When Time Takes Shape: The San Giovanni Clock Tower and the Measure of a Community

In Turi, time ceased to be merely the passing of hours when it lost its point of reference. The old clock on Via Sedile, by then silent and distant from the beating heart of the town, became the symbol of an absence: it no longer marked the hours, guided daily life, or represented the community. What emerged was no longer a technical issue, but a question of identity itself. Where should a community place its sense of time? And in what form can time tell its story?

By the end of the nineteenth century, this question had found its way into council chambers, public debates, technical reports and official documents. Mayor Nicola Orlandi expressed it clearly: a civilised town needed a work that was not only useful, but dignified and capable of belonging to everyone. The original idea looked towards the Town Hall, imagining a clock integrated into its architecture, almost as if time itself could be embedded within the seat of civic decision-making. Yet between vision and reality lay a divide marked by financial limitations, technical revisions and repeated reconsiderations.

The name of architect Sante Simone appears throughout this story as a constant presence, entrusted with giving shape to that ambition. His design for the clock chamber followed principles of balance, proportion and elegance. Yet just as the project seemed to be finding its direction, the very structure rebelled against it. The walls proved incapable of bearing the load; the masonry was fragile, built from stones that lacked cohesion. Quite literally, the weight of time could not be supported.

From this point emerged one of the most delicate chapters of the affair. Public accusations, defensive letters and shifting responsibilities passed between technicians and administrators. Simone defended his work, citing inaccurate information and insisting upon the need for stronger structural interventions. He proposed solutions that were both practical and aesthetic: reinforcing pillars and an arch designed to lend grandeur and harmony to the façade. But every improvement carried a cost, and every cost reignited debate.

Meanwhile, time remained suspended, without a home.

The year 1891 marked a turning point, one born from a simple yet decisive intuition. Rather than adapting the clock to an existing building, why not create a place specifically for it? Thus emerged the idea of a civic tower in Largo San Giovanni, beside the former Franciscan church, in a position overlooking both the square and the public gardens. The proposal resolved the stalemate, but more importantly, it restored visibility, accessibility and centrality to the shared experience of time.

The tender process brought old rivalries and traditions back into view: candles slowly burning down while bidders waited for the decisive moment, familiar names competing once more. In the end, Schettini secured the contract, while Sante Simone remained the project's architect, a sign of continuity that ultimately outlived the controversies.

In 1892, the tower was inaugurated. It was not merely an elegant structure, described among the finest in the Terra di Bari. It became something more enduring: the point at which a community chose to recognise itself, to establish a shared measure, and to transform a technical challenge into a collective achievement.

From that moment onwards, every chime did more than announce the passing hour. It bound together past and present, mistakes and insights, fragility and vision. And it quietly reminds us that, for time to truly exist within a community, it needs a place where it can be seen, heard and shared.

Article based on a historical supplement published by “Il Paese”, written by Giovanni Lerede and retold in narrative form by Miriam Valentini.