Bovino Version n. 1.0 Territorial Mapping Activity This Project is co-financed by the European Union through the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) in the programming period 2014-2020 1 Location Name of the place: Bovino Localisation: Italia, Puglia, (Foggia) Territory: Daunia Lat: 41.249926 | Long: 15.341249 Bovino(FG) interactive map: https://www.openstreetmap.org/export#map=7/40.518/15.403 Altitude: 620 m s.l.m. Territorial area: 84,93 km² Inhabitants: 3.256 (31-12-2017) Population density: 38,34 ab./km² Zip Code: 71023 Bovino 2 Short description of the place: This village is part of the club "The most beautiful villages in Italy" promoted by the National Association of Italian Municipalities. Since December 2013, it has been awarded the Orange Flag, a recognition of quality bestowed by the Italian Touring Club. At 30 km from Foggia, the village is part of a naturalistic context of great respect: it is surrounded by greenery with its 3,000 hectares of forest that surround it and its territory is crossed by numerous water sources. Today, the town has a very conspicuous and well-preserved medieval structure, which testifies to its thriving past: stone-paved alleys, noble palaces with internal courtyards, 800 stone portals and much more. 2 Data regarding historical traditions History of the village: Originally it was an Oscan-Samnite center, then dominated by Rome. In 217 BC it was encamped on Monte Castro (one of the two mountains on which the Borgo stands, the one, where the Castle stands and where most of the medieval old town is located, the other, the less anthropized Monte Castro) Hannibal, before the battle of Canne. The source of this event is the Historiae di Polibio. About Vibinum (this is the name of the Roman center) Plinio the Elder, in the Naturalis Historia, praises the amenity of the place and the friendliness of its people. In 80 b.C., Bovino was occupied and rebuilt by Sulla. Vibinum soon grew socially becoming first Municipium and later Roman colony. It was appreciated as a strategic place for the crossing of the Apennines. In it were located the places originally occupied by the forum, the amphitheater and the baths, its walls of enclosure opus reticulatum, its access doors and some towers, the aqueduct with the two large tanks for decanting the water, two temples, one dedicated to Apollo and the other to Hercules. These architectural and archaeological evidence with numerous sculptural, numismatic and epigraphic attestations testify to the political and social importance of the ancient Vibinum. It knew various and important dominations: with the advent of Christianity and with the annexation to the Diocese of Benevento, Bovino suffered the Lombard domination, but it was soon disputed by the Byzantines. In 1043 it was destroyed by the Norman troops of Dragone, who later refounded it on its ruins and built the castle. Under the domination of Frederick II a period of tranquility and prosperity. Then from the Swabians it passes to the Angevins, and subsequently "the feudal potentate" with the Estendards, who ruled the village from the first decades of the 1400s for just over 100 years. The town experienced its heyday when it became a fief of the Guevara family, illustrious family of Spanish origin, Lords of Navarre, descendants of the Aragonese, moved to Naples in the wake of Alfonso V of Aragon. Don Giovanni de Guevara, who obtained the title of Duke of Bovino from King Filippo di Spagna in 1575, enlarged the castle giving it the appearance of a noble palace. Bovino and the villages of the Dauni Mountains became the setting, dwelling and guerrilla territory of the brigands. The situation is not simple, so much so that the Bourbons forbade, along the entire route between Benevento and Bari, that the woods arrived at the edge of the main road. Ancient traditions and ancient rites: Bovino 3 St. Joseph - March 19th On the occasion of the Feast of San Giuseppe, Bovino is celebrated with the event "I Fuochi di San Giuseppe". The lighting of the Bonfires in Bovino on the occasion of Saint Joseph refers to the cultural substratum of the pagan-pre-Christian world with its typical cults. "It is no coincidence that the anniversary in honor of St. Joseph corresponds to the vernal equinox, a period par excellence consecrated, with ritual processions and purification fires at the celebration of the rebirth of nature. The ceremonies of fire, both in pagan and Christian cults, are quite similar for what concerns the aims hoped to derive from them. The abundance of the crop, the well-being of men and animals, the task of warding off, of driving out or, if we wish, of "burning" all the negative powers are entrusted to fire. In short, fire has always had a double meaning: negative as a tool to ward off evil, positive to symbolize the benefits of