Locorotondo

Locorotondo is a municipality ("comune") in the Province of Bari, Italy, with a population of 13,928 (2001 census). The city is famous for its wines and for its round historical center by which it takes its name which means "Round place". It is also the birthplace of Formula One Driver, Vitantonio Liuzzi.

Locorotondo is one of the most beautiful towns in the province of Bari it icon [http://www.borghitalia.it/html/borgo_it.php?codice_borgo=400 "The Most Beautiful Villages of Italy"] ] . Located in south-east murgia it is deep in the famous Itria Valley, dotted with white trulli.

The site has seen human habitation since ancient times, witnessed by archaeological finds dating between the third and the seventh century BC. The formation of a town dates back to around the year one thousand as an unfortified hamlet under the jurisdiction of the Benedictine monastery of St. Stefano. The estate of various feudal lords for 500 years it saw an increase in population, housing development, formation of its own state and the construction of the walls and castle. The Caracciolo family, Dukes of Martina Franca and the last feudal lords, remained in Locorotondo until the beginning of the nineteenth century.

Agricultural activity is still the leading sector in the local economy: the vine, with the varieties Bianco d'Alessano and Verdeca, providing the raw material for producing the now famous White DOC Locorotondo.

Of particularly important artistic and cultural interest are the Cathedral Church of "St. George the Martyr" built between 1769 and 1821, the church of "San Rocco", the Romanesque church of "Our Lady of Greece". The beauty of the historic centre is also represented by a labyrinth of white alleys, jealously guarded by their inhabitants. The houses end with the unusual pitched roofs called "cummerse", a feature typical of the historical centre of Locorotondo. The Locorotondo countryside has an abundance of trulli dwellings which were built around a communal area called "jazzile"

References

External links

* [http://www.comune.locorotondo.ba.it/ Comune di Locorotondo]
* [http://www.http://www.locorotondodoc.com Cantina Sociale del Locorotondo] (multilingual)
* [http://www.borghitalia.it/html/borgo_it.php?codice_borgo=400 The Most Beautiful Villages of Italy]