Toritto, the town of pulicchio and cave

Toritto is an Italian municipality located in the metropolitan city of Bari. With a population of about 8,000 inhabitants, Toritto is known for its production of almonds, being one of the main centers of cultivation of this product in Italy. It is part of the Alta Murgia National Park, characterized by a hilly landscape and karst phenomena.

The area also features limestone terrain and karst phenomena, such as the Pulicchio di Toritto and the cave of San Martino. The latter is a site of great historical and archaeological importance. Its origins date back to the Paleolithic, with traces of frequentation dating back to a period between 2.58 million and 10,000 years ago. The cave has a long main corridor, from which a secondary branch branches off and reconnects to the main branch after a short stretch. The walls of the cave are adorned with interesting examples of parietal art, including red paintings, mainly positive handprints, and engraved motifs, such as a recognizable female profile. In addition to these prehistoric testimonies, fragments of ceramics dating back to the Bronze Age and the Peucetian culture (4th century BC) have been found, together with early medieval remains, which attest to continuous use of the site over the centuries.

The origins of Toritto date back to the Early Middle Ages, with historical documents attesting to the presence of the town as early as the 9th century. The name “Toritto” could derive from the Latin words “torus” or “tauretum”, indicating a raised area. The history of the municipality is marked by various events and donations to monasteries, with important documents dating back to the 11th century.

The Toritto Castle has a long history of which only a few details are known, in the absence of studies that clarify the historical phases of its construction and use. Located in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, in the historic center of the town, the monument has undergone numerous renovations and expansions over time, incorporating the towers (Norman tower and round tower), which date back to an estimated period between the 10th and 11th centuries and were presumably part of a defensive structure equipped with a moat, which was later transformed over time into a noble residence.

Between the 15th and 16th centuries, other buildings were added to expand the castle, built directly on the moat, visible between the square and Via Carmine, where there is a stone bridge used as access to the building, flanked by two granite lions with two panelle between their paws, evidence of the era in which the fiefdom was in the hands of the noble Frangipane family.

According to a document from 1631, the castle in the Baroque era also had productive functions and housed, in addition to the residential apartments of the noble families who succeeded one another in the fiefdom (Frangipane, Caravita, Telesio), stables, courtyards, cisterns, mills, granaries and oil presses.

The Town Hall of Toritto is a significant building, located in a central position that reflects the importance of public administration in the life of the community. Built in the second half of the 19th century and designed by the architect Liguori Danisi, the building was intended to serve as the seat of the Municipality and as an elementary school.

Toritto has several squares and monuments, including the Palazzo Marchsale, the Torre dell’Orologio and several historic churches, such as the mother church of San Nicola and the church of the Madonna delle Grazie.