Fasano is a municipality in the Apulian province of Brindisi Puglia placed in the center of an imaginary triangle that has on each corner three capital cities: Bari, Taranto and Brindisi, its located in a flat area, characterized by numerous olive trees.
The town takes its name from Faso, the ancient name for a big white pigeon, today represented at the center of the coat of arms. It used to drink at the fogge, open swamps and wells where streams coming from the hills flew.
Fasano is now an agricultural centre (among the major crops are olives and turnips so called "Tradiva di Fasano”), and also a craftsman and commercial centre, one among the most prosperous of the province. But Fasano is also an important tourist destination thanks to the Safari Zoo- Fasanolandia, a place of entertainment, which attracts tourists who usually spend their holidays in Puglia, the city is close to the sea on one side and to the Selva on the other.
What to see
The Minaret, is among the major attractions of the area, it was built in the heart of the Selva in 1918, with its characteristic balcony from which , in the morning, you hear a typical song of the muezzin who preaches the Koran.
Very characteristic is the Historic Centre (Old Town), called in the local dialect U'mbracchie , a word whose origin comes from the Latin word umbraculum which means shadow, because it has narrow streets made of white limestone that does not allow the sun to penetrate, creating a pleasant coolness in summer. The old town features also, the Church Matrice di San Giovanni Battista, the Church of Sant’Antonio, delle Anime Purganti (Souls in Purgatory) and many other places of religious nature with an artistic and architectural heritage.
Impressive to the eye is Torrione delle Fogge, gateway east of the city's ancient city walls.
Among the archaeological sites, the Dolmen Montalbano, a funeral testimony known as Tavola dei Paladini (Table of the Paladins) probably dating back to the Bronze Age, and the National Archaeological Park of Egnatia, an ancient apulian town where today there are very few remains, originally inhabited by the Messapi and Paucezi.
Among the main attractions placed around the city, you can find the Safari Zoo- Fasanolandia, the largest wildlife park in Italy and among the largest in Europe, with its amusement park and the thermal resort of Terme di Torre Canne, one of the best equipped and particularly appreciated resorts for the therapeutic properties of its waters.
Events
• Third Sunday of June – The” Scamiciata”, historical commemoration of the victory over the Turks and Feast in honor of the patron saints, Madonna del Pozzo and San Giovanni Battista.