Utente:NatashaCuzzi/Sandbox

Palo del Colle

Palo del Colle is a town in the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia’s country seat, in the south of Italy. His name is due to the fact that it’s sited on a hill (from here the name “Pole on the Hill’’). This little town, as many other surrounding towns, shows the enormous influence of the pre-roman population. Therefore, even if considered a forgotten town, a glance at its impressive architecture is worth the visit.

There is not an ideal time to visit Palo del Colle, as its geographical position allows the tourist to enjoy the advantages of the Mediterranean climate even in the coldest months. Summers are usually hot and dry, while winters are cold, occasionally accompanied by snowfalls.

Furthermore, based on Pliny's authority, we can assume that if he mentioned this population, while neglecting others, it is possible that Palo enjoyed a certain notoriety in his time.

Palo del Colle owes its name to its geographical position, being situated on a hill 177 metres above sea level. Its first inhabitants choose to settle here because thanks to the height they could benefit from cleaner air.

It is fairly easy to find your way around Palo del Colle because all the major places of interest are located near its centre, from which you can easily reach both the main churches and the hilltop old town.

The closest airport is Bari-Palese (15 km), followed by Brindisi (128 km).

The car is the best way to reach Palo del Colle, especially if you want to avoid long waits due to public transport.

>From Northern Italy you can get there by taking the Bologna-Taranto motorway.

>Palo del Colle is served by the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane. The station is located in Piazzale Domenico Guaccero and is on the railway line connecting Bari, Altamura and Matera.

> Road transport to and from Palo del Colle is guaranteed by both the Appulo Lucane Railways and the Provincial Transport Company.

It is possible to move around/explore/discover the streets of the historic centre only on foot.

The historical centre is studded with a variety of churches and squares erected using the Baroque and Romanesque style.

Church “Santa Maria la Porta” This church, built in the XII century, is located in the highest spot of Palo and is dedicated to Santa Maria la Porta, protector of the town. The north façade overlooks the romantic ‘S. Croce’ square. Still towards the north part of the church we can admire the fourteenth-century bell tower, named by its inhabitants “Spione”. Sometimes it is possible to climb up the tower and enjoy the rural view.

“SANTA CROCE” SQUARE This historical square displays the main attractions of the town such as the church of Santa Maria la Porta (the mother church) with its tower, the Purgatory church, the Prince Palace and the Palace “delle Mura”.

“FILOMARINO DELLA ROCCA” PALACE

This imposing building is what is left from the Palace of Federico II of Swedish dated back to the thirteenth-century. Unfortunately the main façade was reworked in the nineteenth-century, giving at this palace a neoclassical style.

church “santa maria di juso” This little church is opened only in the occasion of the “day of the angel” which fall precisely one week after Easter. On this day Palo’s inhabitants are headed to the liturgical ceremony willing to meet the angel who showed up at the women in front of Jesus’ Sepulchre. The word “juso” is an ancient local form to point out that something is below another thing (reference to the town’s valley).

The foods that belong to the gastronomic tradition of Palo del Colle are knniad, a soup of mixed legumes that can be catalogued in the so-called cucina povera (it litelally means Kitchen of the poor and includes all the dishes that the poor used to cook, as they had no money to afford expensive ingredients), and taralli, a baked snack that is often declined in many flavours and formats. Other foods that you can taste/feast on in Palo are those of the Apulian and Barese tradition, for instance: focaccia, panzerotti and orecchiette with cime di rapa.