Orsara di Puglia

The village, surrounded by lush forests, deep-sea meadows, fields cultivated with olive groves, cereals, vegetable gardens and vineyards is Orange Flag of the Italian Touring Club and Slow Town of the Slowfood circuit.

Its history begins on the top of Monte Preisi, where you can see the remains of a primitive settlement in control of the underlying Valle del Cervaro. The increasing importance of the Via Traiana and the Spelunca Ursariae led to the displacement of the inhabited center in the current position, at the foot of Mount San Marco.

The stones of Orsara tell of Warrior Angels, Spanish knights monks, abbots and fedautari. Symbol of the village is the imposing abbey complex, which stands in a scenic position overlooking a deep cliff and consists of the Cave of San Michele, the Vestibular Church dedicated to San Pellegrino, the Church of the Annunziata and the Abbey, become over the centuries Baronial Palace.

The historic center preserves between stone lanes and small authentic architectural and cultural gems: the Renaissance Fontana Nuova; Palazzo Varo, seat of a Music Library; Palazzo De Gregorio, seat of the Museo dell'Angelo and the IAT; the straw oven of 1526; the eighteenth-century Mother Church dedicated to Saint Nicholas.

Orsara has preserved many peculiarities and ancient traditions, such as the pagan feast of Fucacost and cocc priatorije of November 1 and the rites related to the Cult of Saint Michael Archangel of May and September. Effervescent cultural center the village offers wide-ranging events: the Jazz Festival and electronic music in August, the Food and Wine Gallery in June, the art festival Colors, etc…

There are also many possibilities offered by the uncontaminated nature of its surroundings: for lovers of hiking we point out the paths and paths inside the woods of Acquara, Demanio, Calabrese, Cervellino, Monte Preisi. Finally, Orsara has been proposed for decades as a village of good living, with excellent food and restaurants from the kitchen to km 0.