Putignano old city (middle age) with St. Peter Church
13.30 Lunch in typical Restaurant Cantinone (former vineyard)
16.00 Visit to Polignano a Mare
19.00 meeting with Mayor of Putignano and local authorities
20.30 Hotel La chiusa di Chietri, welcome cocktail
21.00 Gala Dinner at the Hotel

DOMENICA 16 ottobre
Departures (or individual additional programme)