the sun, light and, therefore, of divinities. On the evening of the feast of St. Joseph, therefore, in the small square in front of the Church of the Annunciation was adorned today, as then, with a statue of the saint. On top of the pile, made up of local olive branches, a holy picture was placed with the sacred image. The rosary was recited during the flames, and religious songs were sung. Today, to keep the tradition alive, PRO-LOCO has made the event its own with the addition of a competition between the districts of the town according to a specific regulation. The event begins with the evening religious service on 19 March in the Church of the S.S. Announced with a Mass in honor of the Saint. At the end of the service, the Prior of the Brotherhood lights the bonfire in front of the Church proceeding with the blessing and starts the competition by delivering the torches to the Team Leaders who leave for the respective districts. They light a bonfire of their respective wards. The reunited community and tourists can enjoy the feast by touring the small squares of the village and tasting the local culinary specialties on the grill, sausages and torcinelli. A jury composed of the President of the Pro-Loco, a member of the Board of Directors, the Councilor for Culture, the Prior of the Brotherhood and three members of the Association, rewards the most beautiful bonfire according to the indications of the regulation (order, organization , animation, etc). Easter Serenade Holy Saturday This tradition is still alive and rooted in the habits of the bovine people. On the night of Holy Saturday, Easter Eve, after midnight Mass, more or less improvised groups of young people and adults, equipped with musical instruments (in particular guitars and accordions), roam the streets of the town, knocking door to door , to bring in each house the "serenade", as a sign and a wish for a happy auspice, receiving, in exchange, all sorts of foodstuffs, with which to feast on the community until late at night. Pilgrimages to Valleverde - May The Sanctuary of Valleverde, chosen by the Virgin herself as her special cult, since the day of her Prodigious Apparition, has (/ been) for the people of Bovine destination of devoted pilgrimages to be made on the first Sunday of May and May 23rd. Bovino 4 On the first Sunday of May, the ritual votive procession moves to the sanctuary, to which the confraternities and the representatives of the Cathedral Chapter take part, together with the people. On the way back to the village, the countryside is blessed with the relic of the Braccio di San Marco, patron saint of the city. It is not known when the devout custom began, it is probably aimed at the Apparition in the spring. The pilgrimage of May 23 is instead linked to the event of the miraculous rain of May 23, 1888. What happened? a terrible drought had afflicted the whole of Puglia for several months, bringing farmers to poverty. The people of Bovino, we read in a Minutes preserved in the Episcopal Curia, undertook, on May 21, a pilgrimage. For the believers, Our Lady had to hear the prayer of her followers because the clear sky clouded over flooding the arid lands of Bovino. In memory of the event, which "had presented visibly miraculous characters", the annual thanksgiving procession of 23 May was instituted by vote of the people, which is still renewed by the people of bovine. Sounds and flavors of the ancient village - August The event, also known as "Viva la Gente - Popular Festival in San Procopio", is repeated every year in Bovino on the day of August 25 and is organized by the Pro-Loco in collaboration with the Pro - Valleverde Committee. It is also in honor of Maria S.S. of Valleverde patron saint of Bovino and star of Daunia. The festival is the triumph of the olive oil from which the surrounding lands abound. Typical local rustic dishes such as the "CRUSKELE" (grilled toasted bread seasoned with oil and tomato) and the "PIZZ FRITT", are offered at the stands. Folkloristic groups parade through the streets of the ancient district of San Procopio, singing and dancing. Between Arches and Palaces - August “Tra Archi e Palazzi "is a competitive cultural and historical event set in the 700 Bovino at the Corte dei Duchi Guevara. The Guevaras, the powerful Lords of Navarre, ruled the Duchy of Bovino from 1575 until the end of the feudal state in 1806. The Guevaras had a profound and positive incidence in the history of Bovino, in fact they, with their prestige and their power in Naples, maintained in great dignity the Ducal Castle and the village itself, building residential buildings that characterize the Borgo Antico di Bovino , and other monumental architectural works such as: large post taverns, fountains, bridges and avant-garde rustic farms, libraries and art galleries of the highest order.