7 days in Puglia, Italy - 09/16/2023-9/22/2023
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Day 1-Bari |
Day 2-Monopoli and Polignano a Mare |
Day 3- Matera |
Day
4-Alberobello/Ostuni Basilica of St. Comas & Damian lunch at Alimentari Trullo Sovrano Old Town Old town cont. Ostuni Ostuni cont. Dinner at Ceralacca |
Day 5-
Bari Norman Swabian Castle City Walk Lunch at Bottega del Tortellino Pane e Pomodoro beach Cocktail & Dinner |
Day 6-Trani | Day 7-Bari Last day in Bari |
Day 2-Monopoli, Italy - 09-17-2023
Monopoli Cathedral
Monopoli Cathedral, otherwise as the Basilica of the Madonna
della Madia or Santa Maria della Madia is a Roman Catholic cathedral and it
is dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the title of the Madonna della Madia.
The cathedral was erected near the site of a Roman temple and burial site.
Work began on it in 1107, but was supposedly halted for the lack of roof
beams. A miracle occurred in 1117 when a raft carrying an icon of the
Madonna drifted into the harbor. The raft beams were used to construct the
roof.
The Romanesque structure was not complete until 1442, when it was
consecrated. Two of the three bell-towers were damaged during the siege of
the Marquis Del Vasto in 1528. The remaining tower collapsed in 1686,
killing forty townspeople. By 1693, a new campanile had been erected.
In 1738, an endowment by Bishop Giulio Sacchi called for a
refurbishment. The old church was razed, and a new church begun in 1742.
Work was completed in Baroque style in 1772. In 1921, the cathedral was
declared a minor basilica. In 1986, the dioceses of Monopoli
and Conversano were joined, making this a co-cathedral.
Large courtyard in front of the Cathedral.
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The main entrance of the Cathedral.
The interior of the church is beautifully adorned with bright and colorful decorative marbles.
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The cathedral is also home to the venerated icon of the Madonna
della Madia. It’s in a chapel behind the high altar.
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It’s believed to have arrived miraculously on a wooden
platform or madia with 31 beams in 1117. Those beams were used to create the
cathedral’s wooden ceiling.
The Cathedral features a Romanesque architecture, which was only
completed in the mid-fifteenth century
The cathedral is massive and so colorful.
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A priest at mass
A lot of people are staying in line to receive the Eucharist (Bread).
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One of the altar with the a large canvas of the last supper.
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This organ is located up above and close to the exit.
Side view of the Cathedral
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We are now exiting the cathedral.
View of the courtyard from the Cathedral.
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Small alley near the Cathedral.
It is around 1:00pm and we are looking for something quick for lunch.
We are just walking around and looking....
These tuk tuk cars are so so cool!
Passed by a few restaurants...
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This area is full restaurants and there are a lot more people.
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The bell tower of the of San Leonardo Church.
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We found a sandwich shop selling porchetta, the classic Italian roasted pork.
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Each sandwich cost 7 Euros and it comes with Foccacia bread and porchetta and all the veggie you want.
It was really good, on the copious side so I threw away half of the bread. What so steal!
NEXT... Church of Purgatory
