Bovino is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' and hill town at the eastern side of the

Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...

in the

province of Foggia The province of Foggia (, ; Neapolitan language, Foggiano: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Regions of Italy, Italian region Apulia. This province is also known as Daunia, after the Daunians, an Iapygians, Iapygian pre-Roman tribe livi ...

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

, southern Italy. Located within the woody

Daunian Mountains Daunian Mountains (in Italian Monti della Daunia or Monti Dauni, or also improperly Subappennino Dauno) are a mountain range in southern Italy, constituting the eastern appendix of the Campanian Apennines. They occupy the western fringe of Capit ...

as a terrace over the Tavoliere plains, Bovino is one of

I Borghi più belli d'Italia () is a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest, that was founded in March 2001 on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities, with the a ...

("The most beautiful villages of Italy").

History

Bovino has more than two thousand years of history, and in 323 BC, participated in the

Samnite Wars The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars (343–341 BC, 326–304 BC, and 298–290 BC) were fought between the Roman Republic and the Samnites, who lived on a stretch of the Apennine Mountains south of Rome and north of the Lucanian tribe. ...

, fighting against the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

. The Romans subsequently rebuilt the town, calling it Vibinum. During the Second Carthaginian War, it is likely that

Hannibal Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Punic people, Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Ancient Carthage, Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. Hannibal's fat ...

camped on Monte Castro during his march to Rome. In 663, after being conquered by the Lombards, Bovino was destroyed during the war with the Byzantines. In 876, after the Byzantine reconquest, the walls around Bovino were rebuilt by Emperor

Basil I Basil I, nicknamed "the Macedonian" (; 811 – 29 August 886), was List of Byzantine emperors, Byzantine emperor from 867 to 886. Born to a peasant family in Macedonia (theme), Macedonia, he rose to prominence in the imperial court after gainin ...

, and the streets were laid out in their characteristic narrow design. In the 11th century, during the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

conquest of southern Italy, Bovino was one of the last remaining Byzantine strongholds. In 1656,

bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of Plague (disease), plague caused by the Bacteria, bacterium ''Yersinia pestis''. One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and ...

killed the majority of the local population, and only 1,200 people survived.

Main sights

The largest single edifice is the

castle. It occupies a commanding view of the village. The courtyard is permanently open. The ''villa communale'' is a municipal park with ponds and fountains, housing an extensive arboretum lined with

horse chestnut The genus ''Aesculus'' ( or ), with notable species including buckeye and horse chestnut, comprises 13–19 species of flowering plants in the family Sapindaceae. They are trees and shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with ...

trees. There are several panorama viewpoints. Most are next to remains of the original Roman wall. Several streets in the historic centre are still stepped and paved with cobbles. Other ancient sights include the

Roman aqueduct The Romans constructed aqueducts throughout their Republic and later Empire, to bring water from outside sources into cities and towns. Aqueduct water supplied public baths, latrines, fountains, and private households; it also supported min ...

. Bovino is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bovino. Bovino is home to several ancient churches. The oldest is St. Peter's (Italian ''San Pietro''), which was built on the site of an ancient temple dedicated to

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

. The

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

-style Church of the

Rosary The Rosary (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as the ...

(Italian ''Chiesa del Rosario'') has an elongated brick campanile. The Cathedral is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its interior varies in style according to the construction period. The most ancient section is the chapel of San Marco in Ercana, housing the relics of this local patron saint. The church of San Pietro contains a painting of the crucifixion of

St. Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the early Christian Church. He appears repe ...

by the Master of Bovino of the

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...

school. As archbishop of

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, the future

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

visited Bovino in 1965 together with eleven other Polish bishops. He then laid the foundation stone of what was to become the ''Santuario di Santa Maria di Valleverde'', dedicated to an alleged appearance of the Virgin Mary. Situated part way up hill from the main SS90 trunk road to Bovino, the ''Santuario'' has become a popular pilgrimage site. Wojtyła returned as Pope in the 1980s in order to officially ratify the Marian apparition and open the church.

