Another typical specialty of this Apulian village is the fecazzèdde di murte, small flatbreads made with type 0 flour, oil, and potatoes, without tomato.

Focaccina dei Morti – All Souls’ Day Focaccia

LA FOCACCIA DEI MORTI, TRADITIONAL TREAT

Another typical speciality of this Apulian town is “fecazzèdde di murte”, small focaccia breads made with tipo 0 flour, olive oil, and potatoes, without tomato. Traditionally, they are eaten simply by the people of Turi on 2 November, the Day of the Dead, and are usually accompanied by recòtte ascuànte (strong ricotta) or various chenzèrve (preserves), and more recently also with tuna and capers.

This tradition reflects the quick, frugal meal enjoyed by the people of Turi on that day, allowing them to take part in the 3:00 p.m. procession, which sets off from the Church of Santa Chiara, home of the Archconfraternity of Purgatory, and proceeds to the Municipal Cemetery, where the Office of the Dead is celebrated.

In recent years, local bakeries have continued to prepare these authentic delicacies even beyond the traditional octave of the dead, making them available for much of the month of November.

Stone Faces Against Evil: the Apotropaic Masks of Turi

In Turi, around thirty apotropaic masks have survived—human faces carved into arches, doorways and windows, intended to protect against evil spirits and the evil eye. Created mainly between the 1910s and 1920s, they feature grotesque expressions designed to ward off misfortune. Today, many are deteriorated, yet they remain valuable witnesses to popular imagination and to the town’s historical identity.

TuriBorgoAntico

1 day ago2 min read

The Cross, where the town pauses and remembers

The Cross of Via Rutigliano in Turi is a large 19th-century votive shrine that for centuries marked the entrance to the town and the symbolic passage between the world of the living and that of the dead. Restored in 1994, and already rotated and repositioned in the 1930s, it preserves Neo-Gothic forms inspired by cathedral portals. Today, it represents the identity heart of the Rione della Croce and an urban landmark worthy of further enhancement.

TuriBorgoAntico

4 days ago3 min read