The best cycling routes around Bitritto

Great walk between city and sea. Stunning view.

Church of Santa Maria Assunta (pictured) History of Cassano delle Murge Hundreds of stone artifacts, paintings, various objects found in the caves around the town tell us about prehistoric settlements. The recent discovery of a menhir, dating back to 2500–2000 BC., confirms the antiquity of the human presence in these districts. The origins of Cassano seem to date back to the Roman Age, as confirmed by many archaeological finding, such as the recent discovery of a precious 5th century mosaic floor. The name Cassano appears for the first time in a document dating back to the beginning of the 14th century. The toponym derives from the Latin term “Cassius” to which the specification “delle Murge” was added in 1863, in reference to the geographical context in which the town stands. The history of the town reflects that of the entire regional territory which, after a long period of stagnation in the early Middle Ages, saw a recovery under the Normans and the Swabians.

Bitetto ist known for the presence of the remains of Blessed Giacomo , a lay friar who died in the odor of sanctity, whose body has remained intact over the centuries. The main monument of the town, the church of San Michele Arcangelo is one of the purest examples of Apulian Romanesque . The epigraph near the portal reveals that the facade was built in 1335 by Mastro Lillo da Barletta on commission from Bishop Bonocore, who wanted to rebuild the city temple on the site of an older cathedral. Bitetto had in fact been a diocesan seat since the 11th century . Oriented according to ancient custom with the presbytery to the east, the church has a severe façade divided into three parts by pilasters and equipped with a large archivolted rose window . Of the three portals, the central one is characterized by a rich sculptural apparatus: two stone lions, crouched on mighty corbels, support columns with capitals with vegetal motifs that support a lunette with bas-reliefs of Christ and the twelve Apostles. The external jambs instead present scenes from the New Testament. The interior, which was heavily plastered in the eighteenth century and was restored to its original Romanesque style in 1959 , is divided into three naves by triple-order wall partitions, where the double-arched arches are surmounted by false matronei and higher up by single-lancet windows. The transept has three apses according to the stylistic features of Apulian Romanesque. The fourteenth-century body is flanked on both sides by two eighteenth-century chapels, that of Purgatory (on the left) and that of the Blessed Sacrament (on the right). Outside, the bell tower, also dating back to the eighteenth century, rests on the Romanesque façade with a typical gabled structure.

Small square and church.

Equipped area of the Mercadante forest, with fountain, bar and refreshment. Nearby, an enclosure with farm animals.

The main church of Cassano delle Murge, which dominates the square in front with its simple and beautiful white façade.

Admire the historic buildings, the clock tower and the mother church.

Worth visiting is the pleasant historic center, starting from Piazza Moro and the Mother Church and then immersing yourself in the characteristic alleys. Not far away is the sanctuary of S. Maria degli Angeli and the Mercadante forest.