Putignano (Barese: ) is an Italian town of 26 644 inhabitants located in the Murgia of the Metropolitan City of Bari, in Apulia, southern Italy. It is known for its ancient Carnival, for textile manufacturing companies and for karst caves.
Physical geography
Putignano rises in a hilly position in the Murgia of trulli and caves, at an altitude of 372 m s.l.m. The territory, which covers an area of 99.11 km² and has an altitude of between 293 and 456 m asl, is morphologically made up of a series of terraces composed of layers of limestone positioned on irregular levels.
Origin of the name
There are various conjectures around the origin of the toponym: <li>from Potamos (river), because the city was in ancient times crossed by a canal from the ancient center of Frassineto, near Gioia del Colle; <li>from Puteus insanus (pit that makes folle) or from Puteus janus, because of the ancient custom of depositing the must in the country cisterns; <li>from Apollo Pithunis (slayer of the snake Python) from which Pethunianum derives. This is due to the alleged presence of a sanctuary of Apollo inside a cave near Monte Laureto, a high hill in the Agro putignanese; <li>from Pytna, ancient center of the island of Crete, from which an ancient tribe is thought to have lived in the territory in ancient times; <li>from puteus, due to the large quantity of wells present in the territory; <li>from an ancient noble name, Potinius, Putinius, from which the Latin form Putinianum would have derived.
History
Putignano originated from an ancient Peuceta center. There are numerous archaeological finds such as vases, coins, weapons, found in ancient burials. It is conceivable, in the absence of further evidence, that it prospered during the age of Magna Graecia, until it subsequently became a Roman municipium. The center decayed over the centuries.
Around the year 1000 the territory of Putignano became the property of the Benedictine monks who resided in the Abbey of Santo Stefano di Monopoli. Since then small families of peasants began to live in the territory of Putignano in the service of the Benedictines. Over the years the population progressively increased, so that a small agricultural center was born, which developed over the centuries.
The Benedictine domination dates back to some events concerning Frederick II of Swabia. He loved to hunt in the territories of Bari, in fact he also had a residence in Gioia del Colle. Putignano was also dear to him, so much so that he had a castle built immediately outside the town. Preparing to enter the city, the people of Putignano denied him access, on the advice of the Benedictines, siding with the Pope who had excommunicated the emperor. From then on his love for the city became hatred for the infidelity he suffered, destroying the castle, of which today no trace remains and severely ruining the walls.
The fights of the bishop of Conversano were added to the fury of Frederick II to obtain spiritual jurisdiction over the territory. However, for a long period of time, Putignano enjoyed (as happened in the nearby city of Rutigliano) the status of ecclesia nullius diocesis, that is it did not belong to any diocese and was under the direct dependence of the Holy See.
In 1317, due to some disagreements between the Benedictine monks, he handed Putignano into the hands of the order of the Knights of Jerusalem. The feud was declared a slave and whoever obtained the investiture was called Balì and had temporal and spiritual power. In this period the Adriatic coast was the victim of Turkish raids. For this reason it was decided to transfer a Byzantine icon with the effigy of the Virgin and the relics of Santo Stefano from the Abbey of Santo Stefano in Monopoli in safer territories. Putignano was chosen, where a church was built for the conservation of these objects. It is also said that on the occasion of the procession for the transfer of the relics the Propaggini celebrations originated, the opening event of the Putignano Carnival.