Novoli, the Byzantine village with the theatre at its centre

According to the philologist Rohlfs, the etymology of the name derives from the Latin Novale, meaning field to plow. Novoli is in fact the epicenter of the fertile and fruitful Cupa Valley.

The history of Novoli begins in the Cardamone caves, where fossil bones dating back to the Pleistocene and chipped Neolithic flints have been found, and in the Pietragrossa district where an important menhir from the Bronze Age can be observed.

The Byzantine period has disseminated various artistic and cultural traces. The church of the Immaculate with its simple façade, preserves within it an important testimony of Byzantine art.

Around the semicircular apse there is a notable Byzantine fresco, discovered in 1865 and dating back to the first decades of the 14th century, which depicts a very rare image of the Madonna Odigitria.

The cult of this Virgin in Puglia has ancient origins and is practiced in Salento and in the Itria Valley (the latter name probably deriving from the term “odigitria”).

The historic center is rich in religious and civil buildings, such as the mother church of Sant’Andrea Apostolo, built towards the middle of the 16th century and featuring a carparo façade divided into two orders by an entablature.

The interior, in the shape of a Latin cross, houses valuable altars in Lecce stone and oil paintings by various local painters. Set back from the façade, stands the three-story square bell tower built in the 18th century.

Further ahead you can see the church of the Madonna del Pane, which dates back to the beginning of the 17th century and was built to better preserve the Byzantine image of the Madonna positioned on a low wall. The church, originally dedicated to the Madonna of Constantinople, has three naves with a star-shaped vault and houses the ancient image of the Virgin on the main altar.

The true architectural gem of Novoli is the church of San Salvatore, built in 1500 at the behest of the Jesuit Bernardino Realino on an ancient Byzantine structure dedicated to the Madonna Allattante.

The temple has an unusual octagonal plan. The interior houses an elaborate stone altar from 1702, the work of the Lecce sculptor Giuseppe Cino. The characteristic vault of the church suggests that the building was built by the school of the Lecce architect-sculptor Gabriele Riccardi.

Novoli is famous throughout the world for the annual ritual of Focara. It is the largest bonfire in Europe and, above all, the oldest in Italy.

It takes place during the celebrations in honor of the patron saint Sant’Antonio Abate. The event attracts thousands of spectators from all over the world.

In the heart of the historic center, in the largest square, in the town's agora, the municipal theater announces itself in all its grandeur, the true cultural hub of the town, with continuous theater reviews and themed festivals.

https://www.teatrocomunaledinovoli.com/