Putignano is a town of the province of Bari, famous for its Carnival parade, which can be placed second in Italy for its importance, second only to Viareggio. The traditional allegorical floats made by the local craftsmen find its perfect display window on Carnival day, attracting thousands of curious tourists.
Putignano is situated at 40 km from Bari in a hillside location on the border of the Valle d'Itria. The presence of a rich handicraft, was the premise for the building of important industries since the late XIX century. Today Putignano is an important district for the production of wedding dresses. Not less important is the traditional food industry.
There are no documents of its origins, but the archeological exhibits, excavated here, evidence a rich history and the first traces are of a settlement built by an antique Italian population known as Peuceti.
For seven centuries the town has been a "nullius diocesis", under the direct dominion of the Pontifical State, controlled by the Benedictine Monks of Monopoli and by the order of the Knights Hospitaller of Malta, which governed through all the Middle Ages.
Worth a visit the Chiesa Matrice, entitled to San Pietro, which proposes a Gothic ogive arched portal and a wonderful rose window, and the nearby Palazzo del Bali, which was the home of the vassal of the High Council of the Knights Hospitaller of Malta.