Capurso: Pilgrimage, Church Art and Apulian Culinary Culture

Capurso combines the history of the Madonna del Pozzo with lively festival culture, church art and a distinctive Apulian cuisine. If you are looking for a place with religious traditions and tangible insights into everyday life in Apulia, your journey leads through the historic centre, to important religious buildings and regional specialities.

Festivals, processions and regional flavours

A particular highlight is the largest and most important Fanoje fire in Capurso, which is lit in Piazza Gramsci. Around the fire, a gastronomic route leads through the historic centre. This route includes tastings of Sfogliata di cipolle, taralli, wines and other traditional dishes. The Fanoje tradition thus combines a festive occasion with a culinary exploration of the town.

The Festa Grande della Madonna del Pozzo takes place on the last Sunday in August and commemorates the discovery of the Madonna image in 1705. The Sunday programme includes a procession with the Carro Trionfale and a fireworks display. The Festa di San Giuseppe is also celebrated in Capurso at the end of May. On the feast day, the statue of San Giuseppe is carried in a procession.

Madonna del Pozzo and sacred art

The Cappella del Pozzo was built above the Pozzo di Santa Maria, where the holy icon was found. Its foundation stone was laid on 9 May 1858 on the orders of King Ferdinand II. The interior of the chapel has been preserved in its original form as the inside of a well. The grotto niches contain ten paintings created in 1852 by set designers from the Teatro San Carlo in Naples.

The Basilica della Madonna del Pozzo was designed by the architect G. Sforza from Bari and completed in 1770. The basilica houses a Byzantine icon that was found in the Pozzo di Santa Maria in 1705. A bronze portal from 1970, made in the De Luca foundries in Naples, depicts the history of the Madonna del Pozzo. For visitors interested in culture, this provides an insight into the connection between architectural history, religious tradition and artistic design.

The Chiesa del SS. Salvatore also leads into Capurso's older history. The mother church dedicated to the SS. Salvatore was built in the mid-16th century with the involvement of Queen Bona Sforza. It still houses a wooden statue of San Giuseppe commissioned from Carlo Cinzio Altieri in 1725. The church also contains the painting „L’altra adultera“, attributed to the workshop of Paolo Finoglio.

According to the frescoes in the Grotta di Santa Barbara, the earliest traces of Capurso's existence date back to around the year 1000. The Museo Etnografico offers another perspective on the local past with the exhibition „Arti contadine e antiche civiltà“. There you can see objects related to historic occupations as well as everyday items from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Experience Capurso through its cuisine

Typical dishes include Polpette di Capurso. The meatballs are prepared with stale bread, minced beef, eggs, grated cheese and garlic, and originated as a way of using leftovers. At Polpette & Beat, they are eaten as typical street food in Capurso; locals and tourists walk through the town with bags full of small meatballs. Together with the tastings along the Fanoje gastronomic route, this creates a culinary way to discover the region's ingredients and local habits.

Other destinations in the area

The area around Capurso is home to the Museum of Science of the Heart, the Dipartimento di Zoologia museum, the Museo Civico Rutigliano museum and the Margherita Theatre museum. Also nearby are Spiaggia Pane e Pomodoro beach, the natural arch Arco Delle Meravigli, the Orto Botanico botanical garden and the Giardino Santa Scolastica garden. For further travel planning, you can also discover the following destinations: Gioia Del Colle, Bitritto, Molfetta, Alberobello, San Bartolomeo, Santa Lucia, Turi and Valenzano.

To the main travel overview: Bari.