Turi
Discover Turi, a town in Puglia
Hi everyone! Today I want to tell you about a town in the metropolitan city of Bari in Puglia: Turi. With its 12,930 inhabitants, it is located on the plateau of Murgia and is rich in wonderful features that will make you fall in love.
## Physical geography
Territory
The territory of Turi is mainly characterized by the Carso/limestone nature, which makes it rich in karst dolines, sinkholes, wells and caves from which numerous wells are supplied. The northern part of the territory is predominantly flat, while the remaining portion (more than 80% of the territory) is hilly, with elevations exceeding 300 meters. Among the most significant there are Monte Ferraro, Monte Carbone and Monte Zingaro. The town hall is located at 270 meters above sea level, while the highest point of the city center is represented by the marchese palace, located at 306 meters above sea level.
The inhabited center ranges from a minimum altitude of 200 meters above sea level to a maximum of 400 meters. Precisely because of this characteristic of the Turi territory, there is also a "lama", the lama Giotta, which originates near the road to Conversano. This lama, during rainy days, fills up with water that is transported up to the underlying plain, if it is not too much, or to the mouth in the Torre a Mare district, if the amount of water is greater.
Despite the presence of some forests such as the Bosco Musacco, the Bosco di Procida and the Bosco di Monte Ferraro, the majority of the territory - about 98% - is used for agricultural purposes.
Climate
Turi is located in a hilly area, a few tens of kilometers from the Adriatic coast. The climate is sub-litoral, with moderately cold winters and hot and dry summers. During the winter, snowfall is weak but frequent, especially in February.
- The absolute minimum temperature recorded is -8°C;
- The absolute maximum temperature recorded is 40°C.
According to the Köppen climate classification, Turi belongs to the Csa area, i.e. to the temperate climate of middle latitudes with a warm summer season (absolute average temperature of the warmest month not less than 22°) and mostly dry.
## History
Prehistory
Considering the morphology of the territory crossed by two "lame" and the findings of a lithic industry, typical of the Upper Paleolithic period in the S. Simone cave in a neighboring Conversano district near the basin of the lama Giotta, it must not be difficult to affirm that Paleolithic populations of hunters and gatherers have nevertheless frequented and lived in the Turi territory.
During the Neolithic period, the presence of settlements is documented near the current town, but also in the Frassineto area where a double ditch has been identified to protect an area of 5000 m², which would support the existence of a fortified village of huts within which fragments of Neolithic impasto pottery were found.
Of great importance is also one of the few Puglia eneolithic settlements of the Copper Age, towards Rutigliano, in the locality of Lama Rossa, near the "Lamone", an ancient erosive furrow and natural path between the coast and Murgia.
## What to visit in Turi
The historic center of Turi is very characteristic and there are several attractions worth visiting. For example, the Mother Church, built starting from 1742 and dedicated to the Madonna della Madia, the patron saint of Monopoli, is an example of late Baroque architecture. The church contains the statue of the Madonna della Madia, brought to Turi in 1730 by some fishermen from Monopoli fleeing from the plague.
The Clock tower, built in 1600, dominates the main square of the town. It was rebuilt on the ruins of an ancient fortified tower and residence of the feudal lord who ruled the city.
Not far from the clock tower is the Marchese Palace, dating back to 1600 and home to the Baron of Turi. From here you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city and the surrounding hills.
Furthermore, in Turi you can also visit the Convent of the Franciscan friars minor, built in 1545, where many friars known as Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Francis of Assisi lived.
## Turi's cuisine
Turi's cuisine is typical of Puglia, with some dishes worth trying. One of the main dishes in Turi is the "focaccia alla barese", a high focaccia stuffed with tomato, black olives and green olives, onion, and "strattu" olives (a paste of olives).
Another traditional dish are the "scagliozze", fried polenta slices that can be enjoyed with different salty sauces. But we cannot forget the "cardoncelli trifolati", precious mushrooms that grow throughout the barese Murgia, prepared with garlic, chili, and parsley.
Finally, we cannot forget the desserts of Turi, such as "cartellate", typical of the Christmas period, which are lattice pastries fried and then covered with honey and almonds.
I'm sure that a visit to Turi will make you appreciate the beauty of this city and taste its typical dishes, which are delicious. Come and discover Turi and let yourself be enchanted by its history and nature!
