Between stones and stories
of an authentic village

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?

There is a moment, between the end of winter and the full breath of spring, when the countryside around Turi transforms into a suspended landscape. Cherry trees bloom in white, the air grows lighter, and time seems to slow down, as if it were waiting for something. It is precisely within this fragile, luminous space that the Walk among the cherry blossoms comes to life each year — a collective ritual that goes beyond an event and becomes shared memory.

Founded in 1623, the Monastery of the Poor Clares stood for centuries as a spiritual and communal reference point. But this balance began to shift with the arrival of the 1800s, when new political dynamics started redefining the relationship between State and Church. In 1838, an ambitious project took shape: the construction of a new monastery, larger and more functional.

Grandmothers would sit outside their doorways, on low chairs, shawls wrapped around their shoulders. Their hands were never still: knitting, or slowly peeling dried broad beans with the reggedde, a small, well-worn knife passed down through generations. And as they worked, they spoke. Era marzo. E nell’aria c’era già qualcosa che sapeva di primavera. Le nonne sedevano fuori dalle porte di casa, con le sedie basse e lo scialle sulle spalle. Le mani non stavano mai ferme: lav

In Turi, stangachiàzze describes someone who “wears out the square”, always there, sitting or standing, simply observing. Not merely a loafer, but an ironic and symbolic village figure: guardian of slow time, shared memory and community life. A dialect word that captures the soul of the square and the meaning of belonging.

At the Borsa Internazionale del Turismo in Milan, within the official stand of the Regione Puglia, the initiative “Cuori di Sapori” was presented as part of the strategic development path of Turi Borgo Antico, entrusted to Graf Srl.

Turi thrives on a continuous succession of events that, throughout the year, tell stories of tradition, community and identity. Food festivals, folk celebrations, cultural events and moments of conviviality transform the town into a lively, shared space, where each season brings new opportunities to connect and to discover the character of the area.

Behind the grilles of the Monastery of Santa Chiara in Turi, in the 17th century marked by plague, famine and poverty, the lives of the Poor Clare nuns unfold amid hunger, silence and strict discipline. The Santa Visita of 1659 reveals accounts in deficit, lost incomes and food reduced to the bare minimum. Burdened by costly dowries, illness and an ever more rigid enclosure, the nuns endured: a fragile yet resilient community that transformed deprivation into a silent testimo

The monument to Sant’Oronzo in Turi, created between 1916 and 1917, was born from a vow made by Gennaro Valerio after an unexpected recovery. Carved in tuff stone, the statue embodies a deep, popular devotion, expressed through episcopal symbols and the words engraved on the base: “I will protect and save this city.” An artwork that weaves together faith, memory and emigration, becoming a collective promise and a powerful symbol of the community’s identity.

In Turi, inside the Mother Church, the Renaissance takes shape in the stone carved by Stefano da Putignano. Sculptor and architectus of the late 15th and early 16th centuries, he gives voice to a concrete, popular devotion through Madonnas, Saints and monumental groups. In a Puglia marked by wars and hardship, his art blends Romanesque roots with Renaissance language in an authentic and powerful style, one that has remained alive through the centuries.