The Clock Tower

Turi’s Clock Tower is considered one of the finest clock towers in the Terra di Bari.

The idea for its construction dates back to 1884, when the old clock on the Sedile in the historic centre stopped working. The initial proposal was to install a new clock on the façade of the Town Hall, but concerns over the structural stability of the building eventually led, after a lengthy planning process, to the decision to construct an entirely new tower.

The chosen site was beside the Franciscan Church of San Giovanni Battista, along the Via Mediterranea, the road connecting Bari and Taranto commissioned by the Bourbons. This new location placed the tower at the heart of Turi’s expanding urban area and ensured that it could be seen from as many vantage points as possible.

The project was entrusted to the architect Sante Simone from Conversano, who chose an Art Nouveau style, while construction was carried out by Giuseppe Schettini, a master stonemason from Turi. Completed in 1892, the tower is an outstanding example of the craftsmanship and skill of Puglia’s traditional stonemasons.

The clock mechanism was commissioned from Cavaliere Alfonso Sellaroli of Guardia Sanframondi, in the province of Benevento, a highly regarded craftsman and specialist maker of tower clocks whose work had received awards at several international exhibitions. For Turi, he designed an ingenious mechanism capable of operating not one but three clock faces, each positioned in a different direction.

One of the tower’s most distinctive features is its elaborate garland, entirely carved from Puglian limestone, which incorporates two unusual dome-shaped bells with a brighter tone than traditional bells.

The clock follows the traditional Gran Suoneria all’Italiana striking system, marking both the hours and the quarter-hours.