Events

Bovino is home to several festivals, the largest being the "Feast of August 29th". Dating back to the time of the ruling feudal Guevara family, Bovino has a fair on that day. In addition to visits by a large number of vendors, there is usually a holy procession featuring the statue of the Madonna of Valleverde. The day is also marked by an historic

cavalcade A cavalcade is a procession or parade on horseback, or a mass distance ride by a company of riders. Sometimes the focus of a cavalcade is participation rather than display and the participants do not wear costumes or ride in formation. ...

Economy

Bovino's economy is principally agrarian. Main crops are olive oil, sunflower oil, wine and tomatoes. Family small holdings have increasingly given way to

co-operatives A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomy, autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned a ...

, allowing farmers to gain access to larger markets. Grape vines are generally of the

sangiovese Sangiovese is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin , "blood of Jove, Jupiter". Sangiovese Grosso, used for traditionally powerful and slow maturing red wines, is primarily grown in the central regions of Italy ...

variety. Bovino grows winter tomatoes in large greenhouses. Tomatoes are of the

plum tomato A plum tomato, also known in the United States as a processing tomato or paste tomato, is a type of tomato cultivated for sauce and packing purposes. It is generally oval or cylindrical in shape, with significantly fewer locules (seed compartment ...

variety. Bovino also has its own varieties of Puglia cheeses, including

mozzarella Mozzarella is a Types of cheese#Semi-soft cheese, semi-soft non-aged cheese prepared using the ('stretched-curd') method with origins from southern Italy. It is prepared with cow's milk or buffalo milk, taking the following names: * or mozz ...

caciocavallo () is a type of ('stretched-curd') cheese made out of sheep's or cow's milk. It is produced throughout southern Italy, particularly in the Apennine Mountains and in the Gargano peninsula. Shaped like a teardrop, it is similar in taste to the ...

ricotta Ricotta () is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep, cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo milk whey left over from the production of other cheeses. Like other whey cheeses, it is made by coagulating the proteins that remain after the casein h ...

and

provolone Provolone (, ) is an Italian semi-hard cheese made from cow's milk. It is an aged ''pasta filata'' ('stretched-curd') cheese originating in the Campania region, near Vesuvius, where it is still produced in pear, sausage, or cone shapes long. P ...

. The main industrial area of Bovino is Bovino Scalo, situated downhill by the River

Cervaro Cervaro is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Frosinone in the Italian region Lazio. It is located in the Liri valley, about southeast of Rome and about southeast of Frosinone. Cervaro borders the following municipalities: C ...

. This zone marks a boundary for the Tavoliere d'Italia, a large fertile plain famous for producing high quality durum wheat for pasta. Nearby

Foggia Foggia (, ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere delle Puglie, Tavoliere, also know ...

claims several of the world's most famous pasta manufacturers, including

Barilla ''Barilla'' refers to several species of salt-tolerant (halophyte) plants that, until the 19th century, were the primary source of soda ash and hence of sodium carbonate. The word "barilla" was also used directly to refer to the soda ash obtain ...

and

Buitoni Buitoni () is an Italian food company based in Sansepolcro. It was founded in 1827. They are known for their factory-produced products of pasta and sauces. In 1985, the Buitoni family sold the company to Carlo De Benedetti; in 1988, it was acqu ...

. Of increasing importance is

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

. As a member of the society of " Italy's most beautiful villages", Bovino is recognised for its natural environment and archeological heritage. There are restaurants which specialise in local food. A handful of hotels are available for tourists. FCA (former

FIAT Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...

) has become an important local employer since the construction of the

Punto Punto may refer to: In music: * Punto (Venezuela), a style of Venezuelan music * Punto guajiro, a style of music of the Cuban countryside and its guajiros * Punto music, a style of music of Panama, Panamanian music In automobiles: * Fiat Punto, s ...

model began at

Melfi Melfi ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,768. Geography On a ...

. There is a bus service to the factory for employees.

References

External links

* http://www.lastampa.it/2015/04/06/multimedia/societa/i-borghi-ditalia-KctJmvzMMXrFQTpxmF6WuJ/pagina.html * http://www.prolocobovino.it/ * https://web.archive.org/web/20080323101252/http://www.bovinonline.it/ * http://www.orchideedibovino.it/ * http://www.museum.com/jb/museum?id=12547 * http://www.borghitalia.it/html/borgo_en.php?codice_borgo=348&codice=elenco&page=1 {{Authority control Cities and towns in Apulia Borghi più belli d'Italia