Turi: Old Town, Churches and Sant’Oronzo

Turi combines a historic town centre with sacred art, the Sant’Oronzo alla Grotta cave complex, religious festivals and the local speciality Trònere di Turi.

Old Town and Architectural History

The historic old town of Turi is located in the highest part of the town. Whitewashed houses, narrow cobbled lanes and votive chapels shape its traditional appearance. The Torre dell’Orologio has towered above Turi’s rooftops since 1892. The Chiesetta di San Rocco o dell’Annunziata is one of the few surviving buildings from medieval Turi. The ground floor of the Palazzo Marchesale bears traces from the Norman period of the 11th century. The Torre dell’Orologio adds a more recent historical reference to the older associations of the Chiesetta and the Palazzo Marchesale.

Churches, Art and the Cave

The Chiesa Matrice has three broad aisles and acquired its present Baroque appearance through extensive remodelling in the 18th century. It houses works by the Renaissance sculptor Stefano da Putignano. The Baroque remodelling belongs to the architectural history of the 18th century, while the works by Stefano da Putignano kept there date from the Renaissance.

Sant’Oronzo alla Grotta was built in the first half of the 18th century. A monumental flight of steps beside the church leads down to the cave below. It contains an altar and a majolica-tiled floor. The church and monastery of San Giovanni Battista were built in the second half of the 16th century immediately outside Turi’s city walls. San Giovanni Battista houses statues and paintings from the 16th to the 18th century. Sant’Oronzo alla Grotta and San Giovanni Battista also have different spatial settings: at one complex, the flight of steps leads into the cave, while the other is located outside the city walls.

Religious Festivals

The Festa patronale di Sant’Oronzo takes place from 24 August to 28 August. As part of the Festa, a procession carrying the saint’s bust travels on 25 August from the Chiesa Madre to the outlying church of Sant’Oronzo alla Grotta. The present third version of the Carro Trionfale di Sant’Oronzo was inaugurated in 1971; on the evening of 26 August, six mules pull it through Turi’s illuminated streets. The procession of the float therefore follows the previous day’s procession on 26 August.

The 34th Sagra della Ciliegia Ferrovia di Turi took place from 5 June to 7 June 2026 as a three-day fair and as a cultural and tourism event. The two event dates therefore fall in June and August.

Local Flavours and Karst Terrain

One local speciality is Trònere di Turi: Turi is considered the area of origin of this speciality. In Turi, panzerotti can be filled with the typical “truène”, a beef roulade filled with cheese, capocollo, tomato, parsley and chilli, cooked with onions over a wood fire. Turi lies on karst and limestone terrain.

More Destinations for Planning Your Trip to Italy

Poggiorsini, Lamie di Olimpia, Noicattaro, Triggianello, Altamura, Andria, Triggiano and Molfetta

To the higher-level travel overview: Bari.