Discovering an Iron Age city that has reached the present day, between archaeology, art, architecture and nature. Conversano is told in a volume that has the form of a tourist guide but the soul of an autobiography, meticulously written by the scientific consultant, historical researcher and member of the Homeland History Society for Puglia Antonio Fanizzi in collaboration with the journalist Rossana Paolillo and the city municipality. An extensive bibliography and a luminous series of images by Mimmo Donghia and the Marker ADV accompany the reader of ‘Conversano – Città d’Arte’ on a temporal journey that begins between the 5th and 4th centuries BC on the first step of the Murge, with the foundation of ancient Norba in a strategically dominant point over the nearby Adriatic Sea and the interior.
Before becoming the most important city in Puglia, Norba was part of the Roman Empire, saw the arrival of the Normans (Count Goffredo called it Cupersani and made it the epicenter of a County extending from Castellana to Polignano at the gates of Bari and Lecce), to pass in 1455 to the Acquaviva d’Aragona family who ruled over it for almost four centuries. Evidence of its glorious past is everywhere, starting from the main square where the Aragonese Castle overlooks the Romanesque Cathedral and the high Borrominian-inspired bell tower of the Monastery of San Benedetto. But Fanizzi’s work does not neglect any of the attractions of the area, explaining its history, morphology and origins in guiding the reader along different itineraries.
It ranges from an archaeological route to a historical one and a religious one, from the discovery of noble homes to that of extra-urban palaces, from the naturalistic circuit to that of ancient farms, from gardens to rural churches, to finally give space to the story of traditions and legends and of local food. An invitation to discover a place with many variations: historical remains and churches, but also gentle hills, white stone alleys, cherry trees. After making its sea a must, Puglia is ready to reveal art.