The town and tourist resources, also known as the Thebaid of Italy, a nickname conferred by a local historian Vincent Gallo.
It’s a town in the province of Taranto, in Apulia, Italy, of about 32,000 inhabitants and built on the banks of the ravine of S. Mark that divides the town in two parts.
From the Neolithic origins, it is said that Hnnibal past through for first, then the Normans, the Aragonese and the French.
Today Massafra is a town with predominantly agricultural tradition, with many farmers producing wine, olive and citrus, but also linked to farming, crafts and more recently to the industry.
What to see
Among the most important monuments, we must mention the Clock Tower, civic symbol of the city, 22 meters high from the eighteenth-century bells and baroque decoration. Valuable also is the Town Hall, built in early 800 by architect Campanella.
The imposing Norman castle, the square has three towers and a circular shaped octagonal overlooking the Gravina. Among the examples of religious architecture, the Cathedral of St. Lorenzo, also called the New Church, built from 1853, the former Mother Church, with similar military structure, the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Scala, the most famous and oldest building dedicated to Catholic worship and tourist resources.
Worth mentioning, finally, in the area of "Accettulla” , a Dolmen from Paleolithic period, located roughly in the post-glacial rebound.
Events
- January-February - Festival in honor of St. Antonio Abate and Carnival Massafra
- 1st Sunday of May - Festival in honor of St. Maria della Scala
- March 19 - Fucarazze in honor of the feast of St. Joseph