Holiday apartment in Turi: Old Town, Churches and Festival Culture

Holiday apartment in Turi between the old town and festival culture

Turi combines a historic town centre with churches, feast days and regional specialities.

The historic old town of Turi is located in the highest part of the town. There, whitewashed houses, narrow paved lanes and votive chapels preserve the characteristic town centre. Rising above Turi’s rooftops is the Torre dell’Orologio, which has formed part of this townscape since 1892. The terrain is also part of the town’s character: Turi lies on karstic, calcareous ground.

Churches and evidence from several periods

The church has three broad naves and acquired its present Baroque appearance through extensive remodelling in the 18th century. Its interior houses works by the Renaissance sculptor Stefano da Putignano. The Chiesetta di San Rocco o dell’Annunziata is also one of the few surviving buildings from medieval Turi.

Further periods are visible at the Palazzo Marchesale: its ground floor bears traces from the Norman period of the 11th century. The church and monastery of San Giovanni Battista were built in the second half of the 16th century directly outside Turi’s city walls. San Giovanni Battista houses statues and paintings from the 16th to the 18th century.

Sant’Oronzo alla Grotta was built in the first half of the 18th century. A monumental flight of steps at Sant’Oronzo alla Grotta leads into the cave below. The cave beneath the building contains an altar and a floor made of majolica tiles.

Feast days, a procession and a special float

The Festa patronale di Sant’Oronzo takes place in Turi from 24 August to 28 August. On 25 August, it includes a procession bearing the bust of the saint: it leads from the Chiesa Madre to the outlying church of Sant’Oronzo alla Grotta. On the evening of 26 August, the Carro Trionfale di Sant'Oronzo is pulled by six mules through Turi’s illuminated streets. The present, third version of this triumphal float was inaugurated in 1971. The feast days cover five calendar days; the procession and the float procession take place on different days.

Turi is considered the area of origin of the Trònere di Turi. In Turi, panzerotti can be filled with the typical “truène”. This is a beef roulade filled with cheese, capocollo, tomato, parsley and chilli, cooked with onions over a wood fire. 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.

Further places for planning your trip

If you would like to compare other places in addition to Turi, you can find Palo del Colle, Giovinazzo, Grumo Appula, Macchia Di Monte, Conversano, Mola Di Bari, Gravina In Puglia and Cozzana here.

For the overarching travel overview: Bari.