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Molfetta
Molfetta formerly stood on the island of St Andrew; at present it spreads along the coast for about 3 kms from east to west. Molfetta has always been a seafaring town and it has made its living from the sea and all things associated. It is also surrounded by fertile cultivated land, favoured by a mild climate and influenced by its closeness to the sea thus allowing the growth of varied vegetation.
The town is clearly divided into two opposing areas: the old town with its characteristic “fishbone” road plan, and a modern built-up area with its wide roads a multi-storey buildings; in between these the two , an area that developed between the end of the 1500s and the first years of the 1600s.
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The Duomo
The old Duomo dedicated to St Conrad is set on the seashore and is partially surrounded by the houses that make up the old town of Molfetta. It is better known as the Old Cathedral and is currently a national monument. Works started on the church after 1150 and finished at the end of the 18th century in a time of robustness for shipping in Molfetta and it is considered one of the greatest examples of Apulian romanesque architecture.
The Duomo is a massive building with three cupolas aligned along the nave which are externally covered by octagonal tambours with pyramid like roofing completed by “Chiancarelle” (slabs of local rough stone) which are sloped in order to favour the draining of rainwater. The entry portal bears the Maltese Cross in its underlying lunette and is crowned by a semi-circular diamond pointed ashlar cornice. Above the portal, in the centre of the facade, there is a Romanesque circular window in between two single-lancet windows which correspond to the aisles. A cornice surmounted by consoles separates the facade from the dome cladding.
Inside, the basilica plan with a nave and two aisles divided by cruciform pillars with leaning columns, preserves the charm of its originality in which one can feel the influence of the byzantine, Apulian Romaneque and Muslim. One can admire the beauty of the capitals with their flower and animal carvings and the picturesque stoup depicting a man, probably a Saracen, who is holding a bowl in which a fish is swimming.
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The old Town
The old town is surrounded by the town walls and licked by the sea on its northern side. Its eliptic shape along with its narrow “fishbone” streets represent an interesting model of urban planning of the early middle ages. Its narrow winding streets were planned in order to defend the town from the wind and from enemy attacks.
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The old houses are still preserved today in their original structure as they seem to come out of the sea with their powerful walls dotted with balconies and protected by Torrione Passari (a fortification built in 1515), which was a valid bastion against the age old legendary forays of pirate ships,which were a continual threat to this coastal population.
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The Pulo
The Pulo in Molfetta, 2 kms from the town centre towards Ruvo di Puglia, is one of the most antropized karstic dolines in the region. Due to its particular environmental conditions, it can be said that this area has always been inhabited.
The Pulo is an egg-shaped karstic depression with vertical walls and is 30 metres deep. It is a collapsed dolina, which originates from the caving in of the roof of a large cave; it has an extension of 600 metres. The stone body of the dolina is made up of a series of limestone layers from the Cretaceous period. The walls around the Pulo are spangled with communicating caves, which are generally spread over different levels. Numerous relics found during the excavations at the beginning of the 1900s, which are on show in the archeological museum, make up rich documentation witnessing the existence of an organised community in the village.
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Local area
